Barbecue Pulled Chicken

Pulled chicken is the easier cousin of pulled pork. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs break down into tender shreds in a slow cooker without drying out, and the thigh meat’s higher fat content keeps everything juicy even after 5 hours of cooking.

The sauce is where this recipe earns its place in regular rotation. Tomato sauce and paste form the base, but honey, cider vinegar, chopped green chiles, ground chipotle, and smoked paprika layer in heat, smoke, and tang. No browning step required. Everything goes straight in the cooker.

After 5 hours on low, shred the chicken with two forks right on a cutting board and stir it back into the sauce so every shred gets coated. The shreds soak up sauce better than whole pieces.

Kitchen Tips

• Use chicken thighs, not breasts. Breasts dry out during the long cook time and don’t shred nearly as well.
• Don’t peek at the slow cooker. Each lift of the lid adds 20 minutes of cook time.
• Taste and adjust salt after shredding. Flavor concentrates as the sauce reduces in the cooker.
• Make it a day ahead. Flavors deepen overnight and it reheats beautifully.

Variations

• Swap ground chipotle for adobo sauce from canned chipotles for more heat.
• Use bone-in thighs for even deeper flavor; just pull the bones out before shredding.
• Serve on brioche buns with coleslaw and pickles, over rice, or tucked into corn tortillas with avocado and lime.