Slow cooker beer chicken is probably the best version of pulled chicken I could think of. It’s delicious on its own or piled on a sandwich (or fries)!
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There is nothing quite as comforting as a slow cooker meal. Some require more steps than others…the best, at least as far as slow cooker simplicity goes, are the ones that require little more than dumping some ingredients into your stoneware before leaving for work. If, like me, you park in a garage, you are rewarded the second you open your car door by the scent of an already cooked dinner. It’s almost enough to make me want to cook something in my slow cooker every day, but that’s not going to happen. The truth is, I work better in the evening and if I had to make dinner every morning we’d eat a lot of take-out.
For that reason, Sundays are a great slow cooker day for me. If I want something slow cooked for lunch, I’ll set the slow cooker to high; for dinner I’ll set it to low. Voilá…dinner’s ready. If I plan really well (and I usually do) I’ll have enough leftovers for at least one or maybe even two more meals. It’s some sort of magic, I’ll tell you.
This slow cooker beer pulled chicken was born of a couple of different ideas….a jalapeño popper chicken sandwich and a different beer chicken recipe that I didn’t even reference when making this recipe but that was my original inspiration. I decided that I wanted the flavor of the beer to shine through-I don’t drink the stuff but I love the flavor it imparts to cooked foods-so I decided not to add anything that might make this more of a “barbecue” sort of dish. A little brown sugar took the edge off of the bitterness of the pale ale and smoked paprika and fresh onions and jalapeños added a flavor zing.
This slow cooker beer chicken was delicious piled on sweet potatoes fries and drizzled with beer cheese. Oh, and topped with avocado, of course. Leftovers will go in tacos or on baked potatoes. This chicken would be just as good eaten with a fork. And this dish came together in less than ten minutes.
Why wouldn’t you make this slow cooker beer chicken?
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate!
Yield: 4-6 servings
10 minPrep Time:
10 minTotal Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/2-2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 12 ounces beer (I used an American pale ale)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Pour the liquid into a large skillet and set over medium-high heat.
- Shred the chicken and return to the slow cooker. Cook the liquid over medium-high heat until it is reduced and thickened to a syrupy consistency. Pour over the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Serve while hot.
Notes
Adapting this recipe for the Instant Pot is so easy! Just put all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and add the lid with the vent set to "sealing". Select Poultry and set time to 20 minutes. When the timer is up, quick release pressure then shred the chicken and serve!
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