Slow cooked until perfectly fall-apart tender in lots of sweet mango and a homemade sauce, this pulled mango BBQ chicken makes the best summer sandwich with fresh slaw on top.
All hail those summer dinners we can set and forget about for half the day! That’s this BBQ chicken in a nutshell.
We’re skipping the extra work and handing this one over to the slow cooker today and lemme tell you, this chicken means business.
I’m talking sweet, savory, slow cooker chicken perfection that cooks down into the most wonderful tender texture in all that barbecue sauce. We’re using a whole mango in the sauce today and trust me, it shows!
Prep for this chicken will only take you about 10 minutes and thanks to the slow cooker it’s mostly just making itself! You can set it and forget about it at least until the smells remind you that you’ve got dinner magic in the near future.
Hopefully between a bun with lots of slaw on top if you’re doing things right.
This BBQ Chicken Features…
- A fall-apart tender texture from hours of slow cooking
- A sweet and flavorful mango barbecue sauce
- Minimal prep and mostly hands-off cooking
Making the BBQ Chicken
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Mango
- Ketchup
- Brown sugar
- Molasses
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Spices
- Chicken breasts
- Slaw and buns for serving
Choosing Your Chicken
I recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. This lean cut of chicken will cook down perfectly fall-apart tender in the slow cooker.
Tips for Perfect BBQ Chicken
- Puree half the mango and dice the other half – the pureed mango gives the sauce extra body and leaving some of them in cubes gives you bursts of sweet mango in every bite.
- Mix sauce directly in slow cooker – no need to dirty a bowl for making the sauce. Mix the ingredients directly in the slow cooker then nestle chicken into sauce.
- Cook chicken until it pulls apart easily – the chicken is done when it pulls apart easily with a fork. This will take 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this chicken.
- Use another fruit – try pineapple or peach in place of the mango.
- Make it spicy – add a minced jalapeno, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce to taste.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving this chicken in warm buns with plenty of creamy slaw on top. You can also enjoy them in bowl form with a grain such as rice as the base with lots of toppings.
I swear, it’s the whole mango that makes all the difference in this sauce! Both the mango puree and the cubes add such a subtle sweetness to the sauce that’s just beyond compare.
Best thing you’ll ever put between a bun this summer that’s for sure!
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More slow-cooked summer favorites!
Pulled Mango BBQ Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 medium mango, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes divided
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Slaw and buns for serving
Instructions
- Puree half the mango cubes in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate remaining mango cubes.
- Combine mango puree, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and spices in a 4-quart slow cooker. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle chicken breasts into sauce until evenly coated. Cover slow cooker and cook on low 4-5 hours or on high 2-3 hours until chicken pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Shred chicken with two forks and toss back into sauce along with reserved mango cubes. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm with slaw in buns. Enjoy!
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