BBQ Pulled Chicken
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Jun. 27, 2025
Tender BBQ Pulled Chicken delivers big, bold, smoky flavors without taking up space on the grill or heating up the oven. It’s fantastic for meal prep and gatherings.
The Easiest, Most Tender BBQ Pulled Chicken
In these midwestern parts, the season has finagled its way from winter to suddenly summer. Each year, without fail, everyone is beyond ecstatic for warm, sunny days and campfire nights.
Like countless others, we’ll be firing up the grill for boldly flavorful burgers and everything else that comes with an outdoor barbecue splurge. Without missing a beat, this BBQ Pulled Chicken delivers all the flavor, with no need for grill space nor oven heat. You’ll find it refreshingly convenient that this barbecue pulled chicken only asks for a few hands-off hours in your slow cooker.
Round out your picnic, cookout, or family meal by serving up these super easy Brown Sugar Baked Beans and this fan-favorite Red Potato Salad Ranch Salad.
Make it in advance for meal prep
This Smoky BBQ Pulled Chicken makes the best BBQ chicken sandwich and is one of my favorite ways to add to any casual party, as well as weekly meal prep for the family. No oven and no competing for grill space. This pulled chicken, like our no-fail Perfect Pulled Pork, is fully done up in the slow cooker. It could not be easier.
Gather your ingredients. Toss it all in your slow cooke. Let it go…hands-free, carefree, and you’re set You’ll be rewarded with the most flavorful, tender, and juicy pulled chicken. All the Serve it in the bun, in a salad, or in a wrap.
For meal prep, make a big batch and separate into containers for the week. I often prep mine the night before, and just turn the slow cooker on the next morning.Then mix up your presentation each meal by serving it in buns, in a barbecue style salad, in a wrap, or even a bowl. It’s a winner no matter how you serve it up.
More to Cook and Eat:
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (L&L BBQ Copycat)
- Peach BBQ Pork Tenderloin Recipe
- General Tso’s BBQ Grilled Chicken
- BBQ Ribs, Oven Baked, Extra Tender
Video: Watch Me Make This Recipe
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Smoky BBQ Pulled Chicken
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil, extra virgin
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups honey barbecue sauce*, plus more as needed
- 1 ½ tablespoons liquid smoke
- 4 lbs chicken thighs, skinless/boneless
Optional Serving Suggestions
- Buns or sandwich rolls, pickles, or coleslaw
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl. Mix sauce ingredients well. Sauce can be made well ahead of time and kept in fridge until ready to use.
- Thoroughly dry chicken pieces with paper towels. Combine chicken with sauce and place in slow cooker. Cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on High, or 5 1/2 to 6 hours on Low.
- Carefully remove chicken from slow cooker with tongs. Keep slow cooker lid on and keep sauce warm. Gently pull chicken apart with forks, but not too finely.
- Return shredded chicken into slow cooker. Toss well to make sure chicken is fully coated in sauce. Add more BBQ sauce if needed. Cook another 30-45 minutes on High. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Toast buns or sandwich rolls and serve with pickles or coleslaw, if desired.
Notes
- We highly recommend using chicken thighs, as they produce much more tender results than chicken breasts would. If you’d really like to use chicken breasts, we suggest using 50/50 along with chicken thighs.
- We like Sweet Baby Ray’s honey barbecue sauce for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
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- Entire slow cooker can be prepared the night before and kept in the fridge until ready to cook. Keep in mind that if you’re starting with a cold slow cooker and cold ingredients, you’ll need to increase cook time a bit.
- Leftovers can be stored in fridge for up to several days, or frozen for up to a month.