Sluggish Cooker BBQ Rooster Thighs

Made with a straightforward home made BBQ sauce, these Sluggish Cooker BBQ Rooster Thighs are good for weeknight dinners – simply dump every thing within the crockpot in 5 minutes! The BBQ hen is nice by itself or shredded for BBQ hen sandwiches.

Chicken thighs coated in a homemade bbq sauce in a crock pot.

Most crockpot bbq hen thigh recipes have you ever use a store-bought sauce, however this recipe is straightforward sufficient to make with out all these components and further sugar. It is not solely minimal effort, but additionally extraordinarily flavorful.

As a result of the hen thighs are gradual cooked, they develop into very tender and are additionally capable of soak up all of the flavors from the home made sauce. This meal is nice for nights that it’s essential prepare dinner dinner forward or are very drained, however nonetheless need a home made meal.

Serve this recipe with straightforward facet dishes like my Butter Lettuce Salad or Fingerling Potato Salad.

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Why You will Love Sluggish Cooker BBQ Rooster Thighs

Straightforward – Throw all of the elements into the crockpot and set to prepare dinner for both 2 hours or as much as 8 hours. It takes lower than 10 minutes to organize!
Fast Selfmade BBQ Sauce – This BBQ hen with out store-bought BBQ sauce makes use of contemporary elements which are additive-free and decrease sugar than different recipes.
BBQ Rooster Sandwiches – Shred the hen thighs to create probably the most flavorful BBQ hen sandwiches!

This recipe suits a large number of diets together with low sodium, a migraine weight loss plan, gluten free, and dairy free. You may even make this paleo through the use of honey as an alternative of brown sugar or omit the sugar totally for whole30.

Boneless or Bone-In Rooster Thighs?

Use boneless hen thighs for a quicker cooking time and a better option to eat them. They shred simply with out having to select the bones.

Use bone-in hen thighs for the very best taste, however add one other 2 hours of cooking time. Make sure to purchase skin-off.

You don’t want to sear the hen thighs earlier than gradual cooking, though if utilizing bone-in, it may possibly assist them prepare dinner somewhat bit quicker.

Elements

Ingredients for slow cooked bbq chicken thighs on a white background.

Rooster thighs – I used air chilled boneless, skinless hen thighs for this recipe. I want air chilled as a result of they do not retain water like common hen thighs, leaving the sauce much less watery. Boneless additionally tends to prepare dinner quicker than bone-in, however they’re extra forgiving than hen breasts, which may dry out if cooked too lengthy.
Strained tomatoes – This would be the base of the BBQ sauce and located in bins or cans subsequent to all of the canned tomatoes. I just like the Pomi Model or De Rica. If you cannot discover strained, plain tomato sauce will work (be sure the elements are simply tomatoes).
Brown sugar – Only a contact so as to add some sweetness with out an excessive amount of sugar!
Apple juice – Provides depth of taste to the home made BBQ sauce.
Spices – Smoked paprika is what’s going to add that smoky BBQ taste to our hen thighs. Cayenne and floor mustard powder additionally provides to the flavour.

Step by Step Course of

Process for how to make chicken thighs with a homemade bbq sauce in a slow cooker.

These crockpot bbq hen thighs are such a easy recipe, it does not require loads of effort.

Step 1: Prep sauce elements and add them to the gradual cooker

Place the shallots, garlic, strained tomatoes, spices, and sugar into the underside of your gradual cooker and blend every thing collectively until clean.

Step 2: Add the hen thighs to the crock pot

Unfold your hen thighs excessive of the sauce, then flip them so that they’re coated on each side within the bbq sauce.

Step 3: Sluggish prepare dinner

Place the quilt of your gradual cooker again on and prepare dinner on excessive warmth for about 2 hours or low warmth for about 4-6 hours.

Step 4: Shred BBQ hen thighs, if desired

As soon as cooked by way of, you’ll be able to eat the thighs entire or shred them utilizing two forks pulling the alternative instructions.

BBQ chicken thighs in a slow cooker dish.

Recipe Ideas

For a thicker BBQ sauce – Because the hen cooks, it would launch juices. This will make a thinner BBQ sauce. If you would like to thicken it again up, warmth it in a small pot on the range and whisk in 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Deliver to a boil after which cut back the warmth to a simmer, stirring until thickened. You may add 1 teaspoon at a time till desired thickness is reached. I personally do not mess with this although….the sauce is scrumptious as is in my view.
For boneless hen thighs which are pretty skinny, these prepare dinner rapidly – solely about 3-4 hours on low warmth and about 2 hours on excessive warmth. If they’re thicker, 4-6 hours can be a great time.
For bone-in hen thighs – You’ll need to prepare dinner longer, about 4-6 hours on low.
Substitute hen breast – Rooster breast can be utilized as nicely, however cooks pretty rapidly, about 2-3 hours on low warmth, or lower than 2 on excessive warmth. If leaving all day whereas at work, these are much less forgiving than thighs and may dry out.

Serving Options

Pulled bbq chicken on a wheat bun with chips and a salad.

Meal prep – This recipe is nice for meal prepping trigger it is easy to make an enormous batch of and hold within the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze. It freezes fantastically, particularly when shredded.

Listed below are some bbq hen thigh meal concepts to alter it up all through the week.

BBQ Rooster Sandwiches with Martin’s potato buns.
BBQ Rooster Salad with ranch dressing.
On high of a roasted candy potato or russet potato with ranch dipping sauce.
Place the shredded hen on high of nachos.

For gradual cooked BBQ hen thigh sides I’d suggest pairing a butter lettuce salad, potato salad, cauliflower in cheese sauce, or apple coleslaw.

Incessantly Requested Questions

Is it greatest to prepare dinner hen on excessive or low within the crockpot?

I discover that cooking hen on low warmth offers the utmost quantity of taste with out drying the hen out. In case you are in a rush, you’ll be able to lower the cooking time in half through the use of excessive warmth, however bear in mind they will not be fairly pretty much as good!

Can you set uncooked hen in a gradual cooker?

Sure! Generally recipes may have you sear the hen first, particularly if you happen to’re utilizing pores and skin on hen thighs, however general you do not have to prepare dinner the hen earlier than inserting it into the gradual cooker.

How do I hold hen from drying out within the crockpot?

To maintain hen from drying out within the crockpot you want two elements – the primary one is fats and the opposite one is warmth. For this reason hen thighs are somewhat extra forgiving when cooked in a crock pot as a result of they do not dry out as simply as breasts as a consequence of fats content material. Additionally, utilizing the low warmth setting will assist, however each gradual cooker has totally different energy settings as to what’s really “excessive” and “low”. Mine runs somewhat excessive, so I discover I’m often on the low finish of cooking instances.

Saucy BBQ chicken thighs in a white bowl with a spoon scooping the sauce.

Crockpot Recipes

For extra gradual cooker posts like this crockpot bbq hen thighs, try these recipes. You will particularly love the Crockpot Pesto Rooster. And do not miss these Buffalo Rooster Thighs if you happen to love this recipe!

For those who make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Fb and Instagram. And if you happen to love the recipe, please depart a overview beneath! Observe alongside on my Pinterest for extra nice recipes.