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{Today I’m partnering with Dixie to bring you this easy slow cooker BBQ chicken, it’s my family’s favorite!}
Slow Cooker. BBQ. Chicken. Meaning… no oven – no fuss. Yes, please.
Happy Saturday everyone! Seeing that we are at the height of BBQ season, I wanted to share a special post with you all today. This is one of my family’s favorite BBQ recipes. If any of you happen to know about my family even a little, than you know we have some of the pickiest eaters around as part of our clan. My younger brother, Kai has gone twenty-one years without eating a fresh peach slice or wedge of watermelon, and my mother will not go anywhere near fish (neither will Creighton, Trevor, Kai, or Asher…). So you see, I have some seriously picky eaters to deal with.
When I make a simple (but still delicious) meal like this BBQ chicken all of my family is suddenly at my house and ready to eat. It’s like they the know the days I am cooking “their” kind of food. And when I make cocktails? I swear some of them have a cocktail radar on me. They just know what’s happening down at the barn and the second I finish up shooting, ah wait, scratch that…they’re here long before I finish shooting, just frothing at the mouth, waiting for their drinks. <–yep, my family everyone.
Anyway, on days when the entire family (and friends) show up, that’s when I break out my Dixie Ultra Strong paper plates. Not going to lie, I hate doing dishes like no other, and my Ultra Strong Dixie plates save the day for big summertime family meals outside, and summer BBQ’s with friends. They work especially well when serving up extra saucy foods like this BBQ chicken. Because let’s be real, no one wants to clean twenty plus plates that have been piled high with extra saucy BBQ chicken, slaw, corn, bread, etc.
I mean, right? Ah yeah, most definitely.
This is one of those recipes that I’ve been wanting to share with you guys for some time now, but just haven’t had the chance. It’s a recipe I make at least once a month, one because everyone loves it, and two, because it’s so simple and easy to throw together. While I do make this chicken all year round, I especially love it in the summer months. I know grilling is huge right now, but sometimes I just need an easy dinner that won’t heat up my house and will be ready for eating after a long day hiking or being outside.
Plus, with our big fam, summer parties almost never leave enough room on the grill. Cooking the chicken in the crockpot frees up space for corn, veggies, or whatever else I might be grilling. Love this!
OKok. So I think we all get why a summer slow cooker recipe is a must, but let’s actually chat about why this chicken is SO good.
There are two very important key players to this BBQ chicken recipe.
Key player #1: Homemade BBQ sauce, YUM. But you guys, don’t worry it is so simple and easy. Just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and DONE. No cooking and almost no time involved. And the best part? It is 110% more delicious than anything you can buy in the store.
Trust me on this.
Key player #2: The spice rub…it’s essential. It’s a rough recipe handed down to me from one of my mom’s friends Mrs. Mooney (whom you may or may not remember from this gumbo). Her secret is using just a touch of cinnamon, which gives the otherwise spicy BBQ chicken a nice warmth that leaves everyone going back for more.
Again, just trust me, it’s delish.
And that’s it. Just toss the chicken in the spice rub, add the BBQ sauce, slow cook for a few hours and you’ll have the most perfect, moist, tender, and extra saucy BBQ chicken.
You can use the shredded chicken to make sandwiches or tacos or spoon the chicken over rice or polenta (my mom’s personal favorite). You can even use the chicken as a topping for pizza and flatbread. Really…the options are endless.
Oh, and a side of grilled corn is kind of a must if you ask me. Just sayin’.
PS. Be sure to check out the #RaisingTheBBQ event today in Kansas city or tune in on Dixie’s Facebook Live feed.
Have a great Saturday!
The Best Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Servings: 10 servings
Calories Per Serving: 278 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup, preferably organic
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and pepper
BBQ Chicken
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs or a mix of the two
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1. To make the BBQ sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months. 2. To make the chicken. Place the chicken in the bowl of a crockpot. Add the honey, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken. Pour in half of the BBQ sauce. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours. 3. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the sauce and shred with two forks, return the chicken to the sauce and toss, adding more of the reserved sauce as desired. Serve over rice or as sandwiches alongside your favorite sides.
