Pulled Chicken: Easy Oven Recipe with Homemade BBQ Sauce

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This succulent pulled chicken is smothered in a homemade barbecue sauce and baked in the oven until wonderfully tender. It's delicious on its own, in a bun or a sandwich, or as a tasty filling for a lettuce wrap.

Pulled chicken is served in a white bowl.

Slowly cooked meat is pure comfort! In this recipe, you will coat chicken thighs with homemade BBQ sauce and bake them until they are so tender that you can shred them with a fork. One of the best things about this recipe is that the leftovers are just as good as the freshly cooked dish.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.

Fresh chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. I don't recommend using chicken breast. It's too dry to use in a slow-cooked recipe.

For the homemade BBQ sauce: Tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and a sweetener. I use stevia, but you can use any sweetener to equal 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Variations

One way to vary this recipe is to tinker with the homemade barbecue sauce seasonings. Sometimes, I add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to make it spicy. Other good additions I've tried and liked include a teaspoon of onion powder and ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin.
Another variation is using store-bought BBQ sauce. When pressed for time, I often do, and it works great. This is a good way to vary the recipe and make it slightly different each time.

Instructions

The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:

You start by mixing the homemade BBQ sauce. Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish. Add the sauce, making sure it covers the chicken.

Chicken thighs are covered in BBQ sauce.

Cover the pan in a double layer of foil and bake the chicken in a 300°F oven for 3-4 hours, until very tender. This is what the chicken looks like when done. Isn't it gorgeous?

Shred the chicken with two forks or a spatula, mix it well with the BBQ sauce, and serve.

Recipe Tips

How long to cook the chicken

I usually bake the chicken for three hours. Baking for four hours works well to make the chicken exceptionally tender. But if you bake it for so long, the barbecue sauce sometimes reduces too much despite the foil.

In fact, pressed for time one afternoon, with only two hours until dinner, I baked the chicken at 400°F, covered, for 2 hours. The result was delicious and moist - so this is an option if you're in a rush.

Easy cleanup tips

One important tip is to line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with foil. The barbecue sauce gets beautifully caramelized as the dish slowly bakes, making for a delicious dinner - and a tough cleanup job later on, as shown in this photo:

Chicken for pulled chicken recipe in the pan.

However, if you prefer not to use foil when cooking, let the baking dish cool a little (so it doesn't explode), then fill it with hot, soapy water. Let it soak overnight on a dishtowel on the counter (never put a hot Pyrex dish directly on a cold counter!). The following day, cleanup is a breeze.

Featured Comment

This was amazing! I can't stop eating it just out of the bowl and can't believe it is protein and good for me. I'm not limiting carbs so I've added a couple teaspoons of brown sugar. I've also added maybe 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. - Lana Read more comments

Recipe FAQs

Is pulled chicken as good as pulled pork?

I think it is! Pulled pork is amazing, no doubt. But when slowly cooked in a rich BBQ sauce and shredded, chicken is just as good, as long as you use chicken thighs, which are nice and fatty.

Can I use chicken breasts?

I don't recommend using chicken breasts. They are too lean and will dry out during the long cooking time. You can use them to make baked chicken breast, but it's best not to use them in this recipe.

Chicken thighs are fattier and juicier. They're far more suitable for slow cooking. And they are way more delicious! I also use them in this boneless chicken thighs recipe.

Can I skip the sweetener?

Depending on your palate, you might find the BBQ sauce a bit too tangy without a sweetener. If you don't like stevia and don't mind the carbs, use 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup.

Should I trim the fat off the chicken thighs?

Please don't. The fat helps the chicken stay moist. It also adds flavor.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this saucy dish on cloud bread, 90-second bread, or thick slices of almond flour bread. It's also good on a bed of cauliflower rice, microwave spaghetti squash, sauteed spinach, or shredded lettuce.

A tasty yet messy option is to use it as a filling for lettuce sandwiches. When I go this route, I like to add pickled red onions.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It's best to reheat them gently to avoid drying them out. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.

You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months. It's best to portion them, place the portions in microwave and freezer-safe containers, and freeze them. You can thaw each portion as needed overnight in the fridge and then reheat it covered in the microwave.

Recipe Card

5 from 37 votes

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Easy Oven-Baked Pulled Chicken

This succulent pulled chicken is smothered in a delicious homemade barbecue sauce and baked in the oven until wonderfully tender.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Rest time5

Total Time3 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 306kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Video

Ingredients

▢ 1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

Barbecue sauce:

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the chicken thighs in a square 8-inch baking dish. Make a few slits in the chicken with a sharp knife.
To make the barbecue sauce, mix the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sweetener in a medium bowl.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, coating it evenly. Use your hands to ensure the sauce not just covers the chicken but also gets inside the slits.
Cover the baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil and place it in the oven. It will start to smell amazing after about 2 hours, but you should cook it for 3 hours - until very tender.
Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully remove the foil - hot steam will escape - and allow the dish to cool for about 5 minutes until easier to handle.
Using a knife and fork or a rubber spatula, shred the chicken while still in the baking dish and toss it with the sauce.
Serve immediately.

Notes

You can replace the stevia with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Each serving of this version has about 332 calories, 22 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar.

How long to bake: I usually bake this dish for three hours. Baking for four hours works well to make the chicken exceptionally tender. But if you bake for so long, the barbecue sauce sometimes reduces too much despite the foil. In fact, pressed for time one afternoon, with only two hours until dinner, I baked the chicken at 400°F, covered, for 2 hours. The result was delicious and moist - so this is an option if you're in a rush.

Cleanup tips: The barbecue sauce gets beautifully caramelized as the dish slowly bakes, which makes for a delicious dinner - and a tough cleanup job later on. So, you should line the baking dish with foil. If you prefer not to use foil, allow the baking dish to cool a little (so it doesn't explode), then fill it with hot, soapy water. Let it soak overnight on a dishtowel on the counter (never put a hot Pyrex dish directly on a cold counter!). The following day, cleanup is a breeze.

Storing leftovers: You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months.

Nutrition per Serving

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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Pulled Chicken

Ingredients

Variations

Instructions