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American

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Chicken thighs cook in a ketchup barbecue sauce you mix yourself, then shred into the sauce. There is no bottle of sauce required, and the lid stays on until the chicken hits 165°F.

Prep
10 min
Cook
5 hr
Total
5 hr 10 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Shredded barbecue chicken in a slow cooker.

Why you’ll love it

  • The sauce is ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar, so you know what is in it.
  • Thighs shred and stay moist.
  • It works on low while you are out, or on high in an afternoon.
  • No Worcestershire, so the pot stays gluten-free as written.

Ingredients

Servings6

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $10–$15 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.

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Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Put the thighs in the slow cooker and sprinkle with the salt and paprika.

  2. 2

    Stir the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour that over the chicken.

  3. 3

    Cover. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3 hours. Do not lift the lid.

  4. 4

    Check 165°F in the thickest piece. Shred the chicken into the sauce.

  5. 5

    If you want the sauce thicker, cook uncovered on high for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once.

Pro tips

  • Bottled barbecue sauce often has different salt and sometimes gluten. This one is the recipe.
  • Do not add a cup of water. The chicken releases liquid.
  • It is sweet-tangy, not spicy. Add 1/2 tsp cayenne with the paprika if you want heat.

Easy substitutions

Chicken thighs
Breasts, cooked 4 hours on low
Brown sugar
Honey
Smoked paprika
Regular paprika

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

Warm in a covered skillet with a spoon of water until hot.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
320
Protein
34 g
Carbs
14 g
Fat
13 g
Fiber
0 g

Budget friendly · Slow Cooker · Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Lower-Carb, High Protein

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8 hr 15 min · Easy

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients