Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

This was a seriously easy meal to put together.  All it needs is a little advanced planning and you have a wonderful meal.  We were heading out for a day trip to visit some friends last weekend but would be back just in time for dinner.  Since I knew I didn't want to spend a lot (ok, any) time making dinner, before we left for our trip that morning. I put some frozen chicken breasts in a slow cooker, added the spices, a lot of beer and barbeque sauce, and then let it cook on low for 8 hours (and then it sat at warm for another 3 hours until we got back).  I was a little worried that the chicken would dry out but it was perfectly cooked and shredded easily with two forks.  So easy and so delicious.

When we came home,we served this chicken on toasted hamburger buns (with melted cheddar cheese and extra barbeque sauce) and had a salad on the side.  All together, 10 minutes, tops.  The next day, we had the leftovers for lunch with some sweet potato fries (although you could do these sweet potato bites instead!), carrots and fruit.



Slow Cooker BBQ Beer Chicken
Taken from: How Sweet It Is
Serves 8-10 (I halved this recipe and we got several meals out of it)

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large; I used frozen chicken breasts which worked perfectly)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8-12 ounces of beer  -- I used about 10 ounces of an amber (it's also suggested you could use ginger ale or chicken stock if you didn't want to use beer but I haven't tried it)*
• 24 ounces of barbecue sauce (I use our favorite Trade Joe's Kansas City barbeque sauce)*
• Optional: hamburger buns, cheddar cheese, extra barbeque sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 18 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce (if desired...or you can just serve extra BBQ sauce on the side). Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. (We had ours on toasted hamburger buns with cheddar cheese that was melted under the broiler.)

*Note: If you use a thicker barbeque sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray's or Trader Joe's or homemade) or if you know you'll be away from your slow cooker for a long time (ours cooked on low for 8 hours and then was on warm for 3 hours), you may want to add a little more beer in order for the sauce not to burn and thicken on the edges of the pot.