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Did you know you can use the oven to make pulled chicken much, much faster than a slow cooker? This pulled chicken recipe combines homemade BBQ sauce and tender cooked chicken breast made in the oven and ready in about 1 ½ hours instead of 4-8 hours which is typical for a crockpot. It’s the perfect recipe to use for weekly meal prep or a summertime gathering.

I absolutely love the simple shredded chicken recipe I often make in the crockpot, but if you’ve ever forgotten to start the crockpot in the morning, then you know, there is absolutely no way to make the cooking go any faster…in a crockpot! So how do you save the meal?!

That’s why you’re going to love this recipe! I created this because there were just some days I needed my meal prep chicken to cook faster.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Variations/ Adaptations
How to make Pulled Chicken In The Oven
Rachel’s Tips For Best Results
Serving Suggestions
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Recipe FAQs
More Meal Prep Ideas You’ll Love
Tangy BBQ Pulled Chicken (Faster Oven Recipe)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This chicken is so flavorful and perfect for tacos, soups, and salads all week long! Plus here are a few more reasons you’ll love it!

Faster Cooking Time: Since you’re cooking the chicken and bbq ingredients in a covered dish in the oven, you get the same tender, flavorful chicken you would in a slow cooker, but in way less time.

Great For When You Forget: I don’t know about you, but sometimes the day gets busy and I completely forget to start the crockpot! So this recipe will allow you to still get that delicious BBQ pulled chicken on the table (or into your meal prep bowls), but way faster!

Easy Make Ahead: Just like the slow cooker version, this pulled chicken is perfect for making ahead if you have an upcoming gathering or for meal prep.

Crowd Favorite: This tangy chicken is made by incorporating a delicious, clean BBQ sauce that is such a crowd pleaser!

For more easy chicken recipes you can meal prep, try this Pizza Chicken, this Chicken and Veggies Quinoa Bowl, or this delicious Greek Chicken!

Ingredients

These are the simple ingredients that make this Pulled Chicken recipe perfect for meal prep, an easy dinner, or a big party.

Shredded Chicken Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Homemade BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tbsps lower sugar ketchup
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
Good pinch of stevia, or a tsp of raw honey
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili powder

Variations/ Adaptations

Swap The Meat: Instead of breasts, opt for boneless skinless chicken thighs for more flavor and a cheaper option. You can also make this recipe using bone-in, skin-on chicken.

Change The Cooking Method: Instead of the oven, you can cook this recipe in the slow cooker on low for 2-4 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant pot with adjusted cooking times.

How to make Pulled Chicken In The Oven

Preheat oven to 450° f
Combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, & simmer for 3-4 minutes then set aside.
Place chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish then pour sauce over the chicken. Coat well.
Cover baking dish tightly with foil, bake 10 minutes at 450°f, then 1 1/2 hours at 350°f.
Using two forks, pull the chicken apart.
The chicken will soak up the sauce and become ultra juicy and flavorful.

Enjoy!

❤Rachel

Rachel’s Tips For Best Results

Double the batch to feed more people or make more for leftover meals later in the week (trust me! ;)).
To shred your chicken super fast, use a stand mixer or hand mixer.

For more pulled chicken recipes, try this Shredded Chicken Cobb Salad as a quick meal idea or this Orange Sesame Shredded Chicken Recipe you can make in the crockpot.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to eat this tangy pulled chicken is on a rice or grain bowl topped with my favorite homemade coleslaw and some homemade pickles. It is also great with the same toppings but in a wrap!

Add this tangy chicken to our Freshly Chopped Chicken Salad with Maple Vinaigrette for a lighter way to enjoy pulled chicken and turn leftovers into a sweet and savory salad or to our Pineapple Chicken Bowls to add a fun tropical twist!

For a gluten free way to enjoy this pulled chicken, try these Pulled Chicken Sweet Potato Sliders!

An excellent side dish that will really compliment the flavors in the sauce is this hearty French Onion Butter Beans! It’s my go-to healthy side instead of sugary baked beans!

The options are quite endless when you make ahead a delicious protein like this one!

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Store any pulled chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe also freezes well for up to 2 months if you want to make a big batch and use it later.

To reheat, place the refrigerated or frozen pulled pork in a saucepan on the stovetop and heat until warmed through. You can also use the microwave and heat the tangy chicken in 15-30 second bursts until heated all the way through.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker or instant pot?

Yes, however you will need to change the cooking times to reflect using these different cooking methods. You also may need to add a little liquid like chicken stock or water so the meat doesn’t dry out with the longer cook times.

What is the difference between shredded chicken and pulled chicken?

Shredded chicken is often made using two forks to pull a cooked piece of chicken apart, regardless of how it was cooked. Pulled chicken refers to pulling chicken apart that has been cooked low and slow so it is very tender and easy to just pull apart.

What type of chicken is best for pulled chicken?

The best chicken to use for pulled chicken, is chicken that has been cooked low and slow, offering the most tender version of any cut of chicken to be pulled apart.

Can I make pulled chicken from a whole chicken?

That’s a great question and the answer is yes! I would start by breaking down the whole chicken into more manageable pieces ( legs, thighs, breasts, and wings) so the sauce can really get into all the meat. Then pour the sauce over the pieces, cover, and cook the same way. The meat should just fall off the bone!

Did you try this Pulled Chicken recipe? If so, it would mean so much to me if you would comment and rate this recipe!

🩷Rachel