This easy slow cooker BBQ chicken turns chicken breast, barbecue sauce and finely diced vegetables into a large batch of barbecue pulled chicken for rice bowls, pasta, tacos or emergency dinners. This recipe makes ten servings, freezes well and I give you a complete chicken rice bowl rather than another BBQ pulled chicken recipe that leaves you searching for what to serve with it.
When I researched this recipe, I found plenty of slow cooker BBQ chicken and plenty of BBQ chicken bowls, but surprisingly few recipes that properly combined the two. As a meal prep blogger, I knew I wanted to create something that had a full meal attached to it, rather than something you felt like you had to go hunting for. Although, I have given some good variations so you don't get bored!
Also, most recipes I found made a smaller batch and still left part of the barbecue sauce bottle sitting in the fridge indefinitely. Mine uses the full 500 g (1 lb) bottle, feeds ten and includes capsicum and onion in the sauce because I would rather freeze a mostly complete meal than a container containing chicken and good intentions.
I have also made this recipe in bulk for my gym's meal prep and served it with pasta rather than rice. I later prepared another batch for friends while their kitchen was being renovated, so this has been tested as more than a small weeknight dinner.
TL;DR
- Servings: 10
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 4 hours (high) / 6 hours (low)
- Meal prep: A large-batch protein with vegetables cooked into the sauce. Serve with rice and fresh toppings or divide the chicken between different meals.
- Fridge storage: Up to 4 days in airtight containers. Keep avocado and other fresh toppings separate.
- Freezer storage: Chicken mixture can be frozen for 3 months.
- Reheating: Microwave for 2-3 minutes with a small splash of water, stirring halfway, or reheat gently on the stovetop.
- Customise: Change the BBQ sauce, add more vegetables or serve the shredded chicken with rice, pasta, tacos, rolls or baked potatoes.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Slow cooker. This is a set-and-forget recipe for busy days when you do not want to stand over the stove.
Secret veggies. Finely diced onions and capsicum cook into the BBQ shredded chicken without creating a separate vegetable side like my Mexican chicken in the slow cooker.
Meal prep. It makes ten servings and can be divided between rice bowls, pasta and freezer portions.
Easy to customise. Use the chicken in tacos, rolls or baked potatoes, or find more ideas in my slow cooker meal preps.
Ingredients
Chicken breast. I prefer breast for pulled or shredded chicken because the fibres separate into longer strands, while thighs tend to break into softer chunks.
Red and green capsicum/bell peppers. Finely diced capsicum softens into the sauce, adds colour and gives the chicken mixture vegetables even when it is served without fresh toppings.
BBQ sauce. Choose a sauce you already enjoy because its flavour forms most of the finished sauce; smoked BBQ sauce creates a slightly deeper result, although the smokiness becomes more subtle after slow cooking.
Paprika. Paprika adds warmth, colour and a mild earthy flavour that supports the BBQ sauce without making the chicken spicy.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
What to serve slow cooker BBQ chicken with
I serve this slow cooker BBQ chicken with rice, cherry tomatoes, avocado, my homemade pickled onions and parsley. The contrast between the warm, sweet BBQ shredded chicken and the cooler, sharper toppings stops the bowl from feeling too heavy.
You can also serve the chicken in tacos like I have it pictured above, burger rolls or wraps, spoon it over baked potatoes, or mix it through cooked pasta.
Substitutions and variations
Smoked BBQ sauce. Use smoked sauce when you want a deeper barbecue flavour without adding liquid smoke.
Spicy BBQ chicken. Add chilli powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle sauce or sliced jalapenos.
Tangier sauce. Stir through one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar after shredding the chicken when the sauce tastes overly sweet or flat.
Adding more vegetables. Finely diced carrot can be added at the beginning, zucchini will soften into the sauce, and spinach can be stirred through after shredding.
How to make slow cooker BBQ chicken
Step 1: Heat a small amount of oil using the searing function of your slow cooker or in a large pan. Add the onion and saute for approximately 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
Step 2: Add the whole chicken breasts and brown for approximately 2 minutes on each side. If using a pan, transfer the onion and chicken to the slow cooker.
Step 3: Add the diced capsicum, BBQ sauce, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Turn the chicken and stir until everything is coated.
Step 4: Step 4. Cover and cook on high for approximately 4 hours or low for approximately 6 hours. Begin checking earlier when using smaller chicken breasts or a slow cooker that runs hot. The chicken is ready when it reaches 75°C internally and pulls apart easily.
Step 5: This is what it should look like. You'll notice that it gets more watery throughout the cook. This moisture is fine because it'll be absorbed when the chicken is shredded
Step 6: Transfer the chicken to a board or shallow bowl and shred it using two forks. Return it to the slow cooker and stir through the sauce and vegetables.
Step 7: Serve with some rice and fresh veggies for an easy rice bowl. You could also have it in burgers, wraps, burritos, on pasta - the options are endless!
Lauren's Top Tips
Dice the vegetables finely. Smaller pieces soften into the sauce and distribute throughout the chicken instead of sitting separately.
Adjust after shredding. The sauce will taste different once mixed with the chicken juices and vegetables, so make final seasoning adjustments at the end.
Recommended Equipment
I use a searing slow cooker (mines 6L) because I am lazy and do not like creating multiple dirty dishes. More importantly, sauteing the onion and briefly browning the chicken builds enough flavour to take the recipe from boring slow cooker slop to something worthwhile eating.
I also recommend glass meal prep containers because BBQ sauce can stain or absorb into plastic, particularly when heated.
