Crockpot BBQ Chicken
by Sommer Collier — on Jun 30, 2025 This easy crockpot bbq chicken recipe lets you use your favorite sweet or smoky barbecue sauce, and choose whether you leave the chicken pieces whole or make the best slow cooker pulled barbecue chicken for sandwiches!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
It’s true that I love elevated, elegant, detail-oriented dishes that are an adventure to prepare. But even the most passionate foodies sometimes need several good “dump and go” crockpot recipes to feed a crowd or make the week’s meal prep a snap.
Take, for example, our reader-favorite Crockpot BBQ Meatballs and Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipes… They are so perfectly simple, but burst with big flavors and are always sure to please a crowd!
Today, we’re sharing our favorite chicken recipe from these no-fail crockpot recipes. In fact, this is the easiest Crockpot Barbecue Chicken recipe you’ll ever make!
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Recipe
- Easy to customize – Start with this basic recipe and use your favorite BBQ sauce, hot sauce, and your choice of chicken thighs or breasts to make the dish your own!
- Set and forget – Just pop all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it work its magic. There’s no need to sear the chicken on the stovetop first when making this marvelous dump dinner!
- Shred or serve whole – Make the slow cooker chicken for pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches or to serve as whole pieces of chicken with lots of southern sides.
However you choose to make and serve this fabulous BBQ chicken crock pot recipe, it’ll definitely be a hit at summer parties and any fun gathering!
Ingredients and Tips
- BBQ sauce – The best sauces for slow cooker barbecue chicken are any of your favorite sweet, smoky mesquite, or hickory bourbon flavors. These bold varieties really work their way deep into the pulled chicken meat!
- Brown sugar – A little bit of brown sugar sweetens the sauce and balances the more savory flavors of the barbecue sauce.
- Hot sauce – We like to add a generous amount of hot sauce to our recipe to give it an extra kick. We used Frank’s RedHot, but feel free to use Sriracha, Cholula, or any hot sauce you like. But feel free to omit the hot sauce for a mild recipe!
- Onion and garlic – There’s no need to cook these aromatics before adding them to the crockpot. Just dump them right in along with everything else!
- Boneless chicken pieces – Use your choice of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Breasts are leaner, while thighs are more fatty and flavorful.
How to Make Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Tip for Success – It’s totally up to you whether you want to cook the chicken on HIGH for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Cooking BBQ chicken thighs or breasts low and slow in the crockpot is preferred, but either one will make the chicken juicy and fork-tender.
Find the full Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Pulled chicken is terrific to make ahead and use for lunch throughout the week. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing – The meat is also great to freeze. Store it in an airtight freezer bag or container, keeping as much air as possible out. Freeze BBQ chicken for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheating – Reheat the slow cooker barbecue chicken on the stovetop or in the microwave in short bursts. Adding some more sauce will help loosen things up!
Serving Suggestions
To serve the chicken whole, pull the chicken pieces out with tongs and serve with a little extra barbecue sauce over the top. They pair well with a fluffy baked potato or on mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite starchy side dish.
To serve as pulled barbecue chicken, use two forks to shred each piece of chicken into the barbecue sauce. Stir and keep the crockpot chicken thighs or shredded bbq chicken breasts warm until ready to use to make sandwiches. Then load them up onto toasted buns with coleslaw on the bottom and bread and butter pickle slices on top. *Drool*
No matter what, you definitely want to serve this smoky, sweet, and juicy BBQ chicken with your favorite southern side dishes like baked beans, corn on the cob, crunchy fried okra, mac and cheese (seriously, the BEST), macaroni salad, or tangy deviled egg potato salad.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 18 ounces bbq sauce your favorite brand
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup hot sauce optional (We used Franks RedHot.)
- ½ cup onion slices
- 2-3 cloves garlic smashed
- 3 – 3 ½ pounds boneless chicken pieces breasts and/or thighs
Instructions
- Set out a large 6-8 quart crockpot. Add brown sugar, sliced onion, and smashed garlic cloves to the crock. Pour in hot sauce and barbecue sauce. Stirred to combine. Then gently place the chicken pieces into the sauce. Shake the crock a little to make sure the sauce covers the chicken.
- Cover the crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 2 ½ – 3 hours, or on LOW for 5 – 6 hours.
- To serve the chicken whole, pull the chicken pieces out with tongs and serve with a little extra barbecue sauce over the top.
- To serve as pulled barbecue chicken, use two forks to shred each piece of chicken into the barbecue sauce. Stir and keep warm until ready to use.
Notes
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- Storing Leftovers – Pulled chicken is terrific to make ahead and use for lunch throughout the week. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
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- Freezing – The meat is also great to freeze. Store it in an airtight bag or container, with as much air kept out as possible. Freeze BBQ chicken for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
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- Reheating – Reheat the chicken on the stovetop or in the microwave in short bursts. Adding some more barbecue sauce will help loosen things up!
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it’s totally safe to put raw chicken in the crockpot!
If I have the time I always go for slow cooking crockpot bbq chicken. However, cooking on high will still yield moist meat with plenty of flavor.
This Crockpot BBQ Chicken is a total win. I served it on toasted buns with coleslaw, and it tasted like it came from a BBQ joint!
I made this for a weekend potluck and everyone asked for the recipe. It’s simple, stress-free, and absolutely delicious!
This was insanely easy to make and full of flavor! The chicken came out so tender and soaked up the BBQ perfectly. New family favorite!