Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken

Jun 27, 2024Updated Jun 27, 2025

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Coming up with an easy dinner for busy nights is easier than ever with this Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken recipe. It’s a main course dish that adds a fun twist to traditional chicken the whole family is sure to enjoy.

overhead shot of slow cooker root beer chicken.

Recipe Highlights

My Root beer chicken recipe is the perfect mix of sweet, tangy, and savory!
Only three ingredients and spices!
The soda tenderizes the chicken while adding a unique flavor.
It’s easy to toss in the slow cooker, great for sandwiches and more!

ingredients for slow cooker root beer chicken on a table.

Key Ingredients

Chicken: I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs because they are more flavorful and shred just as easily as other chicken cuts.

Barbecue Sauce: Sweet Baby Rays is one of the most popular barbecue sauces used for slow cooking. You can use your favorite barbecue sauce though!

Root Beer: The star of the dish, it goes perfect with bbq sauce!

Seasonings: A combination of onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and dried oregano is used to season the chicken prior to cooking.

seasonings and barbecue sauce on chicken thighs.

root beer being poured over chicken in crockpot.

How to make Root Beer Chicken

Add chicken, root beer, and barbecue sauce to your slow cooker.
Let it slow cook until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
Shred, stir, and serve however you like—on buns, over rice, or straight from the pot!

overhead shot of root beer chicken in a slow cooker.

How to serve

Use this delicious root beer bbq chicken for sandwiches. You can use hamburger buns, hoagie buns, or even sub bread.
You can also serve a helping of the root beer chicken over white rice, a bed of mashed potatoes, or on tortilla chips.
Give your salad a twist by adding some of this chicken on top as well.
Place any leftover chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Sarah’s Tips & Variations

What cuts you can use: You can use almost any cut of chicken for this recipe—drumsticks, boneless or bone-in thighs or breasts, tenderloins, or even wings. If using a whole chicken, make sure it’s fully thawed and cook on low for 8 hours or cooked through.

Frozen chicken? Be sure to thaw your chicken first—frozen chicken is not recommended.

Choosing a root beer: Use any root beer you like! You can use diet root beer if you’re accustomed to the aftertaste.

Added Vegetables: You can add bell peppers and onions for added flavor and texture.

serving of slow cooker root beer chicken on a bun.

Featured Comment

Love this! I have made this twice and it turns out great
– JV

65 More Reviews

Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken

4.75 from 20 votes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 7

Servings:

By: Sarah Olson

Tender chicken thighs cooked with barbecue sauce and root beer. A great choice instead of grilling.

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How to Video

Equipment

Slow Cooker – 3 quart or larger

Ingredients

▢ 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed of fat
▢ ¼ tsp. dried oregano
▢ ¼ tsp. garlic powder
▢ ¼ tsp. onion powder
▢ 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce, I use Sweet Baby Rays Original
▢ 12 oz. can Root Beer, I use A & W
▢ ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions

Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
Sprinkle over the oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne over the chicken
Pour over the barbecue sauce,
Pour over the root beer.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
Shred chicken with 2 forks and serve over buns or rice.