Shredded BBQ Chicken Burgers. My go-to foolproof weeknight meal!
I know it's not technically slow cooker season, but whatever. There are no rules anymore. These Shredded BBQ Chicken Burgers work for any time of the year in my book. And slow cooker recipes are one of the top requests here on WGC so I'm breaking it out today for this recipe!
These Shredded BBQ Chicken Burgers are looking pretty delicious from where I sit. I make this at least a few times a month! Mostly because it's delicious, but also because Thomas always has something to have for lunch if this is in the fridge. It's also easy to throw a spoonful of this on a brioche burger bun, slather on some guacamole and some shredded cheese and call it dinner. Or use the chicken portion of this recipe and slap it into a grilled cheese or sliders. Or stuff it into some enchiladas. You can't go wrong. I speak from experience. You could have a beer alongside of it too, but I'd rather skip the beer and go for seconds on the shredded bbq chicken. Why drink my calories when I can eat them!
And if you can't get your hands on all the ingredients to make the sauce from scratch, you can use 2-3 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce and you'll still be a few hours away from an incredible meal.
Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas? Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.
Shredded BBQ Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion finely sliced
- ½ cup ketchup
- â…“ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 6 hamburger buns
- 1 recipe Guacamole
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
Instructions
- In your slow cooker, combine the onion, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken thighs and make sure they are all evenly spread out and coated with the sauce ingredients.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn to high heat for the Shredded BBQ Chicken to be done in 4-5 hours, and low for Shredded BBQ Chicken to be done in 7-8 hours.
- Once the timer is up, remove the lid and using 2 forks, shred the chicken while still in the crock pot. Turn the crock pot to warm and serve the Shredded BBQ Chicken on top of burger buns with a heaping spoonful of guacamole and shredded colby jack cheese.
i've made this before and it was delicious, as are all gaby's recipes. i would like to make it for a halloween party (about 20 guests) can this recipe be doubled?
absolutely - no issue at all!
I’ve been making BBQ chicken sandwiches for years using breasts - switching to thighs and Gaby’s sauce is a definite game changer. No need to try any other combination for the remainder of my days cuz this is THE best! Thanks, Gaby!!
So... I didn’t have a whole bunch of the ingredients, but this was the bomb. I didn’t have ketchup (used canned tomatoes, extra vinegar, some brown sugar and some garlic and onion powder), and I used 2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs (these shredded better). I did 5 hours on the high slow cook function on the instant pot. I had to simmer the sauce a bit for it to thicken, but that’s on me for messing with the recipe. I didn’t have Avos, so went for slaw instead, and I didn’t have cheese. I hate reviews that don’t actually follow the recipe, but I’m confident this would only be better (and easier) as instructed. And if you don’t have some of the ingredients, it will still probably be delish.
I made this last night and lets just say...YUM! Thank you so much for this haha my family loved it.
So easy with so much flavor!
Made this tonight using the slow cook function on my instant pot! Had to just reduce the sauce some at the end but this was SO EASY and SO DELICIOUS!! Even my very picky 5 year old loved it. Will absolutely make this again and again.
Curious if I can adapt with cooked rotisserie chicken and how I could do that?
yes! you could add some BBQ sauce to a shredded rotisserie chicken and then you're golden!
Love it .. the fams loves it .. its the bets .... thanks gaby!!!!!
I hate chicken thighs, I know I should live them but I don’t, would chicken breast be suitable? Any adaptations I need to make?
yes!! that works!
I only have chicken breasts/tenders , would this also work? Thighs are more flavorful I know BUT this is what I have on hand right now. I really want to try this !
Thanks
yup! absolutely! might not cook for as long, so once its shreddable, shred it up and eat!
Approximately how much chicken by weight would you recommend? 8-10 thighs you say is equivalent to 3 breast in a comment below but the size of chicken pieces varies wildly so I think including the weight would be helpful. Thanks!
3 lbs!
It is still slow cooker season here, so this is very timely!! These look so satisfying!!
One of my FAVORITES! So easy to make and such a hit. The guac is a must!
Would make a good sub when you can't have pork. Honest to goodness, though, my eyes hurt from trying to read the font on this page. Am I the only one with this problem? It looks all washed out.
you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs
Can’t beat a good slow cooker recipe and this looks incredible! Can’t wait to try for my fam. Pinned!