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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 love this recipe! Can you confirm the amount of salt and pepper that goes on the chicken and in the sauce? Is the sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons of each? Or a mixture? Thanks!
Hey Katherine,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! You will want to use a combined 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and pepper. Have a great week! xTieghan
Can I make this in a Dutch oven or on the stove top if I don’t have a slow cooker? Please advise modifications. Thanks you!!
Hey Amanda,
Yes, cooking on the stove will work great! Just add everything to a large pot and simmer over medium until the chicken is cooked through, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, 1-2 hours more or until you want to eat. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So delish! Another keeper – thank you!
Hey there,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Making this for 12 – would it wreck the recipe to double it?
Or do you think I should make it twice?
Hey Kate,
I would just make sure your slow cooker is large enough to double the recipe. I hope you love the chicken. Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So easy and so, so delicious. My husband says this is his new favorite pulled chicken and he’s picky!
Hey Bianca,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I used both bone in thighs and boneless breast. Super good. I put over cilantro lime rice which was also a great combo. I will definitely make again!
Hey Judy,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Is there a way to do this in the insta-pot, to speed up the process??
Hey Emily,
I would cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could you turn this into a bbq pulled pork recipe?
Hey Gabrielle,
Sure that would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I haven’t made this yet but I’m sure that this, along with of Tiegan’s recipes, is five-star.
How long would you cook this in a Dutch oven? On the stove or in the oven? What temp!
Thanks!!!
Hey Alja,
Yes, cooking on the stove will work great! Just add everything to a large pot and simmer over medium until the chicken is cooked through, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, 1-2 hours more or until you want to eat. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is an excellent recipe and so easy to make. The chicken was moist and the bar-b-que sauce delish! Will make this again.
Thank you so much Kathi! xTieghan
If we don’t have time to make the homemade barbecue sauce, do you have a recommendation for how much store-bought sauce we should have on hand instead?
Hey Shannon,
I would say about a jar or two of bbq sauce depending on how large they are! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there! I have made your BBQ sauce recipe before and it is great. Could I do the chicken in the instant pot? How much more liquid (besides the BBQ sauce) would I have to add? Thank you!
PS- I just made your crispy chipotle tacos with the lime cilantro sauce and they were the BEST I ever made. Thank you for that recipe.
Hi Juliet,
I have not tested this recipe in the instant pot so I am not sure how it will come out. I would recommend adding an extra 1/2 cup of water to the pot. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was easy to make with items we have on hand during this quarantine, and my whole family enjoyed it. Thank you!
Thank you so much Julie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Yummiest pulled chicken I’ve ever eaten! She’s right, the cinnamon totally makes this dish even more amazing…the only thing I tweaked was adding a diced onion to the crock pot. I used 1/2 chicken breast and 1/2 thighs…I’m going to be making this a LOT 🙂
Yes!! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much Suzanne! xTieghan
This was really good, very flavorful and smelled amazing while cooking. I’m not sure if I need to cut back on cayenne or if my chipotle chili powder might’ve been the culprit but this was pretty spicy so I’ll modify slightly next time. Served on Hawaiian rolls, so the sweetness balanced out the spice! Cooked 6 hours on low and it was perfect. Didn’t add anymore BBQ sauce at the end but I probably poured about 3/4 on to start and shredded it in all the juices a few minutes before serving. Plan to use leftovers for a BBQ chicken pizza…
Amazing!! So glad this turned out so well for you Megan! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This is literally THE BEST barbecue chicken recipe I’ve ever made. So easy, so flavorful – I will be making it again and again!
Thank you so much Jennifer! xTieghan