The Easiest Ever BBQ Chicken

I stopped buying conventional poultry at the grocery store quite a few years ago because frankly, it just started to gross me out.  I vowed to go all organic and free range until the day I die, but HELLO that stuff is expensive.  To compensate, I learned how to cook more vegetarian meals so that when we do eat meat, we can afford to buy organic.  One way that our family is still able to enjoy the occasional piece of chicken is to buy drumsticks.  While organic chicken breasts might cost you $10 or more for two breasts, you can get a whole package of drumsticks for $2-$3.

I bought three packages at Sprouts last week and ended up making the easiest barbecued chicken ever.  Want to know the ingredients?  Look up.  That’s it.  Chicken and BBQ sauce.  Throw both into the crockpot and turn it on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours).  It’s almost like cheating.  I shouldn’t even call it a recipe.

The first night, we ate our drumsticks like drumsticks which the kids enjoyed.  Alongside, I served fresh fruit and some leftover quinoa salad.  The second night, we ate leftovers rolled up in corn tortillas, topped with purple cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.  We also ate the easiest ever corn on the cob (more on that later).

Before we left for the lake, I cooked up the last package of drumsticks with a new flavor of Stubbs sauce (honey pecan).  I took all the meat off the bone, poured a little extra sauce on top, and stuck it into some tupperware.  At the lake, I ate my delicious and cold BBQ chicken wrapped up in Bibb lettuce.  If you can find it, go for the “living lettuce” they sell at the store.  It stays nice and fresh and you can just tear off a piece when you need it.  The inside leaves make excellent little cups.

And there you have it.  The easiest ever BBQ chicken and three ways to eat it.

The Easiest Ever BBQ Chicken

It's so easy, I shouldn't even call it a recipe.
3 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

  • 2 packages organic chicken drumsticks
  • 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce if you have celiac disease, make sure it's gluten-free

Instructions
 

  • If you will be eating the drumsticks on the bone, remove skin prior to cooking by taking a dry paper towel, grabbing the skin on the small end and pulling up. If you will be taking the meat off the bone and shredding, you can skip this step.
  • Place drumsticks in crockpot, top with about 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, and cover.
  • Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
  • Top with additional BBQ sauce as desired for serving.

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  • Melanie @ Nutritious Eats May 25, 2012 at 5:39 pm

    Delicious- I love doing this and Stubbs is our favorite sauce! 😉 Perfect for the long weekend.

  • Tiffany Youngren May 26, 2012 at 10:03 am

    This looks DELICIOUS! Love the Stubbs sauce 🙂

  • Shelley (@momma_oz) September 10, 2012 at 11:40 am

    3 stars
    Love the shout out to Stubbs 😉 Especially since they are in our backyard… well not LITERALLY… that’d be crazy

  • Weekly Meal Plan & My Happy Things: Sunset at La Jolla Cove | The Spicy RD September 17, 2012 at 10:33 am

    […] The Easiest Ever BBQ Chicken from Alysa at Inspired RD […]

  • Tara January 25, 2013 at 8:54 pm

    Do you use frozen drumsticks or thawed?

  • Sarah June 18, 2014 at 9:26 am

    My grocery store has boneless thighs. I bet they would work great for this! Yum. We love BBQ chicken.

    • InspiredRD June 18, 2014 at 2:22 pm

      Yes, that would be perfect!

  • Amber June 18, 2014 at 9:33 am

    We do the same thing with a pork tenderloin to make pulled pork. Just add a little cole slaw and it is awesome!

  • Megan Schramme June 18, 2014 at 10:13 am

    Would this work with a whole chicken?

    • InspiredRD June 18, 2014 at 2:22 pm

      I don’t see why not!

  • Teena Romine Jeffery June 18, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    How do you make your quinoa salad, I had some in San Diego. It was amazing, gonna try your chicken:)b

    • InspiredRD June 18, 2014 at 2:49 pm

      You can find the recipe for the quinoa salad here – https://inspiredrd.com/2012/05/fresh-colorful-quinoa-salad.html

      Can you tell me what facebook page you clicked through to get to my post? It had a ton of traffic today and I can’t figure out where from. Thanks!

      • Jessi higgins June 18, 2014 at 4:22 pm

        I saw it from super healthy kids on fb

      • Melissa June 18, 2014 at 7:05 pm

        Super healthy kids on fb

  • RSH June 18, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Is Stubbs barbecue sauce gluten free?

  • Jessi higgins June 18, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    if you do bone in thighs should you take the skin off?

  • Debbe June 19, 2014 at 12:14 am

    Living lettuce?