My Whole30 BBQ Chicken is so EASY and perfect for meal prep. Make a large batch and then use it for all the things throughout the week. Perfect for salads, wraps, quesadillas and more!
Why We Love My Whole30 BBQ Chicken
First, because it’s just so simple to make. All you need is chicken breast and then the ingredients for a simple homemade BBQ sauce. Or, save time and make it a two-ingredient dish with a store-bought BBQ sauce!
Second, this Whole30 BBQ Chicken is also Paleo, Keto (depending on BBQ sauce used), gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally egg-free and nut-free. Big YAY for a dish that work for so many dietary needs!
Third, this dish is budget friendly! I include ingredients for a homemade Whole30 BBQ sauce that is very budget friendly, at less than $1 per cup! With ingredients from my local Walmart, it’s exactly $0.70 for 8oz. Happy dance!
Fourth, this chicken freezes great! The batch it makes is large, as there are so many ways to use it and it freezes well. So, use it as meal prep and make that big ol’ batch of nourishing protein.
Finally, we love that this Whole30 BBQ Chicken is so versatile. See below for all the ideas of how to use this BBQ chicken.
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – The base of this dish is boneless skinless chicken breast. Use the highest quality of chicken that your budget can afford. Keeping in mind, a homemade meal is always a win, even if you can’t afford organic, free-range, etc.
- Store-bought BBQ sauce OR budget-friendly homemade BBQ sauce ingredients below – This dish becomes even faster if you use a store-bought BBQ sauce. If you are on a Whole30, be sure to use a compatible BBQ sauce with no “sneaky” sugars, such as this Primal Kitchen BBQ at Walmart.
- Homemade BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
- Tomato paste – Yes, it has to be tomato paste to achieve the right thickness for this sauce.
- Dates – We turn these into a paste with water to then add a touch of natural + Whole30 compatible sweetness to the sauce.
- Basalmic or Apple Cider Vinegar – Either works well to give the sauce a needed touch of tartness.
- Yellow mustard – Basic yellow store brand or Frenchs’ mustard here.
- Spices: Salt (table salt), garlic powder, onion powder, and black ground pepper.
- Optional: Liquid smoke, which adds a touch of “smokey” flavor to your sauce. I find it at Walmart or Winco.
- Optional: Chili powder for a kick.
How to Make Whole30 BBQ Chicken
- First, if using the homemade sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- If using oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- INSTANT POT: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the Instant Pot and cover them completely with the sauce. Seal and cook on manual for 20 minutes. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink in the center and is easy to shred.
- OVEN: Place the chicken breasts in a 9×13 pan and cover them completely with sauce. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until no longer pink in the center and easy to shred. Length of cooking time will vary on thickness of the chicken breast used.
- SLOW COOKER: Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and cover completely with sauce. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is no longer pink and easy to shred.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove it from the sauce and shred. I prefer to use a hand or standing mixer to shred. You can transfer to a standing mixer bowl and shred there or put the blades of a hand mixer right into the slow cooker or Instant Pot. BUT, EITHER WAY – be prepared for splatter! I do this by covering the mixer (hand mixer or standing mixer) with a kitchen towel before turning on. This is important to avoid chicken bits and BBQ sauce splatters all over your kitchen.
How to Use This Whole30 BBQ Chicken
This chicken is so versatile! Here are some ideas of how we use and love it:
- In a Whole30 BBQ Chicken Salad Bowl (Whole30, coming to the blog this week!) or on any salad
- Use it in my Chili’s Copycat BBQ Chicken Quesadilla (Paleo)
- In a bun for a BBQ Chicken Sandwich (gluten-free + dairy-free). Our favorite gluten-free buns are the Trader Joe’s brand. HACK: We saute them in ghee before using them to help them not be as dry and have more flavor.
- On a pizza, like a CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza copycat! (gluten-free + dairy-free, Paleo depending on cheese used) We use my Paleo All-Purpose Dough (page 236 of my Cookbook) for the crust, more BBQ sauce as the sauce, this BBQ Chicken, dairy-free mozzarella, sliced red onions, and chopped cilantro. See here to learn more about our favorite Dairy-free Cheeses. So delicious!
This recipe is adapated from my cookbook Whole Food for Your Family, which has 100+ budget- and family-friendly recipes. You can learn more or grab a copy of my cookbook HERE!
Whole30 BBQ Chicken
An EASY recipe perfect for meal prep or to use for a variety of easy dinners!
Course Main CourseCuisine AmericanKeyword budget-friendly, dairy-free, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, keto, kid-friendly, main dish, nut-free, paleo, whole30
Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 1/2-cup servings
Calories 97kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast excess fat trimmed
- 2 cups BBQ sauce homemade (below) or store-bought
Homemade BBQ Sauce
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 2-4 tablespoons date paste see recipe below
- 1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, for a smokey flavor; 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder, for a kick
Instructions
- If using the homemade sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- If using oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If chicken is more than 1" thick, consider cutting in half horizontally or into pieces for faster cooking.
- INSTANT POT: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the Instant Pot and cover them completely with the sauce. Seal and cook on manual for 20 minutes. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink in the center and is easy to shred.
- OVEN: Place the chicken breasts in a 9×13 pan and cover them completely with sauce. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until no longer pink in the center and easy to shred. The length of cooking time will vary on the thickness of the chicken breast used.
- SLOW COOKER: Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and cover completely with sauce. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is no longer pink and easy to shred.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the sauce and shred. I prefer to use a hand or standing mixer to shred. You can transfer to a standing mixer bowl and shred there or put the blades of a hand mixer right into the slow cooker or Instant Pot. BUT, EITHER WAY – be prepared for splatter! I do this by covering the mixer (hand mixer or standing mixer) with a kitchen towel before turning on. This is important to avoid chicken bits and BBQ sauce splatters all over your kitchen. Or, you can shred by pulling two forks in the opposite direction on each chicken breast.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
See blog post above to see ideas on how to serve and use this chicken!
NOTE: Recipe cook time and total time reflects the fastest cooking method, in the Instant Pot. Length of cook time however will vary greatly depending on the cooking method, so be sure to reference the recipe details to determine the length of your cook time!
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Date Paste
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Servings 8 tablespoons
Calories 52kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1/2 cup hot water
Instructions
- Mix 1 cup pitted dates with 1/2 cup hot water, pushing the dates down into the water to moisten all. Let soak for 5 minutes. Puree in a blender or mixer until it makes a smooth paste.
Nutrition
Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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