Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs are made with a handful of ingredients and only require 5 minutes of prep work. Tender, juicy dark meat coated with a variety of spices and slathered in your favorite BBQ sauce.
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Let the Slow Cooker handle the majority of the hard work with this Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs recipe. I love Slow Cooker recipes like this Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken and this Rotisserie Chicken recipe that turn out perfectly cooked and perfectly flavored, juicy chicken every time. It makes mealtime so much more enjoyable with delicious, tender chicken waiting for you!
Why This Recipe Works
These boneless chicken thighs will make a great meal by themselves, but any leftovers can be repurposed very easily. Keep in mind that leftover meat could be used in Foil Pack BBQ Chicken Nachos, in burrito bowls, on top of your favorite salads, or in some easy chicken sandwiches.
Having ready-to-go chicken, as you'll get from this recipe makes dinner time so much easier on those busy weeknights. Pop this in the Crockpot earlier in the day and have dinner waiting for you in the evening.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Herbs and spices: smoked paprika, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt
- Brown sugar: Both light or dark will work.
- Boneless chicken thighs: Chicken breasts will also work.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite jarred sauce or try my homemade bbq sauce.
How To Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Step 1: Mix spices together in a small bowl.
- Step 2: Place raw chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over chicken, making sure all chicken get coated.
- Step 3: Brush BBQ sauce on chicken thighs for extra flavor. Cover and cook.
- Step 4: Place cooked chicken on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, brush on more BBQ sauce, and broil chicken before serving.
Recipe Tips
- You'll get the nice golden brown color and caramelization on the chicken by broiling it. This step is totally optional.
- You could use bone-in chicken thighs, but the cooking time may vary. As always, use your meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is safe and cooked properly before consuming.
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Faq's
Yes, you can easily overcook chicken in the Slow Cooker. It's important to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the chicken as it is cooking. With such a wide recommendation of cooking times, mainly because different Crock Pots can cook at different temperatures, it's important not to just assume everything needs to be cooked to the max suggested amount of time. The cooking time required for your chicken thighs may also be dependent on the size of your chicken thighs as well.
Typically leaner cuts of chicken can dry out and become tough after slow cooking, but chicken thighs can become tough after slow cooking as well. To prevent this from happening, keep an eye on your chicken and don't overcook it. I tend to cook things on low so the extra heat from the high setting doesn't dry things out or make them tough when possible. But you can still use the high setting for your Crock Pot Chicken Thighs if you need them done faster. Just be careful and keep an eye on them.
More Chicken Slow Cooker Recipes
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Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 3 lbs
- 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix all the spices together until combined.
- Place the chicken thighs into the slow cooker and sprinkle the seasoning on both sides.
- Brush 1 cup of the bbq sauce on top of the chicken thighs.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2 hours.
- Preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush the remaining bbq sauce on top.
- Place the chicken thighs on the lined baking sheet and place under the broiler and broil 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie of choice!
My family loves Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs because they’re tender, juicy, and full of flavor!