If you love set-it-and-forget-it dinners, you’re in the right place. I recently shared a roundup of slow cooker recipes and the response was huge — clearly slow cookers are still household heroes. This two-ingredient slow cooker BBQ chicken is proof of why: it’s effortless, flexible, and delivers big flavor with almost no work.
All you need is a jar of your favorite BBQ sauce and some boneless, skinless chicken. I prefer homemade Kansas City–style sauce for its thick, smoky, slightly sweet profile, but a good store-bought sauce works fine too. The sauce coats the chicken, keeps it moist, and becomes the base for the final shredded chicken.
To prepare, place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker and pour the BBQ sauce over them. Toss once so the chicken is evenly coated. If you want a sweeter result you can stir in brown sugar before cooking, but it isn’t necessary—especially if your sauce already has molasses or natural sweeteners.
Cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily. Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the slow cooker, then toss it in the remaining sauce and juices so it soaks up all the flavor.
This recipe yields tender, moist shredded chicken that’s incredibly versatile. Serve it piled on buns with extra sauce, spoon it over salads, add it to tacos or pizza, fold into soups, or use it in wraps. I served mine on soft pretzel buns with a little extra BBQ sauce — simple and delicious.
Enjoy the convenience of a slow cooker meal that requires almost no hands-on time but delivers comforting, crowd-pleasing results. This dish is naturally adaptable: use dark meat for richer flavor, choose a gluten-free sauce to keep the recipe gluten-free, or add spices and extras to suit your taste.
2-Ingredient Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
2 minutes
4 hours
4 hours 2 minutes
4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.)
- 1.5 cups (12 oz.) BBQ sauce, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce over the chicken and toss once so each piece is coated.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken in the slow cooker, then toss the shredded chicken with the remaining juices so it soaks up the sauce.
- Serve on buns, in tacos, over salads, or any way you like. Drizzle with extra BBQ sauce if desired.
Notes
*To keep this gluten-free, use a gluten-free certified BBQ sauce.
**For a sweeter BBQ chicken, stir 1/3 cup packed brown sugar into the sauce before cooking.
Additional Info
Did you make this?
Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
