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Sweet Baby Ray's Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Baby Ray's crockpot chicken delivers pull-apart tender, shredded BBQ chicken soaked in a thick, smoky glaze that lightly caramelizes in the slow cooker. It’s an easy crockpot chicken dinner with dark, sticky sauce that coats every shred for a glossy, sandwich-ready finish.
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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
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 2.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
BBQ sauce
  • 1 bottle (18 oz) Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste
Serving
  • 1 brioche buns
  • 1 coleslaw

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and build the sauce
  1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika so the surface is evenly coated and looks speckled with spices.
  2. Mix together Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar until the mixture looks glossy and smooth.
Slow cook
  1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the top, making sure most of the chicken is submerged.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until the chicken is completely tender, with the sauce visibly thickened and clinging to the surface.
Shred and serve
  1. Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks and stir it into the sauce so every shred glistens with the dark, sticky glaze.
  2. Serve the shredded BBQ chicken on brioche buns with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce, with the sauce drizzled over the top and lightly pooling on the bun.

Notes

For the darkest, stickiest glaze, avoid lifting the lid during cooking. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze shredded chicken (with sauce) up to 2 months. Reheat in a covered pot or microwave until hot throughout, adding a splash of water or extra BBQ sauce if the sauce thickens too much. For a lower-sugar option, use a no-sugar-added BBQ sauce and keep the brown sugar reduced to taste.