5-Mins Prep BBQ Pulled Chicken (Crock Pot Easy)

BBQ Pulled Chicken recipe is tender, flavorful and ridiculously easy to throw together. It takes two simple steps, five minutes to prepare, and, effortlessly, dinner or party food is ready to go in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 5

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
¾ - 1 cup BBQ sauce I use Sweet Baby Ray's
6 Brioche buns for serving
fresh pineapple, cored and sliced for serving

Cilantro Jalapeño Slaw

14 ounce bagged slaw mix
½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon fresh jalapeño minced
13 ounce coleslaw dressing

Instructions

In a small bowl mix together paprika, brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Rub seasoning mix all over chicken breasts, on each side.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In crock pot pour apple cider vinegar and water. Place chicken on top and cook on high for 3 hours or low 5 hours. When chicken is tender, use two forks to shred in slow cooker. Pour in BBQ sauce and stir to combine.
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons water

Assembling Sandwiches

For pineapple slices, grill about 4 minutes per side, or until pineapple starts to char. You can also place pineapple on a cookie sheet and broil 4 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, place slaw mix, cilantro, and jalapeño in large bowl. Pour in the coleslaw dressing and stir to combine.
14 ounce bagged slaw mix, ½ cup fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeño, 13 ounce coleslaw dressing
Serve sandwiches on buns with pineapple, cilantro jalapeño slaw, and additional BBQ sauce.

Notes

Nutrition facts are for ½cup serving of BBQ pulled chicken without coleslaw, pineapple, or bun.

TIP: The flavors meld and get better the longer the BBQ chicken sits. For best flavor, make a day ahead and rewarm before serving.

TIP: This recipe can easily be double or tripled if feeding a crowd. Just make sure your crock pot is large enough to hold the chicken breasts or divide recipe between two crockpots.

Making In A Instant Pot

Place chicken in the pressure cooker. In a small bowl mix together paprika, brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Sprinkle tops with half of seasoning. Flip breasts over and sprinkle with remaining seasoning.
Add water, vinegar, and ¾ cup chicken broth. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 7 minutes (10 minutes if chicken is frozen). Natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
Remove lid and ladle out ½ cup of liquid to discard. Use two forks to shred chicken on a cutting board or, a faster option, use a hand mixer right in the Instant Pot. Stir in BBQ sauce.

Nutrition