Shredded BBQ Chicken – Perfect Homemade Barbecue
Looking for a quick and delicious dinner? Then you have to try my shredded BBQ chicken recipe. The BBQ sauce is homemade and has been in my family for years. Tossed with the juicy shredded chicken and this is one quick and tasty dinner. Perfect for meal prep through the week or as a tasty dinner any night of the week.
About this Recipe
What’s great about this shredded BBQ chicken recipe, is that you can use it in so many different ways. Pile it into a taco, enjoy it over a salad, or create your own shredded chicken bowl. Any leftovers can be used on a sandwich or tucked inside of a wrap for lunch the next day. No matter how you fix it, it’s going to taste amazing.
I like to use Smart Chicken brand chicken breasts for this recipe. Their chickens are humanely handled, fed high quality diets, organic and air chilled. They never add water or antibiotics to any of their meat. You can feel good eating their products.
BBQ Chicken: History of the Sauce
For this recipe, I used my homemade BBQ sauce. This BBQ sauce has been in my family for years. While western Pennsylvania isn’t known for BBQ sauce, this recipe is so good it might put us on the map. The flavor is semi-sweet but has a good amount of tang from the apple cider vinegar. I’m obsessed with the little bite you get from this sauce. It’s just right.
You may have noticed that this sauce is chunky vs. smooth. The diced onion, bell pepper and celery impart so much flavor and give the sauce an awesome texture. Just be sure to dice the veggies small and try your best to keep them all the same size. This gives you a better-quality sauce. You have to give this amazing BBQ sauce a try. I can almost guarantee that you’ll be smothering it over just about everything this Summer.
I made Dan some mini slider chicken sandwiches. They had shredded cheddar, charred corn and the BBQ chicken. All of which was piled into toasted mini potato rolls. They were a huge hit. For my dinner, I piled my shredded chicken onto a plate with shredded cheddar cheese, charred corn, spicy pickles and a side of chips. It was perfect. You can enjoy this shredded chicken any way you like. Just be sure to give this juicy chicken recipe a try.
The nutritional values below reflect four servings with BBQ sauce. It does not include the bun or corn.
Storage
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container for four to five days. Depending on your preference, you can reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Try my chicken and broccoli stir fry.
Shredded BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
Shredded Chicken
- 1 lb. chicken breasts , about 2 breasts- I use Smart Chicken brand
BBQ Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter, salted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ cup white onion – about 1 medium onion, diced small
- ½ cup celery – about 2 stalks, diced small
- 1 cup green pepper – about 1 medium pepper, diced small
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon, apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings
- Charred corn kernels
- Avocado, sliced or smashed
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Spicy pickle chips
Equipment
- saucepan
- pot to boil chicken
- handheld mixer
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Boil a pot of water and add the chicken breasts.
- Cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the chicken cool, then add it to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, shred the chicken into small thin pieces.
- Set it aside.
Prepare the BBQ sauce:
- In an 11-inch saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, garlic, diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and diced celery. Simmer until soft.
- Next, add everything else. This includes, ketchup, water, dry mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke and a few turns cracked black pepper.
- Stir well and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Frequently stir.
Assemble the dish:
- Once the BBQ sauce has had a chance to simmer, and has reduced into a beautiful sauce, you’ll add the shredded chicken.
- Toss the chicken until it is well coated in the sauce.
- Serve with your favorite sides and toppings and enjoy!
2 Comments on “Shredded BBQ Chicken – Perfect Homemade Barbecue”
I have made this as a meal prep item and I was amazed at how well it warmed up and the chicken stayed juicy and tender. Sometimes chicken gets kind of chewy, but this didn’t. I will definitely be making this again!
This was so easy to make. I have to admit I never boiled chicken before, so I was skeptical but this was so easy and so delicious. The BBQ Sauce was tangy in all the right flavors. I’ll be making this a lot this winter.