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Crockpot Pulled Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I probably need to make another batch of this crockpot chicken today.

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Here’s why.

Traveling with my husband can be mildly panic-inducing — mostly because I am a control freak. My main pet peeve is punctuality: I like to be on time, or better yet, 20 minutes early for everything. Flights make me especially anxious; I’d rather arrive at the airport three hours early and wait at the gate than risk being late.

My husband is the opposite. He travels a lot and has a system. We travel fine together (aside from my massive suitcase), but getting there on time is another story. Last week I decided to trust him and not obsess about timing. My grandmother always said, “Tell him once and he’ll remember.” I thought he’d sense my calm and stick to his usual schedule. We left early — early enough to wander the terminal and grab a bite — and it felt great.

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Then at 8:15 I realized our flight left at 8:25, not 8:50. Cue sprint through the airport: me with a half-eaten bagel, an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt channeling my 90s high school style, and a heavy carry-on stuffed with things I never use on flights. We were on Southwest, which is a nightmare for a control freak — no assigned seats, chaos at boarding, and an anxious me until the plane took off. I briefly had a meltdown and spent most of the flight stewing in my seat anxiety.

I’m a delight. After that ten-minute freakout, we barely spoke the rest of the flight. On my other side sat a chatty man who had clearly never flown and asked endless questions, making my mood worse. I was adamant afterward: “From now on I am controlling all travel things.” Compromise? That’s my middle name.

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Apparently I reminded him about the whole fiasco all weekend, and then I wrote it down and even tweeted about it. So yes — I should make something meaty and sandwich-like. Stat.

While this pulled chicken might look plain, it tastes incredible and is ridiculously easy. It’s not the most photogenic dish, but it delivers big flavor and makes fantastic sandwiches. If you like the flavor of chicken cheesesteaks, you’ll appreciate this version — much lower maintenance but just as satisfying.

Clearly this chicken and I don’t have much in common.

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Crockpot Cheesesteak Pulled Chicken

Yield:

4
to 6
Total Time:

8 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 green peppers, sliced
  • 2 sweet onions, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 8 ounces of your favorite beer
  • 8 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
  • whole grain buns, toasted

Instructions

  • Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
  • Layer sliced peppers and onions in the bottom of the crockpot, then sprinkle minced garlic over top. Place the seasoned chicken breasts on the vegetables and pour the beer over everything. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours. Around the 6-hour mark start shredding the chicken with forks or tongs; about 15 minutes before serving, shred completely and toss to combine so the peppers and onions mix into the chicken and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  • Stir in the grated cheddar, then switch the crockpot to warm (or turn it off and keep it covered) for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve on toasted whole grain buns.
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
American

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Oh, and we ate it with homemade BBQ sweet potato chips — I piled chips on top of my sandwich for extra crunch.