Notes
*4-8 hours cooking time required (depends on settings)
{This post is sponsored by Dixie. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!!}
I made this in the instant pot (1 pound of chicken breast for 20 minutes and then quick release). I added a little water to make sure there was enough steam (I added about 1/2 cup water but only 1/4 cup would have probably been ok because I had to thicken the sauce at the end on sauté mode).
This was awesome! I wish I hadn’t halved the recipe because we only had one serving left for lunch the next day. I liked the sweetness from the cinnamon. We will definitely make this regularly. I put a little coleslaw on the sandwich which gave it some crunch. Yum!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Amber! Thank you for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I noticed you recommend 12 minutes on high pressure if using an instant pot. Would you do a natural or quick release with that? I ask because I don’t cook with chicken very often. Thank you!
Hi Rachel! I typically use the quick release, but natural release will work too! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Sounds fabulous! I received an Instant Pot for Christmas, but I haven’t used it yet. Would this recipe work in an Instant Pot??
HI! I am sure it would be fine in the instant pot. I would cook in high pressure for 12 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Could you freeze this after cooking? I think I may try it. Perhaps after I’ve thawed the cooked meal add some more bbq sauce upon heating?
Hey Emily! Yes, you can freeze after cooking, then thaw and add more BBQ sauce to revive it a bit. That will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Do you add something else than this chicken to those sandwiches?
HI! I just serve the chicken on toasted bread. Normally I add a spicy corn salad or slaw! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Hi Teighan!! I’ve made this BBQ Chicken before and absolutely LOVE it! I am making it this week for our “Framily” and would love to know if you have any suggestions on making this BBQ sauce Keto-friendly?
Thanks!
Truthfully, there is nothing about this recipe i should like but it sounded good so I decided to try it. I made and now it is a family favorite! Everything I normally don’t like, smoky paprika, Chipotle, and spicy, I now love! This will be a weekly dish on our table.
Wow so glad to hear that! Thank you so much Deborah!
How would you do this with a whole chicken? Would you break it down first or just increase time in the slow cooker?
I would break the chicken down first for a more even cooking time. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the chicken!
This was delicious, and so easy to make too! I cut back on the honey and the brown sugar in the sauce, as we aren’t big sweet fans. Also, I used part of the sauce to make barbecued tofu for sandwiches, since we are a mixed family, and it was really good there too (drain the tofu, slice it into thin strips, saute in olive oil and then simmer in barbecue sauce to cover. Both meat and tofu were served on toasted pretzel buns topped with coleslaw. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Vivian! Oh and with tofu sounds so yummy as well! Thanks so much! ?
In the cooker! I’ll report back in 6 hours 🙂
Ooo!! Hope you love it!
Hello, writing you from France where barbecues are summer favorites … but usually with Dijon mustard and not these sweet delicious american flavors!
So I made this chicken last night, put a little less sugar and honey (in order not to scare anyone away) and and we. all. loved. it!
Thanks for this easy, cook-by-itself recipe which I will try with pork and asian flavors next time.
PS-Your blog is amazing, keep up the mouth-watering recipe & photos!
Awh so happy everyone enjoyed it! Thank you so much means a lot (:
PS: It looks like it would be good on pulled pork. Did you try this recipe on that?
Pulled pork would be amazing!
Some of the earliest cowboy sauces used a little coffee in them. it intensifies the molasses and chili taste. Put a couple spoonfuls of hot coffee in the sauce to get the Kansas City flavor to burst wide open
That sounds like a pretty awesome touch to BBQ! Thanks Stan!
On your quantities for salt and pepper is that equal amounts of each? Seems like a lot of pepper to Mr.
It’s equal amounts, but please feel free to use as little or as much pepper as you’d like. Let me know if you have questions.
I made this for dinner last night- just fabulous! I put mine in a taco and have it over rice for lunch today. The BBQ is absolutely wonderful. Thanks for a great easy recipe!!
SO SO happy you liked it Sam! Sounds like a delicious way to prepare it! Thank you!