Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken

Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken is an easy weeknight meal or party food made with root beer, barbecue sauce. Perfect for Sandwiches, tacos & more.

If you enjoyed my recipe for BBQ Pulled Chicken, then you should try the crock pot version. Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken is an easy dinner that’s great all year round. Crock pot recipes are perfect for busy days because you can throw your ingredients and set to low in the morning, then go about your day and come home to a completely cooked, delicious entree.

For more easy to make crock pot dinners, check out my Slow Cooker Recipes.

Slow Cooker Recipes are fantastic for when you’d love to have a delicious dinner ready and waiting for you when you get back home from a long day. This Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken recipe is an extremely easy dinner recipe and letting it simmer in a crock pot all day makes the chicken fork tender and full of rich, BBQ flavors that are perfect for all occasions, from potlucks to family dinners.

For this Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken recipe, you can choose whatever your favorite BBQ sauce is to help tenderize the chicken. Since the meat is going to sit in the sauce for around 5 hours in the crockpot, the flavor is going to deeply settle into the meat from the skin to the bone.

Chicken Breasts vs Chicken Thighs in CROCKPOTS

When it comes to choosing what kind of chicken to use in the recipe I am going against my standard recommendations of “avoid chicken breast” and recommending them for this recipe. Since we’re coating it in a sweet syrupy glaze you can get away with the white meat chicken. If you aren’t worried about the extra calories I even more highly suggest using boneless skinless chicken thighs over boneless skinless chicken breasts.

MORE EASY SANDWICH RECIPES:

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN

• Add the root beer, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper in a large slow cooker.
• Stir well to combine then add in the chicken and coat well.
• Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours then shred the chicken well with two forks.
• Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and coat in the sauce in the bowl.
• Serve with mashed potatoes or in buns and top with additional sauce.

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HOW TO SERVE LEFTOVER SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN

• Pizza: Top a pre-made pizza crust with some BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese, your leftover chicken and some fine sliced red onions for an easy pizza night BBQ Chicken Pizza
• Salad: Toss some lettuce, black beans, corn, and your leftover Root Beer BBQ Chicken with some Homemade Ranch Dressing and top with crunchy tortilla strips for a delicious, healthy salad.
• Pasta: Your leftover chicken will taste great on top of Mac and Cheese or Potato Salad.
• Veggies: You can stuff leftover Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken into veggies like bell peppers (a great take on the classic Stuffed Pepper recipe), mushrooms, and zucchini boats and top with cheese for an easy, low-carb dinner.

SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN FAQS

• Can you overcook chicken in a slow cooker? Yes, you can overcook chicken in a slow cooker, especially if you are using chicken breasts in this recipe. If you want the meat to stay tender for longer be sure to use chicken thighs which are a more forgiving cut of meat.
• Can you put frozen chicken in the crockpot? Technically, yes. It isn’t a great idea though, since the chicken may not reach the desired temperature for a long time, which means it will have been sitting out at less than ideal temperatures for hours and can make you sick. Additionally frozen chicken contains significant amounts of water which will throw off the amount of liquid in the sauce causing the flavors to be diluted.

SIDES DISH RECIPES FOR SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN

Baked Mac and Cheese

Southern Baked Beans

KFC Coleslaw (Copycat)

Easy Macaroni Salad

HOW LONG IS SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN GOOD?

• Serve: You shouldn’t leave chicken out for longer than 2 hours at room temperature. 
• Store: Allow your Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken cool down to room temperature before wrapping with plastic wrap or put in a sealable container. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: You can freeze cooked root beer chicken for up to 3 months. Keep it completely sealed in something airtight.

WHEN IS SLOW COOKER ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN SAFE TO EAT?

Crock pot chicken is safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. According to the USDA’s Official Website you should always check the temperature of the chicken at the thickest part with a probe thermometer to get an accurate reading.

5 from 6 votes

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Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken

Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken is an easy weeknight meal or party food made with root beer, barbecue sauce and chicken.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 388 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup  root beer
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 8 hamburger buns , split in half and warmed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.

2. Whisk root beer, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper together in a bowl.

3. Pour over the chicken.

4. Cook, covered, on low heat for 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender.
5. Remove chicken; cool slightly.
6. Shred chicken with 2 forks and return to slow cooker.

7. Serve on buns.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Root Beer BBQ Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 388 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 97mg32%

Sodium 1283mg56%

Potassium 719mg21%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 21g23%

Protein 36g72%

Vitamin A 152IU3%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 101mg10%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.