Slow cooker BBQ chicken thighs (bone-in) are fall apart tender and smothered in your favorite barbecue sauce. This easy weeknight dinner is so simple to make and perfect for pairing with your favorite sides. It's easily customizable to your family's dietary needs, as well.

slow cooked chicken thighs in bbq sauce.

It's no secret that our household loves chicken thighs, they are flavorful, moist, and generally cheaper than white meat. And chicken thighs in the crock pot? I'm sold. We love tuscan chicken thighs and slow cooker chicken chasseur, as well!

For these crock pot barbecue chicken thighs, I used my father in law's secret sauce (it's the best). Feel free to use your favorite, Sweet Baby Ray's, Stub's, Open Pit, Famous Dave's. You can even use a low sugar option if you need! That's one of the things I love about this recipe, it truly can be customized to fit your tastes!

I used bone in chicken thighs here because they are a very economical option and it's so easy to remove the skin. The bone adds some good flavor too. You can certainly use boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken breasts, leg quarters, or even drumsticks!

cooked chicken thighs in a black crock pot.

Why you'll love this slow cooker recipe

It's SO easy! It's a set it and forget it type of meal with very simple ingredients and very little prep time.
You can have bbq whenever you want. This is one of the best ways to make chicken thighs taste barbecued, even if you don't have a grill. Place them in the broiler for a few minutes as a final step to really resemble the taste and texture of barbecue.
The meat is so tender it will literally be falling off the bone. If you have never made chicken thighs in the slow cooker, you are in for a real treat here! They are so tender, you won't even need a knife to enjoy them. They are like butter!

Ingredients

bone in chicken thighs
your favorite bbq sauce
garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder

How to make BBQ chicken thighs in the slow cooker

Gently place your fingers underneath the skin of the chicken thigh and pull back to remove skin from the meat. Discard.

bone in chicken thigh with skin pulled back.

Place bone in chicken thighs in to the crock pot, sprinkle with spices, and pour 1 cup of bbq sauce over the top.

raw chicken thighs in black crock pot with spices sprinkled on top,

bbq sauce poured over top of chicken in a crock pot.

Set to high for 3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Remove from the crock pot and serve with remaining bbq sauce.

Optional: Place cooked chicken thighs on a baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes to crisp up the outside a bit so that they more closely resemble being cooked on a grill. Be careful because of the sugar content in bbq sauce, they can burn quickly.

Recipe Tip

Want to turn this recipe into slow cooker bbq pulled chicken thighs? It's simple! Remove the cooked chicken from the crock pot and discard the bones, shred the chicken with two forks and place back into the pot and add additional sauce if desired. Stir and serve on your favorite rolls!

What to serve with bbq chicken thighs

These sweet and sticky chicken thighs are great paired with all of your favorite bbq sides! Anything from coleslaw, to macaroni salad, to potato salad! They are even great with mashed potatoes or mac and cheese! Below are some of my favorite sides to pair with bbq chicken.