These BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are easy to make and the perfect combination of savory and sweet. Made in the slow cooker using your favorite BBQ sauce and served with a healthy greek yogurt coleslaw, these are great for your next game day get together!
Ingredients
With just a few ingredients, you can make these Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs with Greek Yogurt Coleslaw into a delicious sandwich.
Chicken Thighs: 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the main ingredient in these sandwiches. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but be sure to keep an eye on them so they don't overcook. Chicken breast overcooks a lot quicker than thighs do in the crockpot.
Onion: Half a yellow onion, thinly sliced.
BBQ Sauce: One cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for serving. I like Stubb's Bar-B-Q Sauces.
Seasoning: Season the chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Greek Yogurt Coleslaw: A combination of a bag of coleslaw mix, plain greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper. This coleslaw makes the perfect healthier topping for these BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.
Buns: Use your favorite type of buns for serving. I like to use whole wheat hamburger buns. You could even make these in a hot dog bun, pita pocket, or even eat them without a bun!
Step-By-Step Instructions
These pulled chicken sandwiches take only a few minutes to prepare and are cooked in the slow cooker, making them a super easy meal to make.
- Prepare the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken. Add in the sliced onions and BBQ sauce. Toss to combine.
- Cook the chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until they're cooked through and easy to shred. The internal temperature should reach 165°. I don't recommend cooking these on high because it won't come out as tender and juicy, but if you need to, you can do high for about 3 hours.
- Make the coleslaw. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the healthier coleslaw. In a large bowl, stir together the greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper until combined. Add in the bag of coleslaw mix and toss to combine until the mix is completely coated in the greek yogurt sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Assemble the sandwiches. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks. It should shred very easily. You can either do it right in the crockpot, or take out the chicken thighs and shred them on a cutting board. Place the shredded chicken back in the crockpot and stir to coat all the chicken with sauce. Serve on a bun and top with more BBQ sauce (optional) and coleslaw.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some serving suggestions for the BBQ Pulled Chicken.
- Serve for an easy weeknight dinner or for a game day get-together. Crockpot meals are always great to serve for football food.
- Instead of topping with coleslaw, you can just top with cabbage, pickles, pineapple, jalapeños, cheese, or whatever your favorite sandwich toppings are!
- Serve with a side of potato salad, baked beans, fruit salad, pasta salad, french fries, or potato chips.
- Make it ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days to meal prep lunch or dinner for the week.
More Game Day Recipes
- Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Chili
- Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Classic Guacamole
- Pico De Gallo
- Baked Zucchini Chips with Sriracha Aioli
BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
These BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are easy to make and the perfect combination of savory and sweet. Made in the slow cooker using your favorite BBQ sauce and served with a healthy greek yogurt coleslaw, these are great for your next game day get together!
Ingredients
For the Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup BBQ sauce plus more for serving (use your favorite store-bought or homemade sauce- I like Stubb's)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
For the Greek Yogurt Coleslaw
- 12 ounce bag coleslaw mix
- ¾ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- 6-8 buns (I use whole wheat hamburger buns)
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Add the onion slices and bbq sauce. Toss to combine.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. The chicken internal temperature should be 165°.
- While the bbq chicken is cooking, prepare the cole slaw. In a large bowl, add the greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup or honey, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Add the coleslaw mix and toss until completely coated with the greek yogurt sauce. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, shred using two forks. You can do this right in the slow cooker or remove the chicken and shred it on a cutting board. Place back in the slow cooker and toss to combine with the sauce.
- Serve the chicken on a bun, drizzle with more BBQ sauce (optional) and top with coleslaw.
Notes
You can cook the chicken in the crockpot on high for about 3 hours or until cooked through, however it is the most tender and juicy when cooked on low.
Chicken and coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in airtight containers.
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