Description
A hands-off, flavorful crockpot chicken recipe featuring Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, perfect for busy weeknights. Slow-cooked to tender perfection with a sweet, tangy, and smoky flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced (about 150g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup chicken broth (optional, for thinner sauce)
Instructions
- Slice the onion into thin rings, mince the garlic cloves, and measure out the sauces and spices.
- Mix the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt in a bowl.
- Spread the sliced onions evenly on the bottom of the crockpot.
- Place the chicken breasts or thighs on top of the onions in a single layer.
- Pour the prepared barbecue sauce mixture evenly over the chicken without stirring.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, checking at 4.5 hours for fork-tender chicken.
- Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks.
- Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir it into the sauce.
- Simmer the shredded chicken in the sauce on low for another 10 minutes with the lid off to thicken the sauce.
- Serve on buns, over rice, or alongside your favorite veggies.
Notes
Use chicken thighs for juiciness and to avoid drying out. Mix sauce ingredients before adding to chicken for even flavor. Check chicken starting at 4 hours to prevent overcooking. If sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered on high for 15 minutes or use a cornstarch slurry to thicken. Leftover sauce is great for veggies or rice. Can be made in an Instant Pot using pressure cooker setting for 15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 to 6 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approximately 1/6th
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 9
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 35
Keywords: Sweet Baby Ray's, crockpot chicken, slow cooker chicken, BBQ chicken, easy dinner, busy nights, barbecue sauce, tender chicken