Meal prepping slow cooker BBQ chicken
This slow cooker BBQ chicken is a practical meal prep option because it contains protein from chicken breast, vegetables from onion and capsicum and carbohydrates when served with rice. Because the recipe makes ten servings, you do not need to assemble ten identical rice bowls.
Prepare several complete bowls, keep some chicken in a larger container for flexible dinners and freeze the rest in individual portions.
Storing
Cool the cooked chicken and rice before sealing the containers for no more than 2 hours at room temperature. They can be stored in the fridge for 4 days.
When assembling the BBQ chicken rice bowls, keep the rice and chicken together on the reheatable side of the container. Store avocado, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions and parsley in a separate compartment.
I use a divided meal prep container for this. When your container does not have a divider, fold a piece of aluminium foil into a small removable section for the fresh toppings, or use a small separate container.
Because this makes a large batch, another option is to store the chicken in one large container and portion it into rice bowls, tacos or pasta as needed. This works particularly well for families whose members do not all want the same meal.
Lauren's Meal Prep Tip
Add avocado on the day you plan to eat the bowl where possible. When it must be prepared ahead, coat the cut surface lightly with lime juice and press it against the side of the container to reduce air exposure.
Reheating
Remove the avocado, tomatoes, pickled onions, parsley and any cold sauce before heating. Add a small drizzle of water over the rice and chicken. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot throughout. To reheat on the stovetop, cover and heat over medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes with one or two tablespoons of water.
Bulk prepping
This slow cooker BBQ chicken makes a large batch so it works well for the cooking I do for my gym friends each week. I served theirs with pasta because they get a lot of meals with rice so thought they would like a bit of a change!
I also prepared a batch for friends while their kitchen was being renovated and they needed food that could be heated with minimal equipment. The large yield made it practical to divide the chicken between immediate meals and freezer portions.
Freezing
I recommend freezing the BBQ shredded chicken in one-cup portions like I have pictured above (or you can do it in freezer-safe containers or reusable freezer bags). That quantity is flexible enough for a rice bowl, pasta serving, tacos or a quick Plan B meal without thawing the entire batch. If you're serving more than one person, you can store in larger quantities, but it may take longer to thaw.
The chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost it overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a small splash of water.
Rice can also be frozen, but I prefer freezing it separately from the chicken so each component retains a better texture.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Chicken, onions and capsicum release moisture while cooking, and that liquid cannot evaporate easily under the slow cooker lid. Shred the chicken and mix it back through the sauce, then leave it on warm uncovered for a short period if the mixture still needs thickening.
Yes, you can add the ingredients directly to the crockpot when you need a true dump-and-go meal. The chicken will still cook, but sautéing the onion and browning the chicken creates a deeper flavour.
If the chicken breast still feels firm, it usually needs more cooking time. Return it to the slow cooker for another 20â€"30 minutes, then check that it has reached 75°C and pulls apart easily with two forks.
Stir through a small amount of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or extra salt after shredding the chicken. Add the acidic ingredient gradually, tasting between additions, so the sauce stays balanced rather than becoming sharp.
Other slow cooker recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my slow cooker meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
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Equipment
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken
- 2 brown onions
- 1.5 kg chicken breast
- 2 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon garlic granules
- Salt and pepper, to taste (recommend at least 2 teaspoon of each to begin)
- 500 g BBQ sauce, see note 2
- 2 red capsicum
- 2 green capsicum
Serve rice bowls with
- 3 cups rice, uncooked, yields approximately 9 cups cooked, adjust as needed if not using all 10 serves for rice bowls
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 avocados
- 1 cup pickled onions
- parsley, optional
Instructions
Preparing
- Finely dice the 2 brown onions, 2 red capsicum, 2 green capsicum These will soften in the sauce and the finer the dicing, the more they will absorb into the sauce.
Cooking
- Heat a small amount of oil using the searing function of your slow cooker or in a large pan. Add the onions saute for approximately 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- Add the 1.5 kg chicken breast and brown for approximately 2 minutes on each side. If using a pan, transfer the onion and chicken to the slow cooker after searing.
- Add the diced capsicum, 500 g BBQ sauce, 2 tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp garlic granules, Salt and pepper (recommend at least 1 teaspoon of each now). Turn the chicken and stir until everything is coated.
- Cover and cook on high for approximately 4 hours or low for approximately 6 hours, until the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F) and pulls apart easily.
- Transfer the chicken to a board or shallow bowl and shred it using two forks. Return it to the slow cooker and stir through the sauce and vegetables.
- Taste and adjust the sauce, then allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes with the lid off so the flavours absorb and the mixture thickens slightly.
Make rice bowls
- While waiting for the chicken to finish in the sauce, you can begin cooking your 3 cups rice (adjust this depending on how many bowls you're going to eat) your way or follow my tips and tricks.
- Slice 2 cups cherry tomatoes in half. Dice 2 avocados and parsley
- Serve BBQ chicken on top of the rice with the cherry tomatoes, avocado and 1 cup pickled onions
Notes
Chicken breast produces longer strands of shredded chicken, while boneless chicken thighs can be substituted for a softer, chunkier result. Note 2 - BBQ sauce
Use a BBQ sauce you already enjoy because it provides most of the finished flavour. Serve with This recipe gives you a rice bowl variation, but you can also use the shredded chicken with pasta, on tacos, on top of a pizza, burritos, or even on top of some baked potatoes. Storage Store the chicken and rice in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days, keeping the fresh toppings separate. Reheating Microwave the chicken and rice for 2–3 minutes with a small drizzle of water, stirring halfway, then add the cold toppings. Freezing The chicken mixture can be frozen in single portions (or larger portions if you choose) for up to 3 months for best texture.
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