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This tender Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken can be used to create a variety of different meals. Easy, versatile, and always delicious.
Baby, it’s cold outside. Still.
We had the first day of spring last week but we are not even close to being ready to fire up our grill yet.
I crave BBQ flavors all year long and this is one of the recipes I turn to create incredibly tender and flavorful shredded BBQ chicken any time of year. It’s literally a dump-everything-in-the-Crock-Pot-and-run-out-the-door recipe and the end result is super versatile.
Place four boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle them with a couple of teaspoons of smoked paprika, some granulated garlic (or garlic powder), and fresh ground black pepper.
Pour in one cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, evenly covering all the chicken.
Place the cover on your slow cooker and set it for 3 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW
When the chicken easily falls apart when you test it with a fork, you’re good to go!
Use a couple of forks to shred it into the sauce.
Load it up on slider rolls, use it to stuff baked potatoes (so good!), or how about some BBQ chicken nachos? Anyone?
For a fun variation on this recipe check out my Slow Cooker BBQ Buffalo Chicken Sliders.
Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (I used Kinder's Mild)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker and sprinkle with the smoked paprika, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), and pepper. Pour the BBQ sauce over the seasoned chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or until easy to shred.
- Remove the cover and use two forks to shred the chicken into the sauce.
- Serve on toasted buns or however you’d like!
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays fresh and delicious for several days.
Noreen Kualii says
Valerie, Does this chicken freeze well in order to prepare ahead for a large crowd?
Would you recommend freezing and then reheating for the day needed?
Valerie says
Hi Noreen. I haven’t tried it but can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work well. A tip for freezing a big batch of anything saucy – portion it out into gallon sized freezer-safe plastic storage bags, seal the bags and freeze them flat. Once they are frozen solid they can be stacked in your freezer to save space. Allow the item to thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.