Five minutes of prep and your slow cooker does the rest. Bone-in chicken thighs cook low and slow in a bourbon molasses barbecue sauce until they’re so tender they practically shred themselves. Great for sliders, sandwiches, or any time you need to feed a group without a lot of fuss.
Rich Flavor With Almost No Effort
Bone-in chicken thighs go into the slow cooker with a sauce made from bourbon, molasses, ketchup, and a handful of pantry staples. As it cooks low and slow, the sauce thickens and works its way into the chicken, giving you pulled chicken that’s rich, smoky, and just a little sweet. No browning, no braising, just a few minutes of prep and the slow cooker handles the rest.
While I love crispy slow cooker pulled pork carnitas, (I do live in the pork capital) if you haven’t tried pulled chicken, you’re in for a treat. It can get mushy if it’s cooked too long, so remove it once its falling off the bone. Otherwise it’s a fool-proof dinner that will feed a large crowd.
If you love how easy this is, check out my collection of dump and go slow cooker recipes for more hands-off dinners.
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While I’ve lived in North Carolina most of my life, I spent some time in Kentucky where my husband is from and its traditions have a pretty strong influence on a lot of my recipes.
Kentucky is pretty well known for its bourbon. The Maker’s Mark distillery is fairly close to where my husband grew up, but in the “wet”county next door.
I’m not a bourbon drinker but I do love the flavor it adds to a chocolate walnut pie and hamburger sliders. Just a hint of bourbon adds a smooth rich flavor. With desserts a little goes a long way, but with a bourbon chicken crock pot recipe, you’ll use ¾ of a cup and won’t even guess that the flavor you taste is bourbon. It just adds a richness to the sauce the chicken cooks in.
It takes less than 5 minutes to put together in the slow cooker and then you’ll just let it cook.
Since it’s cooked without the skin, there is very little grease, just a great bourbon barbecue flavor that isn’t as sweet as the traditional barbecue sauces you see in the grocery. You could easily add bacon or slaw to the top, but I think it’s great all by itself.
Simple Ingredients, Big Flavor
- Chicken – this recipe uses thighs with bones, the bones add flavor while it cooks. Chicken breasts won’t work as well. You can use the thigh and drumstick or just thighs. You will need to remove the skin.
- Bourbon – you’ll need ¾ cup. If you’re not sure what type of bourbon to use, I would suggest one that you like. When cooking, I go for a mild bourbon like Hibiki.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
This is so simple to make, you can put it all together in a few minutes before you run out the door.
Step 1: Prep
Step 2: Cook
Cook on low for six to seven hours or four hours on high.
I serve pulled bbq pulled chicken on homemde Hawaiian rolls which have a slightly sweet taste. I’m not sure which are better the rolls or the chicken, but when combined these are extraordinary. You can use any type of buns for the sandwiches, challah rolls are another great choice.
Pulled chicken is also great on nachos or tacos and are great served with side dishes like Southern coleslaw and brown sugar baked beans.
Storage
You can easily freeze any leftovers in an airtight container. To reheat, let it thaw first and then let it get warm in the oven.
This bourbon pulled chicken is one of those recipes you’ll come back to any time you need something reliable and crowd-pleasing. Make it ahead, keep it warm in the slow cooker, and let people pile it on whatever they like. It does all the work while you do something else.
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Slow Cooker Bourbon Pulled Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lbs bone-in skinless chicken thighs about 10 thighs
- ¾ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons dark molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Remove skin from chicken thighs and place in the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over the chicken and toss. Cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours on high, or 6-7 hours on low, until the chicken is falling off the bone. Remove chicken and shred, removing the bones. Return to the slow cooker and set on warm until ready to serve.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can use thigh quarters with the drumstick attached.
- Make sure you remove the skin before adding the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Try using a mild bourbon so that it doesn’t over power the sauce.
Nutrition
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Adrienne says
How can I make this in the oven.?
Barbara Curry says
I’m not sure how this would work in the oven. I would try it in a Dutch oven on the stove, bringing it to a boil then simmering it until the chicken is tender. It won’t take as long but should still be tender.