2 Ingredient Crockpot bbq chicken with thighs or breasts are great for a party, for soft tacos and cooks by itself all day. With Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce on low you get fork tender shredded meat, even if using frozen meat.
Jump To
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken with Frozen Chicken
- Ingredient Notes
- with Chicken Thighs
- How long does it take to cook boneless skinless chicken in the Crockpot?
- Tips
- Do you need to put water in slow cooker with chicken?
- Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in Crockpot?
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
- What to serve with shredded chicken
- Does slow cooking make meat more tender?
- FAQ
- Other Crockpot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
This is such an easy recipe! I make this one when I find meat on sale and know I won’t have time to cook that night. That’s pretty frequently. You literally throw it in and enjoy it later! One of the best crockpot recipes for our family.
You can use any type of sauce you want but this is cheap and delish. I got this idea when I needed a really quick and easy meal one night. I used a bottle of sauce out of the pantry with meat just like our 2 Ingredient Pulled Pork but with poultry. I couldn’t believe just how simple it was to prep and came out ultra tender.
You only really need to throw in 2 main ingredients for the tenderest meat ever here, we add pineapple for an extra bit of sweetness. Serve it over pressure cooker rice or in tacos for the best meal ever.
Crockpot BBQ Chicken with Frozen Chicken
If you are starting off with Crockpot frozen chicken right out of the freezer the cook time will not change as long as they are separated. If not, run under cool water to separate. I know, totally surprised me too but doesn’t matter. They steam to tender just as well as if you took the time to defrost them or used fresh from the butcher.
Ingredient Notes
You will want one jar of your favorite BBQ sauce. I buy what is on sale but this one is our favorite to use in this and our air fryer bbq chicken wings too.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are by far the best so when done you can just shred away. You can use bone in but it just makes my life easier if I buy without bones. My personal opinion is that organic are your BEST bet. There IS a difference in the texture of cheap poultry vs. spending a bit more if you want super tender meal.
You could add a small can of chunk pineapple (with the juice) if you wanted to add some sweetness and a bit more texture.
This is great to make homemade soft chicken tacos this week! To add a dry rub instead you should try our Crockpot jerk chicken instead.
Occasionally I will add a few tablespoons of either soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce too if I have it on hand. It gives it a bit more of a salty sauce mixture kick.
with Chicken Thighs
If you love dark meat better than white, or if they are on sale, go for it. Since these are smaller you should use the timing for boneless chicken thighs in slow cooker instead. Still use boneless without the skin ideally and it will get to be shredded in less time.
How long does it take to cook boneless skinless chicken in the Crockpot?
Well it depends on what else you might be adding into your pot first off but generally it takes 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high temp. We are adding a thick barbecue sauce to this one and it doesn’t really alter the timing. What will drastically change how long it takes to get fall apart tender slow cooker chicken is how thick your meat is. I would NOT buy thick chicken breasts or thighs. In order to get the middle tender but not overcook the outsides is almost impossible.
Tips
I would choose to use medium size breasts, always. If all you have is thick you should slice them in half so they’re thinner, or maybe into thirds if they are really quite large. Thaw your meat before adding. You can use frozen but for the best results I would defrost them before adding them into your pot.
I like to shred the meat 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve it, leave it in the sauce, cover and allow it to soak it up more. Then serve it up in a bowl so it’s nice and coated like you see here.
Do you need to put water in slow cooker with chicken?
You do not really need to add some sort of liquid because the meat when heated will emit chicken broth, keep that in mind. I usually will add a bit, like 1/2 cup at the beginning to get things going but at the end there will be a lot more than that in the pot.
Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in Crockpot?
You will hear me say it again and again, and yet again that chicken in a Crockpot should always be cooked on the low setting. Do not cook chicken on the HIGH setting unless you like overcooked, dried out, tough meat. Always cook on LOW!!
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 jar barbecue sauce
- 3-4 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut very thick ones in half so they come out tender
Instructions
- Put 1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce on bottom of crockpot, put chicken on top of that.
- Pour remaining jar of bbq sauce on top, and if you want to add a small can of pineapple chunks/tidbits (with 1/2 c. of juice) on top of that do so now. (if you like a bit more salty taste add 3 tbsp soy sauce on top too)
- Turn crockpot on low and cook for approx. 4-6 hours or until breasts are cooked and soft enough to shred easily.
- If breasts are frozen cook for 6-8 hours on low.
- Open and shred chicken 30 min. before serving, put lid back on. serve over rice or in small tortillas with spicy jack cheese, lettuce, etc.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with shredded chicken
Add tender chicken into tortillas with cheese and avocado immediately for the best results. If you want to cook this even faster use the recipe for Instant Pot shredded chicken here. Our pulled pork is pretty darn amazing too.
We either serve Crock pot bbq chicken it inside flour tortillas with shredded cheese and lettuce, or it’s good served over rice too. Kids love this inside slider buns with a bit of coleslaw in there too. It is great when people come over or during a party too. If you move your slow cooker setting to “keep warm” it can sit there for hours and just get better because it soaks up all the juices.
Does slow cooking make meat more tender?
YES! This and putting it inside my Instant Pot are game changers and the only way to go for us. Slow cookers work well for soups and stews too where less tender cuts of meat are cut into chunks or small pieces. The moist heat and steam they provide softens the connective tissue helping chicken or beef to fall apart more easily. You can even cook frozen chicken and then shred from there!!
FAQ
Keep it moist y’all, with some liquid such as chicken or beef stock, water, or vegetable juice. This is especially true with really large thick pieces such as a roast. Better yet, include a gravy or sauce that is thicker and will add to the moisture.
Yes I have done that but use a larger pot so chicken doesn’t overlap as much and each piece gets nice and tender. I am telling you that using a thick really flavorful bbq sauce on beef or chicken in a slow cooker does wonders vs. just broth or water.
When you’re cooking meat in the slow cooker the leaner the cut, the drier it tends to get. If the meat comes with skin or a fat cap, leave that intact to keep the meat from drying out. I didn’t do that here because there is plenty of sauce to keep it moist.
Other Crockpot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Crockpot chicken taco meat is the bomb on Tuesdays. So cheap and versatile. Cheap crockpot chicken fajitas are popular as well Try our tasty crockpot salsa chicken as well some night. Try our Crockpot bbq beef recipe too! Super simple and tons of flavor in this slow cooker recipe.
