Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Pulled BBQ chicken with a zesty Italian dressing secret, made in the crock — six ingredients, six hands-off hours, and eight sandwiches at the end.

You guys know I love a good Crock Pot meal and this one is fabulous!

There’s a secret ingredient that screams zesty and since I’m not very good at keeping secrets, you’ll find out shortly what the super secret for these Crockpot BBQ Chicken sandwiches is.

Easy Pulled BBQ Chicken

I’m at a stage in my kiddos’ lives where everything is crazy. We lack a whole lot of time to get things done, other than the necessary things (like commitments that we’ve already committed to).

This is why, having easy Crock Pot recipes at my beckon call is a necessary thing.

I have to have good, easy, budget conscious meals at my fingertips that I know everyone will love.

And, since you’re here, I’m guessing you’re a lot like me.

Today I’m sharing our favorite Barbecue Chicken Crock Pot recipe that the whole family loves.

Six ingredients, and five of them probably live in your kitchen already. Chicken goes in the crock, the sauce gets stirred in a measuring cup, and dinner cooks itself while you get on with the day.

And, not only do I have a secret ingredient, but I also have another secret. I heated up some of this leftover Crockpot chicken barbecue meat and topped my salad with it for lunch just as I am writing this recipe out – yes … it’s THAT good!

I can 100% see myself using this in the future to top nachos with, too.

Seriously, this Crockpot B B Q Chicken is THAT good (trust me!)

If you’re after crockpot bbq chicken breasts recipes, this one tops the charts!

By the way … my secret super stealth ingredient: Italian salad dressing! Don’t leave it out or you’ll regret it!

Why the Italian dressing works:

Barbecue sauce plus brown sugar leans sweet, and the dressing is what pulls it back. That zesty, vinegary tang cuts through the sweetness so the sauce tastes layered instead of like candy.

It also carries herbs and oil into the crock without you measuring a single spice. One quarter cup does the work of half a spice rack.

First, you’ll want to gather your ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 18-oz bottle barbecue sauce
• 1/4. cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 8 sandwich buns

Here’s how I make this barbecue chicken crock pot recipe:

Place chicken in the slow cooker

Combine remaining ingredients in a measuring cup and stir

Spoon sauce over chicken

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours

Using 2 forks shred the chicken and give the chicken a good stir

Let the chicken sit for a bit in the sauce

Serve chicken on buns

What I’ve learned making this:

Low for 6 hours and high for 3 both get you there, so pick the one that fits your day. Out the door all morning means low, home by lunch means high.

Shred the chicken right in the crock with two forks, then walk away for a bit. That sit in the sauce is when the shredded meat drinks everything back up.

Make more than the sandwiches need, because the leftovers moonlight. I have topped a lunch salad with this chicken, and it is headed for nachos next.

Do I really need the Italian dressing?

Yes, and I will die on this hill. It’s the ingredient that makes this meat what it is, and leaving it out turns a zesty sandwich into plain BBQ chicken.

Easy on the clock, easy on the wallet, and eight sandwiches at the end of it. That’s the whole pitch, and around here it wins every time.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Chicken breasts

Four boneless breasts, which shred into enough for eight sandwiches. Thighs work too and are harder to overcook if the day runs long.

Barbecue sauce

An eighteen ounce bottle of whatever your family likes. A sweet Kansas City style sauce is what I use most. Smoky or spicy both work, and the dressing and brown sugar round them out.

Italian dressing

A quarter cup of bottled zesty Italian dressing. The vinegar and herbs cut through the sweet sauce, and the oil keeps the chicken from drying out.

Brown sugar and Worcestershire

A quarter cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon of Worcestershire. The sugar caramelizes a little against the chicken and the Worcestershire adds depth.

Buns

Eight sandwich buns. Brioche or potato buns hold up best to saucy chicken. Toast the cut sides for a minute so they do not soak through.

Step by Step, With the Details

Chicken in the crock pot

Lay the breasts in a single layer. A four quart crock pot is the right size. In a six quart, the sauce spreads thin and cooks faster, so check it early.

Mix the sauce

Stir the barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire together in a measuring cup until the sugar dissolves. Spoon it over the chicken.

Low for six or high for three

Lid on. Low for six hours is the best result. High for three gets it done by dinner if you start after lunch.

Shred and stir

Pull the breasts apart with two forks right in the sauce and stir until every strand is coated.

Let it sit in the sauce

Fifteen to twenty minutes with the lid off and the crock pot on warm. The chicken drinks the sauce back up and the extra liquid cooks off.

Saucy, Not Soupy

Chicken releases a lot of liquid as it cooks, and right after shredding the sauce can look thin. The rest with the lid off fixes most of it.

If it is still loose, turn the crock pot to high with the lid off for twenty minutes, stirring once. It thickens as it reduces.

Ways to Serve It

Sandwiches

On toasted buns with coleslaw piled on top of the chicken. The cold crunch against the warm sauce is the whole point of a pulled chicken sandwich.

Baked potatoes

A scoop over a split baked potato with cheddar and green onion. This is a full dinner from one crock pot and one potato.

Nachos and pizza

Over tortilla chips with cheese under the broiler, or on a flatbread with red onion and mozzarella for barbecue chicken pizza.

Salads and wraps

Cold, on a bed of romaine with corn, black beans, and ranch. Or in a tortilla with slaw for lunch the next day.

Sides That Go With It

• Loaded Cheesy Potato Casserole
• Cheesy Potato Casserole
• Cheesy Broccoli Rice
• Coleslaw, baked beans, and corn on the cob

Make Ahead, Leftovers and Freezing

For a party

Make it the day before, refrigerate it in the sauce, and reheat it in the crock pot on low for an hour. Keep it on warm for serving.

Leftovers

Covered in the refrigerator for four days. Reheat it in the microwave or in a covered pan over low heat with a spoonful of sauce.

Freezing

Freeze it in bags with the sauce for up to three months. It thaws and reheats as well as it did fresh, which makes it a good double batch.

Questions I Get About This Recipe

Can I use frozen chicken?

Thaw it first. Frozen chicken waters down the sauce and takes too long to reach a safe temperature.

Can I use thighs?

Yes, about two pounds of boneless thighs. Same time on low. They stay juicier if the crock pot runs long.

My sauce is too sweet. What do I do?

A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or a few shakes of hot sauce stirred in at the end. Next time, use a less sweet barbecue sauce and keep the brown sugar.

Can I double it?

Yes. Eight breasts and double the sauce in a six quart crock pot, same time. It feeds sixteen sandwiches.

Can I make it in the Instant Pot?

Yes. Same ingredients, plus a half cup of water, high pressure for twelve minutes with a ten minute natural release. Shred and use the saute setting to thicken.

More Crock Pot Sandwiches

• Pulled Beef Slow Cooker Sandwiches
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
• Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak
• Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos