Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken

This sweet and spicy Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken is so good! The tender chicken thighs simmer in a homemade barbecue sauce with sweetness from maple syrup and onion and it has a bit of mild smoky heat from chipotle peppers. I promise this recipe will soon be your favorite weeknight dinner recipe. It is so easy to make in advance in the crockpot!

Ingredients For This Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Recipe

Coconut oil

I love the way coconut tastes with maple so I used coconut oil for the pan searing step, but if you do not keep coconut oil in your kitchen you can substitute a neutral cooking oil like avocado oil or organic canola oil

Boneless skinless chicken thighs

Chicken thighs are perfect for making pulled chicken in the slow cooker because as they slowly simmer for a long period of time they grow more and more tender. They do not dry out the way chicken breast does. 

Onion

To give the sauce savory sweetness I used a chopped onion. You can use any color onion you want. For additional sweetness, choose a sweet yellow onion variety. For instructions on how to chop the onion check out this post on how to dice onion.

Water

To deglaze the pan after the chicken is cooked, I added a bit of water to the skillet to unstick any of the browned chicken bits. This will help the onion soften too and release the fond off the skillet.

Canned crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted

The base of the barbecue simmering sauce is made from crushed canned tomatoes. If you can find them I like the fire roasted kind for additional smoky flavor. 

Pure maple syrup, dark or amber

To add sweetness to this barbecue sauce, I used pure maple syrup. I am all about cooking with maple syrup here on Healthy Seasonal Recipes! I make and sell maple syrup with my family on our Vermont property and I also authored a cookbook on the subject. Of course you could sub in another sweetener like brown sugar or honey. I love the rich carmel notes of maple with this recipe though. 

Cider vinegar

The acidity of the cider vinegar cuts the sweetness of the maple and onion and balances the sauce. Feel free to use another vinegar like rice vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. White vinegar is a little too harsh for this recipe though. Read more about the difference between vinegars here.

Coarse ground mustard

I almost always add a bit of mustard to my homemade barbecue sauces. I love the subtle spice it adds as well as tangy taste. If you can find a coarse ground variety, the texture is great in this sauce. 

Seasonings: Smoked paprika, Salt, Ground chipotle chili

For smoky heat I used smoked paprika and ground chipotle chili powder. Both can be found in well stocked grocery stores from large national brands. I also added in salt. Make sure to use regular table salt. If you use kosher salt, read this about subbing kosher salt for regular table salt. 

How To Make This Barbecued Pulled Chicken Recipe

Step 1: Sear The Chicken

Taking the time to sear the chicken in the coconut oil before adding it to the crockpot makes a huge difference in the meaty flavor of the chicken. It helps to develop fond (tasty crusty browned bits) in the skillet, which contributes depth of flavor to the sauce too. 

• Heat the oil in the skillet.
• Make sure the chicken is dry and add half of it to the hot oil. It is important not to overcrowd the skillet, or it will not brown as well.
• Let it sear on one side before flipping it over and letting the other side brown.
• Next transfer it to the slow cooker and turn the skillet down a bit. 
• Repeat cooking the second half of the chicken in the skillet and add it to the slow cooker. 

Step 2: Make Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

The skillet tends to get very hot while the chicken is cooking, and there will be some dark spots on the skillet. This is normal. Adding in the onion and water will cool it down, and the water will help release the fond off the bottom of the skillet. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up the fond. Let the onions cook for a couple of minutes to soften. 

Add the sauce ingredients to the onions and stir it to make it into a homogenous sauce. Once it comes to a simmer, add it to the slow cooker with the chicken. 

Step 3: Slow Cook the Chicken 

Cover the slow cooker and set it for four hours on low heat.

Step 4: Shred Chicken

When the timer goes off, shred the chicken with two forks. It will resemble pulled pork. Use a spoon, slotted spoon or tongs to serve it depending on how saucy you want your sandwiches to be!

Expert Tips For This Recipe

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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