Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Slow Cooker Zesty BBQ Chicken

The magic of this dish comes from the sauce: classic barbecue blended with Italian dressing, brown sugar, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. The result is a tangy, smoky, slightly sweet flavor that takes ordinary BBQ chicken to the next level.

Serve it on a bun with Coleslaw and pickles, and a side of  Crinkle Cut Fries!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

✔ Only 6 ingredients – Dinner couldn’t be easier. This is a true, set it and forget it, crockpot meal. 
✔ Family-friendly – Mild, tangy-sweet flavor everyone will love. Budget friendly too. 
✔ Versatile – Serve on buns, over rice, in wraps, salads, or in tacos.
✔ Effortless cooking – Just dump, stir, and let the slow cooker do the rest.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken breasts – Use boneless, skinless (frozen or thawed both work!).
• Barbecue sauce – Your favorite brand, smoky or sweet.
• Italian dressing – Adds tang and flavor depth.
• Horseradish sauce – Dont sleep on this ingredient, it adds that little something extra
• Brown sugar – Balances the sauce with sweetness.
• Worcestershire sauce – A savory punch of umami.

How to Make Zesty BBQ Chicken

1. Mix the sauce: In the crock, whisk together BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, horseradish, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Add in the chicken: Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker, nestled into the sauce, and flip them over so they get nice and coated. .
3. Cook: Cover, and cook on Low 6–8 hours or High 3–4 hours.
4. Shred and serve: Once tender, shred chicken with two forks and toss in the sauce.

Tips for Success

• Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes or hot sauce for extra heat.
• Double it: Great for meal prep or feeding a crowd—just double the recipe. It freezes well. 
• Storage: Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Temp Check Chicken: Every slow cooker is different, so to avoid over-cooked chicken, use an instant read thermometer to check the chicken, once it hits 165 degrees F it is done.

Serving Ideas

This shredded BBQ chicken is incredibly versatile! Try it:

• On toasted buns with coleslaw for sandwiches.
• Over rice or mashed potatoes.
• Stuffed into tacos or burritos.
• As a topping for baked potatoes or flatbreads.
• In a wrap.
• As the protein for a salad.

This Slow Cooker Zesty BBQ Chicken is the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it recipe. With only 5 simple ingredients, you’ll get a bold, flavorful dish that’s perfect for busy weeknights, potlucks, or meal prep.

Other Slow Cooker Meals You’ll Love

• Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
• Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
• Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
• Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef
• Slow Cooker Korean Beef

Zesty BBQ Chicken

Zesty BBQ Chicken is a delicious tender and flavorful meal that can be served in a variety of ways, and cooks up with minimal effort in a slow cooker.

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Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bbq chicken, slow cooker chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 442kcal

Author: Rachael

Equipment

• 1 slow cooker

Ingredients

• 6 Chicken breasts skinless, boneless
• 12 ounces barbecue sauce
• ½ cup Italian salad dressing of choice
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon horseradish
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Mix barbecue sauce, horseradish, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in the crock of your slow cooker.
• Place chicken in the slow cooker. And flip over a few times to coat in sauce.
• Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
• Shred to serve.
• Serve in a bun, wrap, salad, quesadilla, etc.

Notes

Check internal temp of the chicken while cooking to cook to the perfect doneness of 165 degrees F. Every crockpot is different, so cook times may vary. 

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2991mg | Potassium: 1027mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.