BBQ Pulled Chicken (Printer-friendly)

Tender chicken slow-cooked in tangy barbecue sauce until shreddable. Perfect for sandwiches or as a hearty main dish.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 3.3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

→ Sauce & Seasoning

02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
05 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
06 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
07 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
08 - ½ tsp ground black pepper
09 - ½ tsp salt
10 - ½ tsp chili powder

# How to Make It:

01 - Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker.
02 - Scatter the chopped onion and minced garlic over the chicken.
03 - In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, and chili powder. Mix thoroughly.
04 - Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and onions, ensuring the chicken is well coated.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
06 - Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred using two forks.
07 - Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stir to coat evenly with sauce, and heat through for 10–15 minutes.
08 - Serve hot as a main dish or piled onto sandwich buns.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • Mostly hands-off cooking that leaves you free to enjoy your day
  • The sauce develops incredible depth as it mingles with the chicken for hours
  • Perfect for feeding a crowd or meal prepping for the week ahead
02 -
  • Rushing the cooking time is the one mistake that will give you tough, stringy chicken instead of tender, melt-in-your-mouth shreds
  • Removing the chicken to shred it prevents the meat from breaking down too much and turning mushy
  • The sauce thickens naturally as it cooks with the chicken juices, but you can always reduce it on the stove if you prefer it thicker
03 -
  • A few drops of liquid smoke transform this into something that tastes like it came from a smoker
  • Letting the chicken rest for 10 minutes before shredding makes the process so much easier
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