It’s time for another easy, dump-and-go dinner idea! This Slow Cooker Root Beer Barbecue Chicken is one of our family’s favorite Crock Pot recipes, it’s made with just a few pantry ingredients, and it’s also a perfect freezer meal. Weeknight cooking just got a whole lot faster….er, slower!
In a house full of boys, it probably comes as no surprise that barbecue is a consistent request at mealtime. I’m usually happy to oblige, since I have found quite a few ways to keep this supper healthier, tastier, and easier than restaurant carryout!
Even though my boys have never tasted a sip of soda, they already know that they LOVE root beer. Why, you ask? Because it’s always their first choice flavor when they can pick a Dum-Dum lollipop from the basket at their favorite pizza joint, or when they get rewarded with suckers after their swimming lessons. To me it seems like an odd choice for preschoolers, but they adore it.
That’s why I loved the idea of serving a root beer-based dinner for Casey’s 4th birthday in May. Imagine his delight when he found out that he was having Birthday Cake Muffins for breakfast and Root Beer Barbecue Chicken for dinner?! Little boy heaven!
Nobody in the house needs to know that this dinner requires about 5 minutes of prep time on my part! Like most of my favorite slow cooker recipes, I can just stir these ingredients together, turn on the pot, and go about our day. When everyone is tired and hungry later in the evening, I just shred the meat and serve it on sandwich buns. I have four very happy men in my house and very little clean up on my part. Does it get much better?
Yes, it does! This recipe is a great freezer meal option if you want to stock your kitchen in advance. Basically, you just put the raw ingredients into a large Ziploc bag and freeze until you’re ready to use them. Want to know more about freezer meal prep sessions? Check out this post and this post!
Since this recipe makes a large pot of chicken, you can also freeze the leftovers for another day. Just store the cooked meat (with the sauce) in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator the night before you want to serve it and dinner will be ready and waiting. Just reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave!
Recipes like this, my friends, are how I survive as a busy mom. I hope that your family enjoys this chicken dinner as much as we do!!
[Tweet “A Dump-and-Go #CrockPot dinner: Slow Cooker Root Beer Barbecue #Chicken! So easy and sooo good!”]
Slow Cooker Root Beer Barbecue Chicken
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6 -8
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 cup root beer soda
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place chicken in bottom of a large slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
- Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. I like to remove the lid of my slow cooker during the final hour of cooking to allow the sauce to thicken a bit.
Looking for other delicious and family-friendly slow cooker recipes? Try these favorites:
Healthy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Soup
First you had me at root beer and then you had me at slow cooker. I love root beer bbq but I’ve only had it on pork. I need to try your chicken version!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert recently posted…Coffee Crunch Ice Cream (No Churn)
Thank you, Jen! 🙂
Holy cow, I’ve gotta try this!! It looks so saucy and delicious, and I can just about guarantee it’ll be my husbands new favorite food! My stomach is growling already! 🙂
Anna @ Sunny Side Ups recently posted…Chocolate Zucchini No-Bake Cookies
Thanks so much, Anna! It’s definitely a man-pleasing meal. I can vouch for that much! 🙂
That looks soooo good! I love slow-cooker recipes so will pinning this to try soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
Natasha in Oz recently posted…It’s time for the Sundays Down Under Linky Party {3}
Thanks so much, Natasha!! 🙂
Do you put the chicken in the crock pot cooked or raw? Dumb question probably :/
Hi, Emily! You just toss it in there raw! 🙂 SO easy, right? Enjoy!
Can you freeze this before you cook it?