What happens when you want to make some barbecue chicken for the family but you don’t have a grill or Mother Nature just didn’t care about your plans? Instead of ordering takeout, you can migrate indoors and make some crockpot BBQ chicken that everyone will enjoy. Sure, it will take a bit more time than firing up the grill, but dinner will nevertheless be saved and there are a few different ways that you indulge.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Break out the indoor cookware because this recipe will teach you how to make chicken without a grill and without the worry.
What You’ll Need
- 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts
- Your choice of barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
Steps
- Add everything but the chicken to your crockpot and whisk until the ingredients are properly stirred together.
- Place your chicken breasts into the mix and turn with a pair of tongs to ensure the chicken is coated generously with the mixture.
- Close the lid and cook on low heat for 4 – 4 1/2 hours until your chicken is tender and no longer pink on the inside.
- After the allotted time, serve immediately.
How You Can Eat It
Crockpot BBQ chicken has some versatility to it and you can eat it, however, best fits your tastes. Some people enjoy putting some of the sauce aside and eating the chicken as full breasts. When you serve it, you can drizzle some of the excess sauce onto the chicken and serve with a side of veggies or coleslaw.
On the other hand, some people enjoy shredding their chicken and eating it in a sandwich. If you’re interested in this method than here are the two additional steps you need to take:
- After the allotted cooking time, place your chicken breasts on a cutting board and shred them with two forks.
- Place the chicken back into the crockpot and mix in with the sauce until everything is generously coated.

Other Ingredients To Try
Depending on your preferences, there are several different ingredients you can use to enhance the flavor of your crockpot BBQ chicken. Rather than adding a small amount of onion powder, some people like to use an entire half of a yellow onion, chopped into smaller pieces. Others like to add in Worcestershire sauce or a tablespoon of cornstarch to the mix. You can also swap out regular vinegar for apple cider vinegar to give yourself a different flavor.
There’s no need to panic when you find yourself without a grill because making your own crockpot BBQ chicken is just as tasty!