Step aside pulled pork. Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken is in town! Even though pulled pork is such a classic, Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken is a fun and healthy way to twist things up!
Chicken breasts are roasted with smoky chipotle and a sweet and zesty bbq sauce. Shred the chicken, and toss it together with all the juicy goodness leftover on the bottom of the pan to make a killer pulled chicken sandwich. Who said chicken has to be boring?
This recipe has two flavor personalities. With the flavor profile of chipotle and bbq sauce, you can throw a spicy fiesta or a classic southern bbq. Or combine your favorites for a fiesta-q. No rules here.
Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken can feed a crowd without breaking your grocery budget. Because, let’s face it, hosting dinner isn’t cheap.
Cook up a big pan of mac and cheese or serve the meal with chips and fruit. Or have everyone else bring their favorite sides…who says you need to do all the work?
Chances are, no one will even care what you serve with these tasty sandwiches. They’ll be busy wondering how you made chicken taste so good.
Why KJ Loves Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken:
Imagine bbq pulled pork and chipotle chicken colliding together and voila! You’ve got yourself some Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken! I absolutely love how versatile this recipe is. Weeknight dinner option? Check! Summer BBQ option? Check! Meal prep option? You’ve got it! The possibilities are endless. Let this recipe easily become a new family favorite.
Get Saucy
What BBQ sauce should you use? It depends. Sweet Baby Rays is a great option that’s not too spicy or too sweet. Nice and neutral. If you’re feeling mischievous and want to make everyone sweat a little, you can turn up the heat with a spicier sauce.
Serve it Southern Style
What we ended up loving the most about this recipe (besides how scrumptious it is) is how versatile it can be! Serve it up one night as Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, and then use the leftovers for chicken tacos or fajitas.
Since you have the flavor profile of both the chipotle and the bbq sauce, you can easily transform the chicken into different meals. How great is that?
South
Classic BBQ – Serve on a toasted bun, slathered in coleslaw. Add a pickle on the side.
(More) South
Tacos – Serve on tortillas with coleslaw or other classic taco toppings: lettuce, sour cream, cheese, guac, salsa, avocado, cilantro, lime, corn…choose your favorites!
Don’t want to heat up the kitchen?
While this recipe is traditionally made in the oven, you can also try these other cooking methods.
Slow Cooker
Add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours. Gently shred and pull the chicken. Then, add it back into the sauce to keep the chicken moist and saucy.
Grill
Preheat the grill to 450-500°F. Use a lightly oiled paper towel to oil the grates. Season the chicken with chili powder and seasoned salt, and grill the chicken for about 8-10 minutes on each side. Carefully baste the chicken with the bbq sauce during the last couple of minutes, grilling over low heat. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before shredding and serving. Add more bbq sauce if you’d like!
Smoker
Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Season and lather the chicken breasts with all of the ingredients. Smoke for about 1 hour, or until 165°F internal temperature. Shred and serve with additional bbq sauce as needed.
What to serve with Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken
After the Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken is ready to go, you have a difficult choice to make for the side dishes: Mexican, traditional BBQ, or both?
Looking for other Chicken Recipes? Check these out!
Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Step aside pulled pork. Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken is in town!Chicken breasts are roasted with smoky chipotle and a sweet and zesty bbq sauce. Shred the chicken, and toss it together with all the juicy goodness leftover on the bottom of the pan to make a killer pulled chicken sandwich. Who said chicken has to be boring?
Ingredients
- 2–3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 4 larger chicken breasts)
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce, plus more for serving if desired.
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a 9×13 baking pan. Evenly coat the chicken with chipotle powder and seasoned salt. Lather with the bbq sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked completely through.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and shred with two forks. Mix the shredded chicken with the juices and sauce from the bottom of the pan. Enjoy as pulled chicken sandwiches, tacos, burritos and more!
Notes
- Chicken thighs can also be used for this recipe if preferred.
- Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 622
- Sugar: 5.5g
- Sodium: 899mg
- Fat: 5.6g
- Carbohydrates: 8.2g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 138.8g
Keywords: Chipotle BBQ Pulled Chicken
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If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂
Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
Affiliate Links
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Recipe originally posted on July 19, 2018 – it has since been updated with new photos and additional words.
Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
