Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

 

Don't give me the side-eye for the details I'm about to divulge.

I made this chicken while I was sleeping.  I am not kidding.  This was the easiest, tastiest pulled chicken recipe ever.  Now, I don't normally do something this, but it had been a hectic week and it was about to be a hectic weekend.  So I decided to sneak in some cooking time overnight.  I fired up the crockpot when I got home late on a Thursday and by Friday morning, the deed was done.

Now I have to admit that I was slightly inconvenienced by having to wake up twice during the night to stir the contents of the crockpot and make sure it wasn't burning, but this was completely something that I felt the need to do.  It's not required.  If you think about it, many people turn on their crockpots to make meals while they're at work all day.  Presumably, no stirring goes on during that time and their meals seem to pull through in the end.

No matter when you choose to make this chicken though, I would like to assure you that it will be absolutely tasty and flavorful.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

serves ~8-10

Print Recipe

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Adobo all-purpose seasoning with pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1-2 teaspoons habanero sauce
• 8-12 ounces of beer (I used 12oz of Fireside Nut Brown Ale)
• 24-32 ounces of barbecue sauce (It depends on how strong you like your BBQ flavor)

1) Season chicken with the minced onion, paprika, garlic powder, Adobo, salt and pepper.


2) Add the chicken to the crockpot.


3) Toss in the diced onion, habanero sauce, beer, and 24oz barbecue sauce.

4) Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired.

5) After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce if desired.  (I didn't add any more barbecue sauce and it was delicious.  I also pulled my chicken out of the crockpot for shredding purposes, then returned it to the sauce after I was done.)


6) Toss chicken in the sauce.  Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to fully absorb the sauce.

I used Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce in this recipe because I think it's the best bottled sauce out there.  Since it happens to be a thicker sauce, I took Jessica's advice and adjusted my measurements so that I added less barbecue sauce and more beer than the recipe calls for.  The changes are already reflected in my recipe above. (Pssst...Jessica is the blogger behind How Sweet It Is.  Now you know.)

This pulled chicken came out of the pot with a layer of sweetness and smokiness that I have not been able to achieve before.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm sure there are a ton of sweet, smoky pulled chicken recipes out there.  Alas, I have not yet had the opportunity to become acquainted with those recipes.  So this is what I will measure every future recipe against.  No pressure.

I recommend serving this chicken in non-traditional ways.  I enjoy this over mashed potatoes or over pasta.  This is just the way I like to roll.  If you want to serve it on a bun in a traditional manner, though, get on it.