Sweet Baby Ray's Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Baby Ray's crockpot chicken is a set-and-forget slow cooker BBQ chicken with pull-apart tender shredded chicken. The smoky BBQ sauce thickens as it cooks, creating a dark, sticky glaze that clings to every shred.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Total Time 11

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Calories: 590

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Chicken

2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

BBQ sauce

1 bottle (18 oz) Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
0.25 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
0.5 tsp smoked paprika
0.25 salt and pepper to taste

Serving

6 brioche buns
1 coleslaw

Equipment

1 slow cooker

Method

Season and build the sauce

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
Mix together Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar until the sugar dissolves.

Slow cook and shred

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the top, making sure the chicken is coated.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until the chicken is completely tender, with the sauce thickening and caramelizing slightly.
Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks, then stir it into the sauce so each shred is glossy and well coated.

Serve

Serve the shredded BBQ chicken on brioche buns with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce drizzled over the top.

Notes

For extra cling, stir once halfway through cooking if you remember, then again right after shredding so the glaze coats every shred. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of sauce. Freezing is yes: freeze up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before reheating. For a lighter option, use a lower-sugar BBQ sauce and reduce the brown sugar by half.