How Long Do You Cook Barbecue Chicken in a Crockpot?

Crockpot, or slow cooker, cooking is very forgiving once you get the hang of how your crockpot works and what to expect from it. With practice, you can bake cakes, make lasagna, cook a roast and create delicious soups in a crockpot. Each is as easy as the other. Recipes for barbecue chicken are based on 2 to 3 lb. meat. They vary slightly based on the extra ingredients added and the dish's intended use at a meal.

Most crockpots come with two cooking settings: high and low. Often, recipes are written with times for both settings. This is handy when you forget to throw dinner in the crockpot early. A good rule of thumb is that meats cooked on the low setting will require twice as long to cook. By itself, barbecue chicken can be cooked quite nicely in the crockpot on low for about five to six hours, or on high for about two-and-a-half to three hours.

When cooking barbecue chicken with fruits or less dense vegetables, the time remains the same as if you were cooking the chicken by itself. If you're cooking your chicken with rice, extra care and time must be taken. First, follow the recipe exactly regarding the amount of liquid necessary yield rice that is soft, not crunchy. The meat will produce some liquid, but not enough to ensure fluffy rice. If you're filling the crockpot with dense vegetables (such as potatoes), rice or pasta, increase the time by two hours on the low setting and one hour on high.

When using the crockpot to make barbecue chicken, consider how it will be served. If the chicken is boneless or is to be deboned and pulled apart after cooking, longer is better. Beginning with boneless chicken will give you a drier end result ideal for pulled sandwiches, and it should be cooked six to eight hours. If you plan to serve your barbecue chicken on the bone, spoon it gently out of the crockpot after about three hours on the low setting. Place it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F to finish cooking and to brown. Check it after about 15 minutes.