This 2-Ingredient Crockpot BBQ Chicken is the easiest dump dinner with a side of kale slaw – all you need is chicken and BBQ sauce!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Chicken breasts – you can also use chicken thighs for a juicier cut of meat.
- BBQ sauce – use your favourite bottled BBQ sauce or make your own homemade BBQ sauce.
- Kale coleslaw mix – broccoli or regular coleslaw mix would also be good.
- Vinegar – white vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be best here.
- Sugar – swap out for a sugar substitute or leave this out altogether.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make crockpot BBQ chicken
- Add everything to the crockpot.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Shred the chicken then add back to the pot.
- Make the coleslaw.
- Serve and enjoy!
Other ways to use crockpot BBQ chicken
You can use the chicken in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions – just substitute the shredded BBQ chicken for the meat in the recipes:
- Add it to your meal prep lunch. Mason Jar Instant Noodles are a great work lunch option and you can meal prep several of these ahead of time.
- Make burritos. Homemade Pulled Chicken Burritos are a fun choice for Mexican-themed food nights. Fill them with your favourite burrito toppings.
- Add it to Macaroni and Cheese. Who doesn’t love this comfort food? Just mix the crockpot BBQ chicken into my Instant Pot Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese for a fun twist to a classic dish.
- Make BBQ tacos. Family taco night will be a hit with BBQ pulled chicken tacos. Just substitute the chicken in my Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken Tacos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes you can't always wait the full 8 hours for your chicken to cook, so it's good to know that you can cook the chicken on high for 4-6 hours instead of waiting the full 8 hours and you should be able to expect similar results.
I wouldn't recommend cooking the chicken any longer than 8 hours because it can easily dry out. An alternative would be using bone-in chicken breasts and removing the skin ahead of time – bone-in chicken takes longer to cook and retains its moisture a little bit better.
Cook times can also vary slightly according to which size chicken breasts you use. The typical size is about 6 oz. per breast – I use 3-4 breasts when making this Crockpot BBQ Chicken and it ends up being 1 lb. of chicken total. That is the optimal amount of chicken for this recipe, but if you're looking to use less chicken you can use as few as two chicken breasts.
I would not recommend adding more than 1 lb. of chicken to the crockpot as this may throw off the cooking time. It's just good to be aware that you can add up to a certain weight so it doesn't necessarily have to be just 3 or 4 breasts if you are using very small chicken breasts.
Storing and reheating
This chicken will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat, just reheat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until heated through. The kale slaw will also last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Freezing this recipe
Divide the leftover chicken into meal-sized portions and place them into glass meal prep containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. If you are using freezer bags, make sure to flatten the bags so that they take up less space in the freezer. The cooked BBQ chicken will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave.
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More crockpot chicken recipes
- Creamiest Crockpot Chicken and Rice
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- The Easiest Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this Crockpot BBQ Chicken into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Slow cooker liners are awesome for helping you avoid a huge mess.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through before shredding.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're marinating the chicken ahead of time then freezing it.
- Freeze this chicken in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
The Easiest 2-Ingredient Crockpot BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1lb of chicken)
- 1 (455mL) bottle BBQ sauce of choice
Coleslaw
- 1 (340g) package kale, broccoli or regular coleslaw mix
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Other serving suggestions
- Roasted potatoes
- Corn
- Hamburger buns (to make sandwiches)
- Mixed greens
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken and BBQ sauce to Crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Shred chicken once cooking time is complete, then add chicken back to pot with sauce to mix.
- Meanwhile, mix together ingredients for coleslaw. Serve with chicken in meal prep bowls for a healthy lunch, otherwise serve with optional sides as suggested above.
- Chicken freezes well in glass bowls up to 3 months, or keeps in fridge up to 5 days. Defrost in fridge overnight and warm up in microwave for 2-3 minutes to serve after freezing.
Instant Pot Instructions (optional)
- Add olive oil, chicken and BBQ sauce to Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 6-8 minutes (depends on size of breasts).
- Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 8 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Shred chicken once cooking time is complete, then add chicken back to pot with sauce to mix. Serve with kale slaw and enjoy!
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