Slow Cooker “BBQ” Chicken

Yes, those are quotations around BBQ in the title. No, this recipe doesn’t actually call for cooking anything outside over a fire. Yes, I understand that is what barbecue is. No, I won’t change the title. Ok, now that we got that out of the way… this is a nice way to cook a chicken when it’s too hot to cook a chicken. It’s not the prettiest looking thing, no crispy skin or char marks, but the seasonings give it a light barbecuey flavor and the meat gets wonderfully tender and juicy.

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP white granulated sugar
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 TBSP Worcester sauce
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 lb chicken (see notes)

Instructions
Prep your slow cooker… I like to use liners in my slow cooker, then I place in a small wire rack. If you don’t have a wire rack, make 3 x 2″ tall kitchen foil balls and use them instead. I also spray the inside and rack with an olive oil spray, but it’s totally optional.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the chicken. It will be like a paste.
2. Rub the chicken liberally inside and out with the paste-like mixture.
3. Place the chicken breast side up on the rack in the slow cooker.
4. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.
5. Test the thickest part of the thigh with a thermometer, it should read 165f when the chicken is done (see notes).

Makes 6 Servings

Notes

• The times vary wildly because everyone’s slow cooker is not the same, and neither are chickens.
• I rinse my chicken. I know not everyone does but I feel like I need to. I wash out my sink with dish soap, drop in the chicken, rinse, and pat it dry. I set it aside and spray my sink with a cleaner that has bleach in it. I leave that sit while I get on with whatever I’m doing with the chicken and go back and rinse the sink out later. It works for me, but you do what works for you.