Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken “Cheesesteaks” Recipe
As busy moms and dads, it can be hard to come up with fast, delicious, and relatively healthy meals for weeknights. Slow cookers are a great solution for the weeknight rush, but if you are out of the house early, you have to be careful that the meal doesn’t dry out by the dinnertime.
Soups and stews are great because they can cook all day and the flavor just gets better. But what if you’re looking for something that is not a soup but still can cook for 10 hours or more?
This slow cooker pulled chicken “cheesesteak” recipe fits the bill. By using chicken thighs rather than breasts, there is enough fat to hold up to a slow and low cooking process.
This recipe is also budget-conscious – chicken thighs are an economical cut of chicken, so you can easily feed 4-6 people for less than $20.
Ingredients
- 14 oz. package chicken thighs
- 1 carton low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 cloves of garlic, whole
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
- A tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. herbs de Provence
- dash of fresh black pepper
- pinch of salt
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- sliced provolone cheese
- sandwich or hoagie rolls
Directions
Spray your slow-cooker with cooking spray (this will make clean-up a cinch). You may want to trim some of the fat off the chicken thighs, but don’t go overboard – the fat is important to keep the chicken moist.
Lay the chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker, and evenly sprinkle the red pepper flakes, herbs de Provence, black pepper, and salt over the top.
Cover the chicken and spices with the onions, then throw in the garlic cloves (you’ll remove them later, so just leave them whole). P
our in enough chicken stock to almost cover the chicken and onions – about ¾ of a carton. Turn your slow cooker to low, and go about your day.
About 15 minutes before you plan to eat, pour the rest of the chicken stock and some water (if you need more liquid) into a pan and add salt and pepper.
Add the slices of green pepper, and boil just long enough that the peppers lose their bright green color.
Slice the sandwich rolls, spread a bit of butter on each half, and pop them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile…
While the sandwich rolls are toasting, pull the chicken thighs out of the slow cooker and place them in a large bowl. Use forks, a rotary egg beater, or a hand mixer to shred the meat – it should shred easily, but an egg beater or hand mixer will make the job very simple. Mix in a touch of the broth once the meat is shredded.
Spoon a portion of chicken onto each sandwich roll, add some of the green peppers and onions, and place a slice of provolone cheese on top. Place the sandwiches open-faced on a cookie sheet and pop them back in the oven for a minute or two to melt the cheese.
I like to serve this meal with sweet potato fries; my family still gets the fun of having fries, but I feel good about them having a vegetable.
In total, this meal takes you about 30 minutes to prepare – 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes or less just before serving it. A weeknight win!
Thank you for visiting our Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken “Cheesesteaks” Recipe!
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