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    Home » Mains and Meats

    Mar 14, 2023 by Chelsea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Easy BBQ Shredded Chicken in Crockpot — From Scratch!

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    BBQ Shredded Chicken may just be one of the easiest meal prep recipes ever.

    Toss a manageable list of BBQ sauce ingredients together in a crockpot, add chicken breast, and cook for a few hours until the chicken is shred-able.

    Or, toss out the homemade BBQ sauce ingredients and grab a good quality bottle of pre-made sauce — your choice!

    This recipe is gluten free, low carb, and paleo.

    Easy BBQ shredded chicken served with a sweet potato and greens
    Crockpot with shredded BBQ chicken made from scratch

    Ingredients needed for BBQ shredded chicken in a crockpot

    To make the BBQ sauce from scratch, you'll need a few ingredients on hand to make it happen:

    — tomato sauce

    — tomato paste

    — apple cider vinegar

    — honey

    — molasses

    — liquid smoke

    — spices (paprika, garlic powder, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper)

    Trust me, the resulting BBQ sauce will be worth the effort to make it from scratch!

    Want to skip the homemade BBQ?

    If you just don't have time or energy to throw the above ingredients together, no worries!

    You can opt to use your favorite BBQ, but for a Whole30/paleo/gluten free version, I highly recommend Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce!

    Beyond that, all you need is chicken breast!

    Bowls of greens and roast sweet potatoes topped with slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken
    Closeup of a roasted sweet potato topped with saucy BBQ shredded chicken

    How to make homemade BBQ shredded chicken in a slow cooker

    Even when making the BBQ sauce from scratch, this crockpot recipe is unbelievably easy!

    Add all ingredients to a slow cooker

    First, add all the BBQ sauce ingredients and stir together until relatively smooth.

    Then add the chicken breast and push to submerge under the BBQ sauce.

    How long to cook in the slow cooker

    I'm sure most of you are here to find out one thing: how long to leave the crockpot on for. The rest of this recipe is pretty self-explanatory.

    So, here are your cooking times. These might vary slightly based on your crockpot.

    If cooking on HIGH: 4 hours.

    If cooking on LOW: 6-8 hours.

    After those times, remove the chicken breasts from the crock (it's easier to shred without the threat to splattering sauce) and shred the chicken breast with two forks.

    It should shred pretty easily; if not, keep cooking for another 30 minutes and check again.

    Once shredded, add back to the crockpot and stir to make sure BBQ sauce coats all the chicken. That's it!

    What to serve with BBQ Shredded Chicken

    My favorite food to eat with barbecue shredded chicken is sweet potatoes!

    I'll pair sweet potato rounds or roasted sweet potato with shredded chicken in containers for easy meal prep.

    Here are a few more ideas to get a meal together:

    — Serve over rice.

    — Use your favorite buns for BBQ shredded chicken sandwiches.

    — Serve over baked potatoes/sweet potatoes.

    — Serve with steamed or mashed cauliflower.

    Of course, add in your favorite veggie of choice to round out the meal!

    Bowl with salad greens and roast sweet potato topped with slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken
    Slow cooker crock full of from scratch BBQ shredded chicken with serving tongs

    What to do with leftover BBQ shredded chicken

    Shredded chicken recipes make awesome meal prep recipes because they're so versatile.

    Use leftover BBQ shredded chicken in any of the ideas listed above.

    Or pair with some roasted/steamed veggies for a quick meal!

    Can you freeze BBQ shredded chicken?

    Of course! You could double this recipe to make a HUGE batch, then freeze whatever portion you want.

    Store in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer zip-top bag for up to 3 months. I highly recommend splitting up into portions before you freeze.

    To thaw, just take the container out of the freezer and into the fridge overnight to let it thaw, and microwave to heat it up!

    More meal prep recipes to save

    • Easy Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken
    • Classic Chicken Salad (Paleo & Low Carb)
    • Easy Pulled Pork with Cumin & Coriander
    • Pepperoncini Shredded Beef Roast
    • Easy Chicken, Leek, and Mushroom Soup (Low Carb)

    Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.

    Print
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    Closeup of homemade BBQ shredded chicken with roast sweet potato and greens

    Easy BBQ Shredded Chicken in Crockpot — From Scratch!

    • Author: Chelsea Joy
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 4 hours
    • Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Method: Slow Cooker
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Gluten Free
    Print Recipe
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    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
    • 6 ounces tomato paste
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • ¼ cup raw honey
    • ¼ cup molasses
    • 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
    • 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 lbs chicken breast

    Instructions

    1. Add all BBQ sauce ingredients to the crock of a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the chicken breasts.
    2. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Transfer the chicken breasts from the crock to a bowl and shred using two forks. Add the shredded chicken back to the crockpot, then stir to coat in the BBQ sauce. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

    Keywords: BBQ shredded chicken

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @chelseajoyeats on Instagram and hashtag it #chelseajoyeats

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    Hello! I'm Chelsea, the author, recipe developer, and photographer behind Chelsea Joy Eats (formerly DoYouEvenPaleo). Life should be full of flavor, and I've made it my mission to bring you recipes and lifestyle advice that do just that. Most of the recipes here are paleo and gluten free! Want to know more?

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