Smoky Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sliders (Brined for Flavor!)
Make incredible Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sliders! This recipe features chicken breasts brined overnight for extra flavor and tenderness, slow-cooked, shredded, and tossed in hickory smoke BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
(Based on 1x column)
Brine:
- ▢ 1 ½ quarts (6 cups) water
- ▢ ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons salt
- ▢ 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Slow Cooker Chicken & Sauce:
- ▢ 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (Adjusted based on typical recipe yields for 16 sliders)
- ▢ Reserved 1 cup brine (from above)
- ▢ ⅓ cup liquid smoke (for cooking)
- ▢ 1 ½ cups hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce
For Serving:
- ▢ 16 slider buns or dinner rolls, split and warmed
- ▢ Deli coleslaw (optional)
- ▢ (Optional Garnish: Sliced green onions or pickles)
Instructions
1. Prepare the Brine and Marinate Chicken Overnight:
- In a large bowl, combine the 1 ½ quarts of water, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, minced garlic, and dried thyme.
- Stir or whisk thoroughly until the brown sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Reserve 1 cup of this brine mixture in a separate container; cover and refrigerate this reserved portion for cooking the chicken later.
- Place the boneless skinless chicken breasts into the large bowl with the remaining brine. Ensure the chicken is fully submerged (add a bit more water if needed to cover).
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18-24 hours (overnight is perfect). Turn the chicken occasionally in the brine if possible.
2. Prepare Chicken for Slow Cooker:
- The next day, remove the chicken breasts from the brine. Discard the brine that the chicken was soaking in. Do not rinse the chicken. Pat it dry with paper towels if excessively wet, though some surface moisture is fine.
- Place the brined chicken breasts into a 3-quart slow cooker (or similar size).
- Pour the reserved 1 cup of clean brine over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Add the ⅓ cup of liquid smoke for cooking over the chicken.
3. Slow Cook the Chicken:
- Cover the slow cooker securely with its lid.
- Cook on the LOW setting for 4-5 hours (recipe says 5-6 hours for older version with bone-in; for boneless breasts, 4-5 on LOW is usually sufficient), or until the chicken is very tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C).
4. Shred Chicken and Add BBQ Sauce:
- Once the chicken is fall-apart tender, carefully remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a clean cutting board or large plate.
- Discard the cooking juices remaining in the slow cooker.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred the meat.
- Return the shredded chicken to the (now empty or wiped clean) slow cooker.
- Pour the 1 ½ cups of hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce over the shredded chicken.
- Stir well to ensure all the shredded chicken is evenly coated with the BBQ sauce.
5. Heat Through and Serve:
- Cover the slow cooker again. Let the sauced chicken heat through on LOW or WARM setting for about 15-30 minutes, or until hot.
- While the chicken heats, split your slider buns or dinner rolls and warm them (e.g., briefly in a low oven or toaster).
- To serve, spoon a generous portion of the hot, smoky BBQ shredded chicken onto each warmed bun.
- Top with deli coleslaw, if desired, or other favorite slider toppings like pickles or thinly sliced onion.
- Serve the Barbecue Chicken Sliders immediately. Enjoy!