Name: Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 1 cup BBQ sauce; 3 garlic cloves, (minced); 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 Tbsp chili powder; 2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless; 1 cup water; 6 large buns, (such as poppy seed, onion or sesame seed); 2 cups Asian coleslaw, (See recipe link below)

Pulled Chicken in the crockpot with Asian Coleslaw

This 5-ingredient Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken is an easy way to pull together a delicious meal.

Turn it into a sandwich and top with our Asian Coleslaw for a cool twist.

The magic of the slow cooker is that you can assemble everything in the morning and have dinner ready without much hassle!

There are only 5 ingredients for this recipe and you probably have them in your refrigerator and pantry right now. This recipe has chili powder in it so you can turn the heat up or dial it down to suit your taste.

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Ingredients needed:

BBQ Sauce
Garlic cloves
Cumin
Chili Powder
Chicken breasts, boneless & skinless

If making into sandwiches or Pulled Chicken Sliders add:

6 large or 12 slider buns
Asian Coleslaw with Peanut Dressing

How to make Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken:

This recipe is super simple with just a few steps:

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients
Place whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker
Pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the chicken and make sure it is well covered
Put the cover on the slow cooker
If you have all day you can cook the chicken on low for about 8 hours, but I have made it on high for 4 hours with equal success

Once your chicken is finished take it out of the slow cooker and shred by using two forks to pull it apart
Put the chicken back in the slow cooker, mix with the sauce, and heat for another 15 minutes
Serve as is or as sandwiches or sliders

Different ways to use Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken:

My favorite way to eat this chicken is to create a pulled chicken slider or sandwich topped with our Asian Coleslaw.

Start with a bun that is sturdy enough to hold both the chicken and the slaw. I like a poppy seed, sesame seed, or an onion bun, but whole wheat works well too. Top the chicken with about 1/3 cup of Asian Coleslaw. The flavors really meld well together.

If you are cutting back on bread you can definitely just wrap this amazing chicken up in a big piece of sturdy lettuce, or put it right on your plate and top with the coleslaw.

Storing leftover Pulled Chicken:

The chicken freezes very well. Just let it cool completely, separate into serving sizes that work for you, and store tightly sealed in the freezer up to 3 months

Variations for Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken:

Use pork instead of chicken with the same BBQ sauce ingredients
Use as a filling and make taquitos
Top with a spicy chipotle coleslaw

Suggestions for beverage pairing:

Here are several options for beverage pairings. An Asian beer is a nice accompaniment for the pulled chicken sandwich. Also, light to medium-bodied Chenin Blanc or Rose is a good contrast to the sweet and salty flavors in the food.

Your weekday, weekend or special occasion selections:

Asian beers: Tsingtao or Sapporo
Chenin Blanc: Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier, California
Rose: Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rose
Rose: The Palm by Whispering Angel

Other easy main dishes to try:

Pulled Chicken in a Slow Cooker with Asian Slaw

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5 from 5 votes