Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
Need an easy hands-off chicken dinner for two to serve after a busy day? Cook up these sweet and spicy Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken made with a maple BBQ sauce! Serve it as sandwiches, tacos, mac and cheese, and more.
For the longest time I didn’t trust slow cookers.
The idea of leaving the house with a slow cooker on all day made me nervous. It wasn’t until I was forced to buy not one but two for a client that I decided to test it out.
Slow cookers are designed to not blow up your kitchen when left attended. They heat at a very low temperature and won’t burn your food (as long as you have enough liquid).
And if you aren’t home after time is up, it’ll turn over to the warm setting so it doesn’t overcook.
That makes it super handy to cook a hands-off dinner especially when you have a busy work day scheduled.
Imagine being stressed out with an important work project but then realizing your evening just got easier because you have Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken waiting for you at home in your crock pot.
Tender, juicy chicken slow-cooked in a tangy, sweet and smoky maple barbecue sauce simmering away, waiting to be effortlessly shredded with a fork.
It’s one of my slow cooker recipes for two as it makes enough BBQ pulled chicken for 4 sandwiches (similar to my shredded beef sliders also made in the crock pot).
Although if you’re cooking for one and find yourself with leftovers, you can make my pulled pork mac and cheese with it.
To make your crock pot BBQ pulled chicken, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken: Dark meat will always taste the best, but you can also use white meat.
- Maple syrup: Adds sweetness to the sauce
- Apple cider vinegar: Not to be confused with the apple cider you drink, the acidity from the vinegar will cut through the sweetness of the maple syrup
- Tomato paste: Helps thicken the sauce
- Brown sugar: Even though we already have maple syrup for the sweetener, brown sugar adds a subtle molasses taste as well as helps thicken the sauce
- Dijon mustard: Some more acidity to balance the sauce
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds some umami
- Paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne: Spices to flavor and balance the sweetness of the sauce
Which slow cooker should I buy?
The two slow cookers I own are the 6 quart Crock Pot and 1.5 quart Chefman slow cooker (both affiliate links).
Even though I make slow cooker recipes for two, I prefer the 6 quart crock pot as it allows me to have room to stir and I can easily double the recipe if my family is over for dinner.
However, you can easily use a smaller slow cooker as long as the chicken fits and is covered in sauce.
Here’s how to make your slow cooker barbecue chicken:
- Add chicken to crock pot.
- Whisk together all the sauce ingredients to make your maple BBQ sauce.
- Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred chicken with a fork and serve.
Refrigerate leftover pulled chicken for up to 4 days.
Can you make BBQ pulled chicken ahead of time?
I get it. Nobody wants to spend their hectic morning measuring all the sauce ingredients to make this BBQ pulled chicken slow cooker recipe before dashing off to work.
Good news is you can make the maple barbecue sauce up to 2 days ahead of time then just pour it over your chicken the day of cooking.
You can also make my honey BBQ sauce if you don’t want maple.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Enjoyed this BBQ pulled chicken in a crock pot? Check out my other crock pot recipes:
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
Need an easy hands-off chicken dinner for two to serve after a busy day? Cook up these sweet and spicy Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken made with a maple BBQ sauce! Serve it as sandwiches, tacos, mac and cheese, and more.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken thighs or 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, thawed and patted dry
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (not the juice)
- 1/4 cup canned tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the chicken and lightly salt it.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl*, whisk together maple syrup, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours or until chicken is cooked and easily falls apart with a fork.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks then stir to incorporate the sauce. It'll be a bit liquidy, but the sauce will be absorbed into the chicken as it sits. Serve on hamburger buns.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
Notes
- *You can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. This is especially useful if you're limited on time (such as making it before work).
- You can also use your pulled chicken to make my Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out all of my slow cooker recipes for two.
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