The Best Crockpot BBQ Chicken

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A rich, deeply flavored, sweet, Crockpot BBQ chicken dinner – that you fix, and forget! Make ahead and come home to a fabulous dinner to share with the family.

Running around like a mad thing at this time of year? Yeah, me too! There’s nothing quite like coming home after a day of work, errands and other busy stuff to this crock pot BBQ chicken. The smell alone will have you running to the table!

MAKE AHEAD
A little make-ahead prepping, and you too can avoid the drive-through on busy days! I often prep this the night before, and set it on a timer the following day. That said, I make this most often on a weekend, so I can spend my off-hours with my family instead of in the kitchen, but still eat good food.

Life is JUST too short to eat food that isn’t fabulous!

This family loved dinner is a real winner – with slow cooking, you have plenty of time to take care of “life stuff”. Rustle up a few sides – and be ready to serve in just a few minutes.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BBQ CHICKEN
This Crockpot BBQ Chicken pairs perfectly with homemade mac and cheese try my Skillet Mac & Cheese and some my favorite green beans recipe!

Ingredients:

• ONION
• CHICKEN THIGHS – bone in. You can use boneless if you wish, then you can make bbq pulled chicken super easily! Boneless, skinless chicken breasts also works for pulled chicken)
• PAPRIKA
• SALT/PEPPER/OLIVE OIL

For the BBQ Sauce Mixture

• ONION (not a typo, we use onion twice here)
• GARLIC
• FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES
• CORNSTARCH
• RED WINE VINEGAR
• BROWN SUGAR
• WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
• PEPPER

How to make this recipe:

Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!

Season and Sear the Chicken

• Add the coarsely diced onion to the crockpot.
• Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper onto the chicken, and in a large pan sear on both sides (2 mins per side)
• Place chicken into the crockpot, on top of the onions.

Make the Sauce

• In the same pan you used to sear the chicken, add 1 tsp olive oil and heat over medium.
• Saute the onion for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds
• Add cornstarch to the canned tomatoes, and add the mixture, plus the vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and pepper to the pan.
• Simmer for a few minutes. You may wish to blend the sauce at this point for a smoother consistency.
• Add sauce to crockpot, covering chicken and mix until combined.

Set, and forget!

• Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Serve

• Remove chicken from crockpot, and put on a plate, spooning the extra sauce over the top.
• Devour.

FAQs and Kylee’s Notes

• Spice it up! Add some garlic powder when seasoning the chicken, or some red pepper flakes in the barbecue sauce!

• More Crockpot Recipes
  • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – A Texas Style Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – Sweet, spicy, juicy and cooked low and slow until the meat falls off the bone in tender juicy deliciousness. Cooking time: 10 hours
  • Slow Cooker Whole Chicken – A delicious, crockpot rotisserie chicken, that is fall-apart tender and juicy. Just season the chicken, set it in the crockpot, and serve later! Cooking time: 8 hours
  • Crock Pot Pork Loin – Super delicious apples and onions add flavor and sweetness to the pork. So. Darn. Good. Cooking time: 6-8 hours
  • Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore from Creme de la Crumb
  • ALL CROCKPOT MEALS

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Crockpot BBQ Chicken

A rich, deeply flavored, sweet, Crockpot BBQ chicken dinner – that you fix, and forget!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin

Course: Crockpot, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Kylee Cooks

Want to scale this recipe?Simply click on the serving amount and move the slider up or down – the recipe will automatically adjust!

Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• Skillet

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 6-8 chicken thighs (can use bone in or out but remove the skin)
• 1 Tbs smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the BBQ Sauce

• ½ onion finely diced (not a typo, we use onion twice here)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes 15 ounce
• 1.5 tsp cornstarch
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

For Chicken

• Add the coarsely diced onion to the crockpot.
• Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper onto the chicken, and in a large pan sear on both sides (2 mins per side)
• Place chicken into the crockpot, on top of the onions.

Make the Sauce

• In the same pan you used to sear the chicken, add 1 tsp olive oil and heat over medium.
• Saute the onion for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds
• Add cornstarch to the canned tomatoes, and add the mixture, plus the vinegar, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and pepper to the pan.
• Simmer for a few minutes. You may wish to blend the sauce at this point for a smoother consistency.
• Add sauce to crockpot, covering chicken and mix until combined.

Set, and forget!

• Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Serve

• Remove chicken from crockpot, and put on a plate, spooning the extra sauce over the top.
• Devour.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 663IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @kyleecooks or tag #kyleecooks!

Update: This was originally posted in January of 2016, and has been updated to improve reader experience with new photos!