The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
I wanted BBQ chicken and mac and cheese on the same plate, and I did not want two pots.
That’s how this Crockpot BBQ chicken mac and cheese happened. Chicken breasts sit in a whole bottle of barbecue sauce until they fall apart. Then pasta shells, butter, two cheeses, and cream go in at the end. One insert to wash. Sweet, smoky, cheesy. Done.
Prep: 10 minutes (plus boiling the pasta) | Cook: 2–3 hours on HIGH | Serves: 6–8
Why This Crockpot BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese Works
The chicken goes in first, alone with the sauce. That’s on purpose. Barbecue sauce is sugary, so it needs the chicken’s moisture around it while it cooks, and HIGH for 2–3 hours gets the breasts tender without the sauce catching on the sides.
The pasta goes in last and already cooked. Raw pasta in a slow cooker soaks up the sauce and turns to mush before the chicken is done. Cooked shells just need to get coated.
Cream and cheese wait until the very end too. Dairy sitting in a hot crockpot for hours gets grainy and can split. Stirred in at the finish, it melts into the barbecue sauce and turns it creamy and a little pink-orange.
Ingredients
- 2–3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Garlic salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
- Onion powder, to taste
- Paprika, to taste
- 1 full bottle barbecue sauce
- 12 oz pasta shells, cooked
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the crockpot and season with garlic salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Pour the entire bottle of barbecue sauce over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the chicken directly in the crockpot and stir it into the barbecue sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta shells and stir to combine.
- Add the butter, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and heavy cream.
- Stir everything together until the cheese is melted and the mac and cheese is creamy and well combined.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Tips
- Cook the shells before they go in. Every time. The pot isn’t built to cook pasta from raw in this much sauce.
- Pull the shells a minute early. They keep softening once they’re in the hot sauce. I drain at 8 minutes instead of 10.
- Shred the chicken right in the pot. Less mess, and the meat soaks up sauce as you pull it.
- Season the chicken, not the sauce. The spices go on the raw breasts. Barbecue sauce alone is one-note.
- Grate your own cheese if you can. Bagged shreds melt fine here, but block cheese goes creamier.
- Check the chicken at 2 hours. Slow cookers run hot or cool.
Variations
- Smoked gouda swapped for the mozzarella. Worth it. The smoke plays well with the barbecue sauce.
- Crispy bacon on top. Yes, do this.
- Hot sauce stirred in at the end. A couple dashes cuts the sweetness.
- Swapping the barbecue sauce for a honey-style one. I’d skip it. It turns the whole pot too sweet and the cheese can’t fight back.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
The chicken and sauce can cook a day early and sit in the fridge. The pasta, cheese, and cream should not. Finish the dish right before serving or the shells drink up all the sauce and the cheese goes stiff.
Leftovers keep about 3 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of milk or cream and stir well. It won’t be as loose as day one, and that’s fine.
FAQ
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes. Thighs are more forgiving if you overshoot the cook time.
Do I have to cook the pasta first?
Yes. Uncooked pasta in the crockpot absorbs the barbecue sauce and gets gummy before the chicken finishes. Boil it separately, drain it, and stir it in at the end.
Can I cook it on LOW?
You can, but HIGH is what the recipe is built on, and I’d stay there. The 2–3 hour window keeps the chicken tender without the sauce sitting for ages. If you go LOW, expect a longer cook and check the chicken before you add anything else.
What kind of barbecue sauce is best?
Use one you’d happily eat on its own, since you’re pouring in the whole bottle.
Why is my mac and cheese dry?
Usually it’s the pasta soaking things up as it sits. Stir in a little extra cream or milk and it comes back
Closing Thoughts
Put a bowl of this next to something sharp and cold. Coleslaw is the obvious one, and a vinegar-heavy one cuts the richness better than a creamy version. Pickles on the side don’t hurt either. Think Sunday football, where everyone wants seconds and nobody wants a sink full of pots.
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Mac & Cheese
This Crockpot BBQ Chicken Mac & Cheese is a rich and creamy slow cooker dinner made with tender shredded barbecue chicken, pasta shells, cheddar, mozzarella, butter, and heavy cream. It is an easy comfort-food meal perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Season the chicken with garlic salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to taste.
- Pour the entire bottle of barbecue sauce evenly over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir it into the barbecue sauce.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta shells and stir to combine.
- Add the butter, shredded mozzarella, shredded cheddar, and heavy cream.
- Stir everything together until the butter and cheeses are melted and the pasta is creamy and evenly coated.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
Cook and drain the pasta shells before adding them to the slow cooker.
Season the chicken with garlic salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika according to taste.
Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender enough to shred easily.
The cook-time field is set to 120 minutes based on the minimum 2-hour cooking time; the full cooking range is 2 to 3 hours on HIGH.
