Juicy 3-ingredient crockpot barbecue chicken with 33g protein per serving. This slow cooker BBQ chicken shreds perfectly for sandwiches, bowls, and easy meal prep.
This slow cooker barbecue chicken is my family's go-to summer and game day dinner with over 10 servings packed with 33 grams each - it's a family favorite for sure! And you know I love my high protein slow cooker meals!
Here's what I'll never understand: why every slow cooker BBQ chicken recipe online has 15 ingredients. If you're making barbecue sauce from scratch, respect. But the number of recipes trying to "upgrade" the chicken by dumping a bunch of stuff INTO the barbecue sauce? No. That's not a shortcut anymore, that's an entire dinner ordeal.
This recipe is for the moms who want a true 3-ingredient, dump-and-go, 5-minute-prep dinner. As a dietitian and mom of 3, this high protein dinner is on repeat in our house — and my kids don't even know it's healthy.
Why You'll Love My Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Meal Prep Friendly - This recipe is going to feed your whole family and give you enough to freeze or meal prep some meals for the week.
- Dump and go (5 min hands-on) - This one will take you less than 5 minutes to get going, which is the whole point of the slow cooker! IFYKK
- Versatile - makes great sliders, bowls, wraps, literally whatever you want to do with it!
Ingredients
- Chicken breast AND thighs - I will die on this hill: 99% of the time, slow cooker chicken is better when you use a mix of both. I've written about it in just about every slow cooker chicken recipe I've ever made. The gist? The thighs baste the breast as they cook, keeping it from drying out and getting stringy. The mix is golden. Plus, as a dietitian, I appreciate the macros the lean chicken breast brings to the table, so we use a mix to get the best of both worlds. Just make sure you use the boneless, skinless cuts for breast and thighs.
- BBQ sauce - Pick any BBQ sauce you like. This is your dinner, not mine! I used the Sprouts brand — pretty basic, nothing fancy. But here's the one rule: make sure it's thick and make sure you love it, because the sauce IS the recipe. If you like spicy and hot try my BBQ chipotle sauce.
- Onions - I used a yellow onion. It adds flavor depth without any extra work. By the time it's done cooking, the onions melt right into the sauce.
The One Tip That Makes or Breaks This Recipe
I know it's tempting to dump the whole bottle of BBQ sauce in — don't. Use no more than ½ to ¾ cup during cooking. That's it.
Here's why: the chicken and onions release a TON of liquid as they cook. If you add too much sauce upfront, you'll end up with BBQ soup, not BBQ chicken. Start with less, shred, and THEN toss with more sauce at the end to your taste. You can always add more. You can't take it away.
Crockpot Barbecue Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 18 oz barbecue sauce
- ½ yellow onion or sweet onion
Instructions
- Brush about ¼ cup of the 18-ounces BBQ sauce (one bottle) across the bottom of the slow cooker, spreading it around to coat evenly Lay the boneless skinless chicken breast and boneless skinless chicken thighs on top of the sauce. Spread another ¼ to ½ cup of the 18-ounces BBQ sauce (one bottle) over the top of the chicken, brushing to coat. Scatter the 0.5 yellow onion, chopped evenly, over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours (or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours). The chicken is done once it reaches 165°F internally and shreds very easily. Shred the chicken with two forks, then combine it with the remaining 18 ounces BBQ sauce (one bottle) until evenly coated.
Nutrition
10 Ways to Serve BBQ Chicken
Honestly, we LOVE the combination of chicken + healthy coleslaw + pickles or pickled onions. This combo can be used for:
- BBQ chicken sandwiches
- BBQ chicken tacos
- BBQ chicken quesadillas
- Over rice bowls (or by itself a bowl)
- On baked potatoes/sweet potatoes
- In salads - with some ranch!
- On pizza
- With coleslaw (link to your coleslaw dressing!)
- In wraps
- On nachos
Meal Prep & Storage
This recipe makes a LOT of chicken — about 3.75 lbs total. Here's what to do with all of it:
Fridge: Store shredded BBQ chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It actually gets better the next day as the chicken soaks up more sauce. This makes great high protein meal prep for the week!
Freezer: Let it cool completely, then divide into freezer bags or containers. Freeze flat for easy stacking. Good for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove or microwave.
Reheating tip: Add a splash of BBQ sauce when you reheat — it brings the moisture back and freshens up the flavor. Don't microwave it dry.
Dietitian's Notes
• Protein and flavor heavy! This recipe uses a mix of lean chicken breast and rich chicken thighs to maximize flavor while giving you the best protein and calorie split! 33g of protein per 274-calorie serving! Carbs and sugar will very depending on the BBQ sauce you choose!
• Want to limit the sugar? There are so many low-sugar or no-sugar-added barbecue sauce options out there! Just remember, you want a thicker sauce for this recipe, so although I adore Primal Kitchen, I would skip that one for this recipe. Some options: Ray’s No Sugar Added Original, Ray’s No Sugar Added Sweet & Smoky, G Hughes Zero Sugar — Honey, Hickory and Original-style flavors, Head Country Sugar Free — Original and Hickory Smoked, Rib Rack Sugar Free Original
FAQ
How long does BBQ chicken take in the slow cooker?
- 3-4 hrs high, 6-7 low
Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?
- Yes! Raw chicken is safe in the slow cooker, frozen raw chicken is not.
Is slow-cooker BBQ chicken healthy?
- This slow cooker BBQ is loaded with protein, which helps maintain satiety and build/preserve lean muscle mass. This recipe is also very adaptable for your needs. BBQ sauce can be high in sugar and a concern for some people, such as those with diabetes or insulin resistance. You may want to modify by using a lower sugar barbecue sauce. But overall, this recipe is an easy-to-make, nutrient-dense recipe!
Can you freeze slow-cooker BBQ chicken?
- Yes, up to 3 months, see the meal prep, storage, and freezer section above!
What's the best BBQ sauce for slow cooker chicken?
- The most important thing is that you pick a thicker type of sauce that you love for this recipe! We aren't BBQ snobs over here, but I know some of you are, and lucky for you, as long as your favorite isn't watery, you should be good to use whatever you want!
Chicken breast or thighs for slow cooker?
- Some people would say that chicken breast is best for weight loss and thighs are best for flavor, but I love a mix of both. See Ingredients section.
Want More Slow Cooker Recipes?
• Try these high-protein slow cooker recipes: Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken, Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken, Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma, Crockpot Crack Chicken
Or get the entire roundup here: 17 High-Protein Crockpot Meals
Like this recipe? Don't forget to pin this recipe for later and follow @hungryhobby on Pinterest for more healthy recipes, quick workouts, and nutrition tips!
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