A set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker recipe for tender and saucy crockpot BBQ chicken sliders on sweet buns. If you're here for a slow cooker tailgate recipe, I gotchu with my pulled chicken sliders on Hawaiian rolls. Let's get into the juicy details!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my baked tuna melt sliders, too!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Set it and Forget it - This is a great hands-off recipe for hosting. You can start the chicken a few hours before your watch party and attend to other pre-party tasks while it slow cooks with minimal supervision. And you can even serve the pulled chicken out of your crockpot!
Easy Juicy Chicken - Despite the reputation chicken breast has for dryness, it's extremely easy to attain tender juiciness by cooking chicken breast with barbecue sauce in the slow cooker. Whenever I serve this dish, people assume it's pulled pork because it gets that tender.
👉🏾 If you like flavorful slow cooker chicken recipes, you'll love my Moroccan Chicken Thighs or Pineapple Salsa Chicken made with just three ingredients!
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"I love how easy this recipe was to make! They are perfect for a quick weeknight meal, that's my favorite part!"
-Tamara
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Making BBQ chicken sliders in the crockpot is simple and so is the ingredient list. Here's what to add to your grocery cart.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast is the protein of choice in this slow cooker chicken sandwich recipe.
Barbecue Sauce not only imparts flavor but also increases the moisture in the slow cooker crock so that the pulled barbecue chicken comes out so tender and succulent that no extra sauces are needed.
Spices - Seasoned chicken is necessary aside from the sauce. We don't do bland around here and a few spices go a long way so don't skip this step!
King's Hawaiian Rolls are the perfect little buns for for this Super Bowl sliders recipe. Butter them and quickly toast them in the oven to take this recipe to the next level.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Barbecue Sauce - Grab your favorite bottle of barbecue sauce--sweet, spicy, smoky or whatever flavor your enjoy. My homemade honey & hibiscus BBQ sauce is great with this recipe!
Breast or Thighs - Use either chicken breast or thighs in this recipe. Just make sure you grab boneless skinless.
Toppings - I serve these sliders with sliced onions and pickles but you can add whatever toppings you like to make them your own.
Making Juicy Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
Step One: Season the chicken breast and place in crockpot.
Step Two: Cover with barbecue sauce then slow cooker lid and set to high for about four hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Step Three: Meanwhile, cut the sweet rolls for the slider buns.
Step Four: Spread butter across the insides of the buns and place on a pan to toast until golden brown.
Pro Tip #1
Make cutting the buns for sliders without separating them easy! Remove the buns from packaging then use a knife to carefully slice the entire group of buns horizontally while gently holding it in place with your hand over top.
Step Five: Chicken is finished cooking with the bar-b-q sauce is hot and bubbly and the chicken is cooked through.
Step Six: Use two forks to shred the chicken then toss it in the remaining sauce until evenly coated.
Pro Tip #2
Cut one piece of chicken through and ensure the juice runs clear to know that it's done or use a meat thermometer to ensure it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Seven: Separate buns and fill each with sauced chicken then top with pickles, onions, and whatever else you desire.
I use sweet Hawaiian rolls for these tasty Turkey Burger Sliders with grilled pineapple, too. And check out my breakfast sliders on dinner rolls!
Frequently Asked Questions
Slice through the entire group of buns horizontally then separate all at once. This hack takes just two minutes!
Use two forks to pull the chicken meat apart. Repeat in different sections until the chicken is fully shredded and pulled.
Store leftover pulled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to five days. Do not place the crockpot in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Mini Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
If you're making these easy chicken sliders for gameday or another gathering, you might be wondering what goes with BBQ chicken sliders? Complete your spread with grab and go watch party favorites like my baked mac & cheese cups or crispy sweet potato fries. And for tailgates and cookouts, everybody loves my sticky peanut butter wings and balsamic potato salad.
And I would be remiss not to encourage you to add something green to the mix so check out my easy massaged kale salad, which my crew always goes buckwild for!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy an occasion to give these a go very soon even for a fun weeknight dinner. And sharing is caring, so be sure to share this pulled chicken sliders recipe on Hawaiian rolls for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sliders
Equipment
- 1 crockpot
- 1 knife
- 2 forks
- 1 food thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 18 ounces barbecue sauce
- 16 King's Hawaiian rolls
- butter softened
- sliced pickles optional garnish
- ½ onion, sliced optional garnish
Instructions
- Season both sides of chicken breast with sea salt, black pepper, and chili powder then add to slow cooker. Pour barbecue sauce over top to cover chicken.4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, sea salt, black pepper, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 18 ounces barbecue sauce
- Place cover on slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. When finished, sauce should be hot and bubbly and chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheit at the thickest part.
- While chicken slow cooks, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut Hawaiian rolls to create slider buns. Brush or spread with butter then toast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.16 King's Hawaiian rolls, butter
- Once chicken is cooked through, use two forks to shred and pull the chicken then toss in the sauce until evenly coated.
- Serve shredded chicken on prepared buns with sliced pickles and onions, if desired.sliced pickles, ½ onion, sliced
Ron says
Confused on the cook time being 4 hours but then it says cook for 6 to 8 hours in the instructions? Just wanna clarify which one it is so I don't under or over cook lol thanks! Can't wait to try it!
Jazz says
Hi, Ron! Sorry about the confusion. You can cook the chicken on high for a little as four hours OR on low for six to 8 hours, depending on your needs. I recommend checking the temperature using a meat thermometer to ensure it reach safe temperature for consumption before serving (165 degrees F). I'll update the recipe card!
Christy Hoover says
This looks so delicious! Quick and easy for dinner tonight.
Tamara says
I love how easy this recipe was to make! They are perfect for a quick weeknight meal, that's my favorite part!
Katrina Adams says
This recipe is perfect for the holiday weekend!!
Desirée says
Whenever outside opens back up, these would be great to take to a gathering!
Tamara says
These sliders made my weeknight meal routine so easy! The kiddos loved them, and we had no leftovers!
Marta says
That tip for slicing the buns is clutch! I get so frustrated trying to slice those lil' things individually!
Amber says
Looks great! Would be perfect to serve for superbowl parties coming up!
Kate says
These look so good! I like the flavor of pulled pork but not the actual pork, I always find it too fatty - these are a great alternative!
Jazz says
I completely agree, Kate. I'm not very into pork and you won't miss it at all with this recipe because the chicken comes out so tender and juicy!
Jen Seislove says
Yum! I love the addition of the chili powder in your recipe!
Chenée says
It's Memorial Day coming up but it's supposed to rain 🙁 this is a perfect indoor bbq option! So excited to try it!
Catherine says
We haven't used our slow cooker in forever. But, this recipe looks like a good reason to try!
Jenn says
These look AMAZING! I can't wait to get off this Keto diet so I can eat these!