I attended a girls’ lunch at the home of a friend which is where I first tried this BBQ chicken, and it was fantastic. I asked my friend who hosted the lunch for the recipe, and she graciously shared it with me. I was ecstatic when I saw how little labor it required and that it used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce.
I love this BBQ Chicken! My first time making it, my husband and kids were not sure about it being chicken BBQ and made in a Crockpot – we always have BBQ pork, so I wasn’t quite sure about chicken. I was pleased when my family not only loved it, but they also complimented my successfully making the dish.
I am thrilled to have this recipe in my arsenal now because of how delicious it is – not to mention how simple it is to put everything into the crockpot and when it is time for dinner, it is ready!
I always have brioche buns when serving BBQ. I lightly toast them by heating a pan, putting a little butter on the cut sides, and setting them on the hot pan just until they have a little golden color. I also set out pickles, cole slaw, and potato salad, There are specific sides we have to have with our BBQ! Macaroni and cheese and fried okra are also great with BBQ. Be creative and tailor the sides to your family’s preferences and the BBQ chicken will become a regular in your meal planning!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 -6 chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (Optional or adjust to your taste preference)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
Directions
To make the sauce: In a bowl, combine the Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using) and whisk well.
Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot and cover with sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Transfer the chicken to a bowl and with forks, pull each piece apart until completely shredded. Place the chicken back in the crockpot and stir well to coat with BBQ sauce.
Notes
• If you choose a version of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce that is not the Original, you may want to adjust the amount of brown sugar because the sauce might be overly sweet. Also, if you want to cut back the sugar a little, you can do that. I wouldn’t leave it out completely though because it helps caramelize the sauce and add depth to the flavor.
• Instead of chicken breasts, I use boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs and the flavor is outstanding.
• If you want to add a nice kick, mix in 1 Tbsp. of Horseradish sauce. This adds a kick that is different from the red pepper flakes so you can either use them together or choose one or the other.
• If you do not have distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar also works well.