Easy Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe

2 Ingredient Crockpot bbq chicken thighs recipe is here. Great for a party, for soft tacos and cooks by itself all day in your slow cooker. Cook with barbecue sauce low and slow all day gets you fork tender shredded meat, even if using Crockpot frozen chicken to begin with.

This is such an easy crockpot bbq chicken recipe! I make this one when I find chicken breasts on sale and know I won’t have time to cook that night. That’s pretty frequently. For this 3 ingredient crockpot BBQ chicken recipe you literally throw it in and enjoy it later! One of the best crockpot recipes for our family. (affiliate links present)

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sweet Baby Rays

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 to make Instant Pot bbq beef. 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.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

Crockpot BBQ Chicken with Frozen Chicken

If you are starting off with pieces 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.

Ingredients

• A small can of chunk pineapple (with the juice)
• One jar of 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 chicken breasts.
  • You can use bone in but it just makes my life easier if I buy the chicken boneless.
  • Thighs work too

I have stuck frozen breasts in there too in the morning if I’m cooking it all day on low and it works like a charm. If you love sweet and tangy sauce smothered over tender chicken you’ll love this. It’s time to make homemade soft chicken tacos this week! For a dry rub instead you should try our Crockpot jerk chicken instead.

Crockpot Shredded bbq 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.

Instead: Use medium size breasts; 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.

My personal opinion is that organic boneless skinless chicken breasts are your BEST bet. There IS a difference in the texture of cheap chicken vs. spending a bit more if you want super tender meal.

Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?

Yes!! We will show you how to do that here. Raw chicken, just cooked on a low setting, will usually cook in 4-6 hours if you haven’t overfilled your slow cooker with other ingredients.

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.

2 Ingredient BBQ Chicken Ingredients

1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
   1. I suppose you could use chicken thighs too but I haven’t done that yet
   2. Using medium size frozen chicken is fine using the same slow cooking time on low
      1. do not cook on high if they aren’t thawed
2. Barbecue sauce – sweet and spicy is our favorite, Sweet Baby Ray brand is a close second
3. * Optional – Chunk pineapple + 1/2 cup of juice from that can

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.

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!!

How to Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken

1. You can spray the inside of your pot for a quicker clean up later if you want now.
2. Pour half your bottle of bbq sauce on the bottom.
3. Lay chicken on top of that. If breasts are quite thick I would slice them in half or thirds if they’re quite large.
   1. I personally like medium sized organic because they come out the most tender, just my opinion.
4. Pour remaining jarred or homemade barbecue sauce over the top of that.
5. Then dump in your can of pineapple chunks + 1/2 c of juice from that can.
6. If you want to add soy sauce you can add a bit now.
7. Cover and cook on low for approximately 4-6 hours or until it is tender enough to shred with 2 forks.
   1. Timing will vary greatly depending on how thick your meat was.
   2. I do not recommend 3 hours on high like some do because shredded meat really needs low and slow cooking.

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 preheat slow cookers?

This is important if you’re making an air fryer recipe but with this type of low and slow machine it isn’t really necessary. If you really feel like you need to just add a bit of water, turn it on and come back in 15 minutes. Empty out liquid and add ingredients as directed in your recipe.

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.

What to serve with shredded chicken

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.

Jump to recipe below and get started. 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!!

Other Crockpot Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

• Crockpot shredded 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.

It’s also possible that the meat simply cooked too long or you didn’t follow my suggestion and keep it on LOW vs. the high setting. Booooo!