BBQ Chicken Sliders are one of the easiest ever Crock Pot recipes!

A simple combo of bacon, chicken and bbq sauce make the most delicious pulled chicken! This recipe is great when you are looking for a change from pulled pork or beef. It’s a meal that everyone will rave about.

Open face BBQ chicken sliders prepared on a baking sheet.

Why We Love This Recipe

This easy recipe is totally no-fail! The chicken comes out delicious and flavorful every single time!

We love that this recipe only needs a only handful of ingredients!! Chicken, onions, bbq sauce and bacon!! Couldn’t be easier and oh so yummy.

I love that this can be prepped ahead of time (even the day before) and cooked to feed a family or a hungry crowd on game day.

The chicken mixture can be kept warm in the slow cooker so your guests can serve themselves, party perfect!

A serving dish of BBQ Chicken slider mixture, topped with bacon and parsley.

Ingredients and Variations

Chicken I use breasts because they’re lean, cook nicely and shred perfectly. You can use thighs in this recipe if it’s what you have on hand.  If you use chicken thighs, skim any fat off once they’re cooked before shredding.

BBQ Sauce Anything goes. I use homemade if I have it on hand but if not, store bought is just fine! Use what you love because a lot of the flavor comes from the BBQ sauce (If buying store bought, I like this one).

BBQ Chicken slider ingredients in a crockpot.

How To Make BBQ Chicken Sliders

This slow cooker chicken slider recipe is crazy easy. Just like pulled pork, simply add the ingredients and let slow cooker do the work!

  1. Cook bacon until crispy, then carmelize onions in reserved bacon grease.
  2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
  3. Deglaze the pan with water and pour it into the slow cooker, mixing well.

Pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits work in this recipe. If using precooked bacon, fry the onion in a bit of olive oil instead of bacon fat.

Crockpot of BBQ chicken shredded and topped with bacon and parsley.

The Best Buns For Sliders

Of course Hawaiian rolls are a favorite for sliders but you can use dinner rolls, tray buns too or even homemade biscuits.

In all honesty, this incredible chicken will taste amazing on pretty much anything. So feel free to grab a pack of ready to serve rolls from the store.

Delicious Toppings For Chicken Sliders

There are so many ways to serve these chicken sliders.

  • How about having these with some sliced tomatoes or classic coleslaw piled on top? Delicious!
  • Or, try them with a spoonful of pineapple salsa, or a pineapple ring on each sandwich! Instant Hawaiian sliders!
  • Hot sauce anyone? Or, some nacho cheese and chopped green onions? Yum!
  • French-fried onions! Need I say more?

Serving dish of BBQ Chicken slider mixture, with open faced sliders.

What To Do With Leftovers

Serve over mac and cheese or even over rice.

BBQ chicken freezes beautifully. Put leftovers including all the sauce into an airtight container, leaving about 2 inches for expansion. According to FDA guidelines, cooked poultry dishes will keep in the freezer for 4-6 months, and in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Easy Slider Recipes

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
BBQ chicken sliders on parchment paper with the bowl of meat on the side
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BBQ Chicken Sliders

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Sliders - What could be better than the taste of succulent pulled chicken with caramelized onion and bacon, piled high on a warm bun?
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings 18 sliders
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Ingredients  

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 18 ounces barbeque sauce
  • 12 strips bacon
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 18 rolls such as Hawaiian Honey Wheat rolls

Instructions 

  • Cook bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat until crispy and drain on paper towel.
  • Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the frying pan and add the sliced onions and salt. Cook onions until tender. Add to the bottom of a 6qt slow cooker.
  • When the frying pan has cooled a bit, carefully pour the water into the pan and gently scrape up the browned bits of bacon and onion from the bottom. Pour it into the crockpot.
  • Add chicken breasts and barbecue sauce. Stir and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.
  • Shred chicken using 2 forks. Stir in half of the bacon.
  • Spoon mixture on slider buns, top with remaining bacon.

Notes

Nutrition information is per slider.
Coleslaw is a great addition to these sandwiches.
You can use thighs instead of breasts in this recipe.  If you use chicken thighs, skim any fat off before shredding.
Use a good quality bbq sauce because that's where a lot of the flavor comes from. Splurge the extra $1-2 for a brand you love!
The chicken mixture can be kept warm in the slow cooker so your guests can serve themselves, party perfect!
5 from 33 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 242 | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 499mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American
Top image - open face BBQ chicken sliders. Bottom image - BBQ chicken mixture in a crockpot.
Open faced BBQ chicken sliders.
Crockpot of BBQ chicken slider mixture.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. I made it and then realized I didn’t have rolls so I made a pizza with it. Added spinach and cheese. My new favourite pizza. Thank you for your terrific recipes. The pizza dough and the bbq sauce were also your recipes5 stars

  2. So delicious! Made these for supper yesterday and the house smelled amazing all day! Paired with homemade buns and oh my! So yummy. SWP Employee5 stars

  3. So yummy! I put raw onions in the bottom of my crock pot, and used real bacon bits instead of pan fried bacon; and sugar free bbq sauce (I’m type 1 diabetic). This can be eaten from a bowl for low carb. Delicious!5 stars