Veggie-Loaded Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken
This BBQ Pulled Chicken is the perfect hands-off dinner that is both delicious, easy and has 2 cups (!) of veggies worked in. The grated carrots and zucchini basically melt into the spices and BBQ sauce as the chicken thighs cook to tender perfection in the ease of your slow cooker.
Slow cookers are the only way I get anything cooked during the dog days of summer. One can only eat so many salads before they start to feel like a bunny rabbit, but I’ll be damned before I turn on my oven or stove and add to the climbing temperatures that are already making my house miserable to hang out in. So, slow cookers are my right hand man during the summer (and the rest of the year, as we all know).
Not only do I love love love that this delicious, easy, and family friendly meal is cooked to perfection in my handy-dandy slow cooker. Because I am me, I am always looking for creative ways to add veggies into the mix and learned from making my Veggie-Loaded BBQ pulled pork that slow cooked pulled meats are a beautiful place for grated veggies to be tucked in. The carrots and zucchini cook down with the meat and almost disappear in texture and appearance, especially once you shred it and stir in the other half of sauce at the end. Its truly so easy, so delicious and just another way to get a veggie-loaded dinner on the table when there is no way the oven is getting used.
Slow Cooker Veggie-Loaded BBQ Pulled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup packed grated zucchini, (about ½ a medium zucchini), measure before squeezing out
- 1 cup packed grated carrot, (about 1 medium carrot), measure before squeezing out
- 1 cup barbecue sauce , whatever your favorite is. divided.
Instructions
- Trim any fat off the chicken and place it in your slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, mix the spices. Sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly over the chicken.
- Place the shredded veggies inside a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Add the drained veggies to the slow cooker.
- Pour ½ cup of the barbecue sauce over the chicken and vegetables, then stir to combine. (I like to use tongs.)
- Place the lid on your slow cooker then cook high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Shred all the the cooked chicken using 2 forks or a meat chopper either in the sauce or remove the meat to a plate to make it a little easier to see. Then mix the shredded meat back into the sauce. NOTE: Because there is so much water in the vegetables + meat, you might find that you want to drain off a bit of the cooking liquid.
- Once shredded and extra water drained off, stir in the remaining ½ cup of sauce. Taste the pulled chicken and add more salt if needed. Serve warm on toasted buns, on a salad, or however you’d like.
- The pulled chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Becky! Such a fun and easy dish for summer!
I’d love to try this however I don’t have a slow cooker. If I wanted to make this in a dutch oven, at what temp and how many hours should I cook?
My guess would be 325 degrees F for 90 minutes or until the chicken is easily shreddable. However, I’ve never made it this way.
This looks so delicious !!!
I don’t have a slow cooker but I own a Thermomix. Do you have any idea if this would work ? Or if you know someone that has tried …
Looks delicious! I was just about to start making this, but I want to make sure this is correct: cook on low for 4 hours?? I’ve always cooked chicken on low for 7-8 hrs or high for 3-4. Please advise 🙂
Chicken breasts cook much faster than a whole chicken. Yes, 4 hours on low is correct. Much longer and the chicken will be quite dry
Ok awesome! Thanks for the response 🙂
I was intrigued to think i could throw this in the crockpot after "a long day at work" as you noted but 4 hrs obviously doesn’t work when you work 9-5. Would I have to do a whole chicken for an 8 hr slow cook?
I understand your confusion with my statement. I have a slow cooker that keeps food warm after it is done cooking, so I can pop it into the slow cooker in the morning and have it ready and waiting for me after work. I understand that is not what everyone has, so poor wording on my part. It also reheats beautifully, so don’t be afraid to make it during meal prep and warm up later.
As for a whole chicken: yes, I’d suggest 8 hours if using a whole chicken. Though I have a feeling deboning the whole chicken would be quite messy with the sauce.
This is in my slow cooker now! Did you use canned diced tomatoes or just dice fresh tomatoes? I used canned but I wasn’t sure if that was what was meant.
Either is fine! I hope it turned out great!
I love BBQ pulled chicken so I’m excited to try this paleo recipe!
I’m looking for some real talk: how similar does this sauce taste to store bought bbq sauce? 🙂 Thanks!
It has a BBQ sauce vibe, but is certainly different. Store bought BBQ sauce has lots of added sugar (which is why it tastes so amazing), so i tried to minimize the sugar in this recipe by naturally sweetening with date
Could I use honey or maple syrup instead of dates?
Absolutely! It wouldn’t be Whole30 anymore, but it would taste delicious
Sooooooo good!!! We really enjoyed this recipe, thanks for sharing
Hi!!! Can this be used for babyback ribs?
I’ve never tried this recipe with anything other than chicken, so I can’t really tell you for sure. If you use the sauce in the slow cooker with the babyback ribs, it will likely need longer in the slow cooker.
Can this be frozen once cooked?
I can’t say I have tried freezing it but I don’t see why not!
Yes I freeze it all the time. Can be a bit watery and need thickening second time around but still works
Great to know!
What could I use instead of dates? Maybe a tbsp of honey?
Hey, recipe sounds really good! Just wondering if theres an alternative for the avocado oil?
I am looking to spice this up a tad. Any suggestions?
I threw in chili powder the first time I made the recipe and that punched in up a little. I’m making it again right now and forgot to add any spice 🙁 but I made a vegan mac and cheese recipe with dried chipotle chilis that are blended into the sauce and those work great (I’m a wimp and two little slices add enough zing for me).
This looks delicious! Can you tell me how to do this in an Instant Pot?
Loved how easy this is! We aren’t Whole30 but I try to cook mostly Whole30 meals with little modifications (food freedom!) For this one, the dates didn’t quite sweeten it enough for me so I added two tbsps of maple syrup – again NOT Whole30 but a good mod if you aren’t! The flavor was great! Also, I used a mix of chicken breasts and thighs – I like them mix together better than just breasts, makes the chicken more tender to me. I also added some chili powder as suggested in another comment to kick it up a bit! Plan to serve it over cauliflower grits for lunches this week!
Oh yum! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Hi,
I like the recipe but am wondering if it’s possible to do in a way that I am able to make ahead and freeze. I am having surgery soon and will be unable to cook. I am trying to make everything that I can so that my daughter is able to throw in the crockpot without the need for additional steps.
I need at least a full month of dinners with leftovers so that our family will have enough meals that take them only a few minutes to get ready. I don’t mean the hands off time. I was thinking of shredding an entire chicken but am not sure if would end up over cooked and dried out.
Thank you for the information
I think if you made it ahead and froze it, it would still be lovely!
Just combined ingredients but hesitating on cooking 3 pounds of chicken breasts for 4 hours on low? Is this a typo? Do you mean high?
I will update this with a range of 3-6 hours. Which I know is wild, but slow cookers cook at VERY different temps based on…well, whatever the brand wants! A low setting on my slow cooker might be much higher than a low setting on your’s. My chicken was done, had an internal temp of 165F and shredded easily. However, if your slow cooker cooks at a lower temp than mine, it might take closer to 6 hours. It takes knowing the quirks of your slow cooker
Thank you Taesha. I saw after I sent my message someone else had also asked the same question. I did mine on low for 5 and it was perfectly cooked. Appreciate the reply. :))
So glad it worked out!!