Gluten Free BBQ Pulled Chicken is jam packed full with flavour and the king of make-ahead gluten free dinner recipes. Pull out your slow cookers & crockpots to prepare this delicious twist on BBQ Pulled Chicken. This reinterpretation of pulled pork still slow-cooks, but with chicken in lots of tangy yet sweet sauce.
Throw the chicken breasts in from frozen if pinched for time, and serve with baked sweet potatoes.
Turn this gluten free BBQ pulled chicken recipe into an unbelievable GF sandwich with sliced jalapenos, sliced red onions and some sour cream or serve it on mashed potatoes.

Gluten Free BBQ Pulled Chicken | Crockpot Slow Cooker Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless chicken skinless breasts, trimmed of fat
- 1 ½ cups BBQ Sauce
- ½ medium onion grated (with juice)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Stir together all sauce ingredients in a 5-6 qt slow cooker.
- Add chicken breasts and turn to coat.
- Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 – 7 hours.
- Chicken is done when cooked through and easy to shred
- Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred each breast using two forks.
- Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot and stir to coat with the BBQ sauce
Nutrition Details
Recipe Video
Tried this gluten free recipe?
Let us know how it was!How to pull apart chicken breast?
Pulling the chicken breast apart is easier than you think; you can use:
- Forks: hold a fork in each hand, and pull the chicken apart into small strips and chunks
- Stand Mixer: place the chicken in a bowl and mix on a low speed using the paddle attachment.
- Hand Mixer: same as a stand mixer, place chicken in a bowl and use beaters to slowly shred chicken.
- By Hand: after the chicken cools, use your hands to pull apart the chicken. This method is the easiest way to control the size of the chicken shreds.
This pulled chicken recipe can also make delicious filling for gluten free tortilla wraps, tacos, and more!
Easy to prep before and pop into the slow-cooker whenever you are ready. You can even prep it and freeze it for the future! You don’t have to have a grill to make this — the same flavours can be achieved with a crockpot as well!
Searching for gluten free bun recommendations? Try Schar Hamburger Buns!
Thanks-a-mundo for the recipe. Much thanks again. So Fantastic. Bernette
This recipe was a wonderful surprise! When I think of pulled anything, it is pulled pork. Using chicken was even better!
Best wishes. Aaren Reggis
Even though this is more of a summer time type meal, it was so great to have after a long rainy week. Will be enjoying again and again!
We’ve now tried this recipe a few times and always a delicious dinner. 4 stars because it was a bit liquidy but we think that was our own fault (too much liquid added, not enough meat!)
This was absolutely delicious!
As soon as I found this recipe I went on reddit to share some of the love with everyone! Delicious
Made this for V-Day, last night. It was great!
Absolutely delicious! I would give this one 10 stars!
I cooked on low for 10hrs and then shredded, keeping it on warm for a couple more hours. I am seriously keeping this recipe forever. This is the perfect weekend bbq/potluck food and went great with grilled corn on the cob!
You can’t stop eating this.
Our family is headed to the northshore of Minnesota to gorgeous resort this summer. I will be making this for our first family vacation since the pandemic. And yes, I will pack my slow cooker. Thank you for your awesome recipes! Everyone LOVES this BBQ chicken!
Super duper easy, also easy to modify by adding a little extra honey, red pepper flakes, black pepper, etc. to please any crowd. The chicken was tender with just the right amount of sauce. definitely recommend topping with coleslaw. Delicious!
Great BBQ chicken sandwiches. I halved the recipe and added hot sauce to heat it up. Love the brown sugar, it gave it a smokey taste.
I made this for a 2nd time for Super Bowl. This time I had some really large chicken breasts and decided to season them and sear in a pan. It was def. still very raw when I added to the slow cooker (cooked for high 3 hours; then set to warm). Was way better doing it this way the 2nd time. More flavorful. I also added liquid smoke to the sauce. Also better flavor. Will continue to use this recipe as it’s so easy and yummy!!
I have made this recipe several times for my picky family. They love it and can’t believe it’s not pork.
I have made this slow cooker pulled chicken several times. I use a different BBQ sauce (a chipotle flavoured one) and skip the sugar, but it turns out sooo good every time. I used it for tacos, in a chicken salad or in sandwiches. Thank you for this, I am always looking for easy to make and flavourful recipes.
I have made this recipe several times for my picky family. They love it and can’t believe it’s not pork.
This was a hit at my work potluck!
I’ve made bbq chicken in a crockpot many times but listen to me when I say THIS is THE one to make. It’s insanity. Lunacy! Just SO tender and bursting with flavor.
Easy to follow instructions and chicken is fall apart tender.
I love this recipe – so, so tasty!
Mine turned out perfect! I only did 4 chicken breast (they were rather large) and cooked it 6-7 hours on low. I found the sauce the perfect consistency. Will make again!
I have loved every single recipe of yours that I have tried! This one is no exception… Simple, quick, easy to toss together and feeds a bunch of hungry teens. There are never any leftovers.
The flavor is wonderful and a crowd-pleaser. Will definitely make this again!
I’ve made this recipe soooo many times since I first saw it and have never been disappointed. It’s really easy and even a novice cook will be surprised how well it turns out. I usually make my own coleslaw and it works just as well. I double the sauce when I’m cooking as hubby loves the strong flavour and I’m the exact opposite. So I put the extra sauce in another dish so that it can be added. Thank you again.
Love this, we’ve made it several times! It’s a Home Run!
What an easy and delicious recipe! I opted to use chicken thighs instead of breast and it was awesome. Definitely will make when I want hands off cooking! Thank you.
I fell in love with this recipe! I served it with Hawaiian Cole slaw. My family loved it. I used slow cook mode on my instant pot for this recipe. The dish turned out really good.
So easy and yummy! It’ll be perfect for my sliders.
Served this on pretzel buns with coleslaw. Family loved it. I plan to make more soon and freeze for after our new baby arrives. Thanks for this recipe!
This is absolutely outstanding! I have made it 5 times now and never had an issue. Devoured every single time with no leftovers. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I made this with a mix of Sweet Baby Ray’s. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!
This was delicious! Simple and easy.
This was really good. I used Kraft barbecue sauce because that’s what I had in my pantry. I followed the rest of the recipe as is.
So good! Everyone loved. Thank you for sharing!
Very good, and super easy! Definitely putting this in the rotation….it was hit with the family.
The chicken was so tender we didn’t have to shred it. Great recipe for hot days!
Adding to our must have during heatwaves menu! So good.