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Sweet Baby Ray's Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Baby Ray's crockpot chicken delivers pull-apart tender shredded chicken coated in a thick, smoky BBQ sauce that caramelizes slightly in the slow cooker. Every shred is glossy with a dark sticky glaze—set it up, shred, and serve on buns with coleslaw.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and seasoning
  • 2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs Use either breasts or thighs for shredding.
  • 1 Salt To taste.
  • 1 pepper To taste.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
BBQ sauce mixture
  • 1 can (18 oz) Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce Use the full bottle for the thick glaze.
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Serving
  • 1 brioche buns For serving; add extra sauce as desired.
  • 1 coleslaw Top or serve alongside.
  • 1 extra BBQ sauce For drizzling at serving.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season the chicken
  1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
  2. Pat the seasoning evenly over all surfaces so the spices cling before slow cooking.
Mix the BBQ sauce
  1. Mix together Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar until the sugar looks dissolved.
  2. Stir well so the sauce stays thick and smooth for coating the chicken.
Slow cook
  1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the top, fully coating it.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours until the chicken is completely tender.
  3. Or cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours until the chicken is completely tender.
  4. During the final hour, look for the sauce to darken and thicken in slow cooker, creating a sticky glaze.
Shred and glaze
  1. Shred chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks.
  2. Stir the shredded chicken into the sauce so every shred is coated and glistens.
Serve
  1. Serve the shredded BBQ chicken on brioche buns with coleslaw.
  2. Drizzle extra BBQ sauce over the top so the glaze stays glossy.

Notes

Pro tip: for maximum pull-apart texture, shred while the chicken is hot and then stir only until evenly coated—over-stirring can make it stringy. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (reheat covered, adding a splash of sauce or water if needed). For a lower-sugar option, reduce brown sugar to 2 tbsp and use an un-sweetened or no-sugar-added BBQ sauce if your brand has one.