Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken recipe - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

Why do you brown chicken before putting in slow cooker? ›

Sear the Chicken Before Adding It to the Slow Cooker

A caramelized piece of meat will always taste better in your dish.

In addition, chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

A solid barbecue with a lid is essential, and the ideal temperature for slow cooking is 90-110°C. You need to cook indirectly by positioning the meat away from, and not over, the coals or wood. Moisture is important, so sit a tray full of water (or even beer) under the meat.

Some people think that because they're adding barbecue sauce, they don't need to season the chicken. But a little bit of salt and pepper goes a long way in adding flavor to your meal. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper before putting it on the grill.

Yes, you most certainly can cook raw meat in the slow cooker! You put it in “cold”, with whatever liquid your recipe calls for, turn it on either “low” or “high” depending on your recipe (I usually start it on “high” for a couple hours, then turn it to “low”), and in 6–7–8 hours, it's now COOKED meat!

We found that the only way to cook chicken (and turkey) in a slow cooker is on the low setting and for a relatively short amount of time.

For a whole chicken – Place it in your slow cooker breast side down. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. For bone-in pieces - Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.

Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove lid and let chicken cool for 10 minutes or so before shredding (so we don't burn ourselves!) Use two forks to shred the chicken right in the crockpot. The chicken will absorb any liquid in the pot as you shred it.

Will BBQ Sauce Burn in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker? No, BBQ sauce won't burn in an instant pot or slow cooker, as long as there's enough liquid in the pot. However, if you're using a high-sugar BBQ sauce, you may want to add a little extra liquid to prevent burning.

How do you make BBQ juicy and tender? ›

How do you make pork barbecue tender? We think we have discovered the secret to the most tender pork barbecue: soda. In fact, not only does the soda tenderize the pork, so does the calamansi juice and both ingredients work together in the marinade to make it as tender as it can get.

Low and slow is the way to go here, and the longer the cook, the lower the internal temperature will be when tenderness is achieved. Generally, the finished internal temperature of barbecue meats will be between 180°F and 210°F, but there is no magic number that tells you when it is tender.

Cook your chicken slowly and patiently, and then add your sauce during the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking process. Use just enough sauce to cover the chicken, but not much more than that. Coat one side, flip the chicken over and then coat the other side. Use a nice, thick BBQ sauce, if you can, and enjoy!

Step 1In a large bowl, whisk BBQ sauce, oil, garlic, soy sauce, smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to grill. Add chicken to the large bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

While searing meat before slow cooking can enhance flavors by developing a caramelized crust, it's not strictly necessary. If you skip searing, the meat may lack some depth of flavor, but it will still cook and become tender in the slow cooker.

Skipping browning isn't a shortcut, but is instead another path to delicious results. Think about chicken soup: Because the chicken isn't browned, it's spoon-tender with a delicate flavor. The same goes for chicken mafe, chicken tinga, khao man gai and so many other classic dishes.

If you have a few extra minutes when preparing anything in a slow cooker, try browning your meat before adding it to the cooker. It boosts the flavor and color of any dish, but can be skipped if you're in a hurry.