Pulled chicken cooked in a Honey BBQ Sauce. Such a versatile dish that can be served multiple ways and freezes well.
In recent years, pulled pork has become increasingly popular. But did you know you can achieve a similar result with chicken? My recipe for Honey BBQ Pulled Chicken is made using chicken breast which means it cooks in half the time as a large cut of meat.
Because the chicken breast is slow-baked in the BBQ sauce, it remains tender and moist. Perfect for wraps, on pizza, with rice or on a baked potato. This recipe makes enough for 8 portions and is ideal for freezing.
How to make Honey BBQ Pulled Chicken:
Start by preheating the oven to 180°C fanbake. Mix together the tomatoes, BBQ sauce, honey, garlic, hickory sauce and salt in a large ovenproof dish. Add chicken breast, coat in sauce then bake, covered for 40 minutes.
Remove lid, turn chicken breasts over and bake for a further 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Take dish out of the oven and remove the chicken onto a board. Mix cornflour with water until dissolved then add to the sauce. Turn oven up to 200°C and add dish back to the oven while you shred the chicken.
Shred chicken with forks and stir through the sauce. Add back to the oven uncovered for 10+ minutes to infuse the flavours through the shredded chicken. Serve pulled chicken in wraps, on burgers or on top of baked potatoes.
If you love getting ahead and making big batches of meals you can freeze for a later date, check out these popular recipes from my website for Oven Baked Lamb Curry and Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.
Common questions about BBQ Pulled Chicken:
How long can I keep this frozen for? This meal will keep well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you're looking for tips, tricks and ideas on more freezer food, click through to my Freezer Meals Made Easy course page.
What else could I serve this with? This is such a versatile recipe. The chicken could be served in wraps, tacos, on top of a baked potato, on top of wedges, on a pizza, in a burger bun or on steamed rice. Add your favourite seasonal vegetables to the mix for a balanced meal.
Pin this post to your dinners board on Pinterest and save it for later
MADE THIS RECIPE?
PLEASE CLICK ON THE STARS BELOW AND RATE IT!
Honey BBQ Pulled Chicken
Pulled chicken breast baked in a honey BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken breast
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (400g)
- 1⁄4 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 Tbsp smoked hickory or chipotle sauce (optional)
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp cornflour
- 50ml water
To Serve
- Wraps or burger buns
- Sliced vegetables
- Grated cheese
- Mayo or aioli
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake.
- Mix together tomatoes, BBQ sauce, honey, garlic, hickory sauce and salt in a large oven proof dish.
- Add chicken breasts and coat in the sauce. Bake covered with a lid or tinfoil for 40 minutes.
- Remove lid, turn chicken breasts over and bake uncovered for another 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and ready to shred.
- Take dish out of the oven and remove the chicken onto a board.
- Mix cornflour with water until dissolved then add to the sauce. Turn oven up to 200.C and add dish back to the oven while you shred the chicken.
- Shred chicken with forks and stir through the sauce. Add back to the oven uncovered for 10+ minutes to infuse the flavours through the shredded chicken.
- Serve pulled chicken in wraps, on burgers or on top of baked potatoes.
Notes
- Any leftover pulled chicken can be frozen in an airtight container. Use it later for wraps, burgers, tacos, on top of wedges or a pizza.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 348Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 546mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 42g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Micha
Trying this tonight 🙂 When you put the chicken back in for the 2nd 40minutes, so you leave the lid/foil off? Thanks.
VJ cooks
Hi Micha, I put it in uncovered to help the sauce thicken up. I've amended the recipe to make this clearer. I hope yours turned out well!
JC Hitchcock
Is there a slow cook version for this recipe?
VJ cooks
Hi there, to make this in the slow cooker simply cook it on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours. Shred the chicken 30 minutes before the end of the cook time. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot with the cornflour slurry, mix to combine and cook for the last 30 minutes wth the lid off to thicken.
Jordan
Could this be done in the slow cooker?
VJ cooks
Yes that should be fine. Slow cook until the chicken is cooked through and can be shredded, then add back in and follow the rest of the recipe.
Dinnel
Can you do this with chicken peices like thighs or drums?
VJ cooks
Hi Dinnel, you could, however, you would have a lot more work to do discarding the bones, and you would end up with less meat at the end.
Holly
Excited to try this tonight, it looks delicious!
How would you best reheat it after freezing so the chicken wouldn't get too dry?
VJ cooks
Hi Holly, Defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a bowl in the microwave or in a pot on the stove top, adding a little water if required.