Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Slaw

This easy Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich recipe is shredded, tossed in tangy sauce, and served on buns with homemade coleslaw and jalapeno.

These Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwiches have some of the best flavors around! They're great any time of the year.

There's no way around it - BBQ chicken sandwiches are delicious. They're tangy, kind of smoky, super messy bundles of joy. If you make them in the slow cooker, you can add 'easy' to that list of adjectives.

The slow cooker (or crockpot as we call it in Minnesota) is a wonderful cooking tool that will help you get through the hot and humid summer months by allowing you not to turn on the oven.

Whoever invented this thing is a genius. You can crank out fantastic meals that make your house smell amazing (and drive your cats crazy) with seriously minimal effort.

BBQ + chicken + bun + your favorite toppings = bliss.

Jump to:

• How To Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken
• What Kind Of Chicken Is Best In The Crockpot?
• Add The BBQ Sauce To The Chicken
• How To Make Coleslaw
• What Goes Well With BBQ Chicken Sandwiches?
• Can I Freeze The Cooked Chicken?
• Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Slaw

How To Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken

I like to turn the slow cooker on for about 10 minutes before I stick anything in there. This creates a warm base and the spices will heat up and become a little more aromatic when added to it.

1. Turn on the slow cooker and add 2 Tbsp. of chicken stock. Let it warm for 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, gather up your spices. For this recipe, I use 1 tsp. of garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ½ tsp. chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
3. Once the stock has warmed a little bit, add half of each spice along with a pinch of salt and pepper. I like to add half the spices to the bottom and then the remaining half on top of the meat. This sort of 'wraps' the chicken with flavor (that's what I tell myself, anyway). You will start to smell the garlic and spices as they heat up.

What Kind Of Chicken Is Best In The Crockpot?

Now for the chicken. I used 2 lbs of chicken breasts. You can use boneless or bone-in chicken breasts. Boneless is easier so that is the route I went here. However, cooking meat with the bone always adds another layer of flavor.

If you choose bone-in chicken simply remove the skin before adding to the slow cooker and be sure to remove the bones when finished cooking.

There is great flavor in chicken skin and you can definitely leave it on if you prefer, but I find that skin-on chicken in the slow cooker can become a little greasy.

1. Once that's removed, add the chicken to the broth and spices.
2. Add the other half of the spices to the top of the chicken along with another pinch of salt and pepper. Now you can set your timer. This recipe cooked for 4-5 hours on 'High' or 6-7 hours on 'Low'.

Looking For More Slow Cooker Recipes? Don't Miss These!

• Crockpot Tortilla Soup
• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
• Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos
• Crockpot Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
• Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
• Crockpot Chicken Potato Soup
• Slow Cooker Ground Beef Chili
• Crockpot Butternut Squash Sausage Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Corn Soup

Add The BBQ Sauce To The Chicken

1. After 4-5 hours (and my cats are pacing back and forth in the kitchen), the chicken is done.
2. Remove it from the slow cooker and let it rest in a bowl for at least 5 minutes before you pull it apart. This will allow the chicken to retain some of its juices.
3. After it's rested, pull it apart with two forks and remove the bones if using bone-in chicken. Search carefully through the chicken to make sure there aren't any little bones hiding in there.
4. Return the meat and any of the liquid back to the slow cooker. Now you can add 1 ¼ cups of your favorite BBQ sauce. Stir to combine and stick the lid back on there for another 5 minutes. This will allow the BBQ sauce to heat and marry with all the other flavors.

How To Make Coleslaw

It's easy to make your own coleslaw from scratch and it works so well paired with the tangy flavor of the BBQ sauce.

You can use fresh cabbage, or pre-packaged shredded cabbage to make this slaw. Feel free to use red, green, or a mixture of both types of cabbage.

1. Chop 3 heaping cups of green cabbage and 3 heaping cups of red cabbage (or 6 cups of one variety) using a knife or a food processor.
2. Grate 1-2 large carrots using a box grater.
3. Combine ½ cup mayo, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 ½ tsp. celery seed, and ⅛ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together until completely combined.
4. Add ½ of the shredded veggies to a large bowl along with ½ of the dressing. Toss to coat. Add the other half of the veggies and the rest of the dressing. Toss until completely coated.

For more detailed instructions, check out this recipe for Light and Crunchy Coleslaw.

What Goes Well With BBQ Chicken Sandwiches?

I like to toast the buns for a bit before adding the chicken. As the BBQ sauce is heating, cut your buns in half and stick them in a warm skillet on the stove top. The edges get nice and crusty.

I love a gluten free sandwich or hamburger bun but any variety of bun will work if not gluten free.

You can also use sandwich bread to make a half or full sandwich, serve the shredded BBQ chicken in a wrap, or go low-carb and serve it in a lettuce wrap.

Add a generous portion of BBQ chicken to your bun along with a heaping portion of slaw. This coleslaw complements the flavor of the BBQ sauce - Trust me on this one.

If you'd like to switch it up this Kohlrabi Slaw, Blue Cheese Coleslaw, Southwest Coleslaw, or Asian Cabbage Slaw are great options!

I love Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich with potato salad and this Mediterranean Potato Salad and Spanish Potato Salad are perfect.

Pasta salad like this Dill Pickle Pasta Salad or Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad are delicious.

For a rich and creamy sauce to dip them into you can't go wrong with Homemade Ranch Dressing or Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing.

Finish them off with a couple of pickled jalapenos and you're gold. Cheese, raw or sautéed greens, other veggies, or anything pickled would also be delicious. Or, just eat them straight up.

There's really no wrong way to eat a BBQ chicken sandwich!

Can I Freeze The Cooked Chicken?

Yes! Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich actually makes a great freezer meal.

How To Freeze

1. Cook the BBQ chicken as directed in the recipe. Allow it to cool completely before freezing.
2. Once cooled, place the shredded BBQ chicken in heavy-duty freezer bags, label with the date, and store in the freezer up to 3 months.

How To Thaw

1. Place the freezer bag in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw.
2. Heat the chicken on the stove top with a little bit of chicken broth until warm.
3. You can also heat it up in the oven on a baking sheet or warm it in the slow cooker with a little extra chicken broth.

Prepare the coleslaw and other toppings just before serving.

Here's to recipes like this Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwich that give you maximum flavor with minimal effort!

Love BBQ? Check out these recipes!

• Slow Cooker BBQ Turkey Meatballs
• BBQ Sweet Potatoes
• BBQ Chicken Pizza
• BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes
• Dutch Oven Pulled BBQ Chicken

Want More BBQ Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Crockpot BBQ Pork Chops

BBQ Chicken Pinwheels

BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders

Skillet BBQ Beef Sandwiches