Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken Sandwiches make for an easy meal with a quick cooking semi homemade whole berry cranberry BBQ sauce topping slow cooked chicken.

We’ve been making a version of this Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken recipe for a long time. It’s a twist on a grilling recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for turkey with cranberry BBQ sauce.

Turkey breast isn’t always readily available and grilling isn’t always fun during the winter so I’ve swapped the turkey for chicken. Plus I wanted to make it something that could feed a crowd without a lot of extra work. Sandwiches are always a hit in my house like the Dr. Pepper BBQ Sandwiches so I decided to take the original recipe that direction.

The cranberry sauce cooks up really quickly with just a few ingredients. It’s the real star of this dish! The original recipe is just right for a bunch of normal servings of sauce but my husband loves sauces so I usually double the amount of sauce. The whole berry cranberry sauce and the diced onions gives a pleasant chunkiness to the sauce and a good contrast to the chicken.

If you didn’t want to make this as a sandwich you could always serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. If you are really looking for some fall flavor pair it with the Orange Cranberry Wild Rice I shared yesterday!

Ingredients

Shopping list

• hamburger buns
• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• onion
• whole berry cranberry sauce

Pantry staples

• onion powder
• paprika
• garlic powder
• kosher salt
• cumin
• chili powder optional, if you don’t like it spicy don’t use it
• black pepper
• apple cider vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• mustard
• ketchup
• olive oil

Other recipes you might like

• Cranberry Turkey Meatloaf
• Pressure Cooker Lemon Orange Chicken
• Easy Chicken Mole (Pressure Cooker /Slow Cooker)
• Instant Pot Peruvian Inspired Chicken and Rice

Top Tips

FAQ

How do you prevent overcooking chicken in the slow cooker?

Using a programmable slow cooker prevents the over cooking of boneless skinless chicken breasts but you’ll want to make sure you don’t discard the cooking juices from the slow cooker.

Another option is to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts which are much harder to overcook due to the extra fat in the meat.

Is there an easy way to shred chicken?

I shred up my meat right in the slow cooker and toss it with the juices so it reabsorbs the juice. I like to use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to shred the chicken goes a lot faster than trying to shred it by hand with two forks.

Make sure the chicken is at least still warm if not hot. Shredding the chicken cold doesn’t work as well and can be difficult for the mixer’s motor.

Hold a tea towel over your hand and the slow cooker if using a hand mixer to reduce the inevitable flying chicken shreds.

Can I make this in the pressure cooker?

Yep!

1. Coat the chicken breasts in the seasoning and add 1 cup of chicken stock to your pressure cooker.
2. Place the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
3. Switch valve to release pressure and shred the chicken.

Do you follow Jonesin’ For Taste on Facebook? Stop by, say hi, and let me know what kinds of recipes you want to see!

 Recipe