Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken – Cranberry Sherry BBQ Sauce
Posted: 10/21/2016
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Slow cooker barbecue pulled chicken is irresistible! You’ll want to drink the cranberry sherry barbecue sauce that this chicken is cooked in.
This post is in partnership with Holland House – thank you for supporting Rachel Cooks by reading about brands I use in my own kitchen!
Everyone ready for cranberry season? I sure am. I have a bag of fresh cranberries waiting in the fridge ready for a new variety of cranberry sauce. Last year we did orange cranberry sauce with cardamom and cinnamon apple cranberry sauce. Have you ever tried roasting cranberries? We love this roasted cranberry sauce with apples, grapes, and shallots.
And I just know that we’ll be digging into my two ingredient cranberry salsa again this year because people can’t resist it.
This slow cooker barbecue pulled chicken is a total hit in our house. I put it in the slow cooker in the morning and it’s ready by supper time.
It’s a perfect make ahead meal, too. It freezes well, or keeps in the fridge for up to three days.
The barbecue sauce is a winner and you’ll find it’s not your standard barbecue sauce. Discover the layers of flavor in this sauce: the sweet and tangy cranberry, tomato acidity, the citrusy orange, and Holland House Sherry Cooking Wine, which adds more depth of flavor and an extra boost to this recipe.
It’s kind of hard to describe the taste of sherry cooking wine. Holland House describes it as having “a light golden color and sweet aroma. With a mild dry sherry wine flavor, it also has hints of nut and caramel.” You’ll be adding it to a variety of dishes because sherry cooking wine adds a subtle flavor that’s all its own. I love it in vinaigrettes or sprinkled on a dish of roasted vegetables.
PS: I top these slow cooker barbecue pulled chicken sandwiches with my healthier coleslaw. Barbecued meat and coleslaw make a perfect sandwich: soft bun, chewy meat, crispy creamy coleslaw, so yummy!
Slow cooker sandwiches
Here’s a few of my favorite recipes:
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Plum Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken for Tacos (so easy and great for a crowd)
- Healthy Taco Meat (make it in a skillet, and keep it warm in a slow cooker)
- Mango Bourbon Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pork Tacos
- Slow Cooker Cuban Pork (Mojo Pork)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Crockpot BBQ chicken is irresistible and a real crowd-pleaser! With only 3 ingredients, it's super easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or a mix of thighs and breasts)
- 2 cups barbecue sauce (choose your favorite brand or make your own)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- buns and coleslaw, for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, if desired.
- Add chicken to the bottom of a large (6 or 7 quart) slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce and stir to coat chicken.
- Cover, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove chicken to a plate and shred using two forks. Alternatively, place chicken in large bowl and use a hand mixer to shred the chicken.
- In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water until smooth. Turn crockpot to High. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly for one to two minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly and is no longer cloudy.
- Add the shredded chicken. Stir well to coat. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Serve on toasted bun with slaw.
Notes
- If desired, use a combination of boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs or all breasts or all thighs, up to 5 pounds.
- To freeze: Cool BBQ chicken quickly by spreading it out in a shallow pan and refrigerating it. Once it's cool, place in freezer-safe bags, flatten, and freeze for up to six months.
- Recipe updated 6/1/2022.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 500mg, Potassium: 503mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 114IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Bonnie McGinnis says
I loved the flavor combination of cranberry, orange, and sherry! Such a great barbecue chicken! We really enjoyed this one!