Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker). Chicken in an amazing, homemade BBQ sauce topped with fresh slaw.
My family is a BBQ family. I grew up in the Carolinas, so a love of BBQ is in my blood. My husband likes pretty much all meat – his dream is to one day open a BBQ stand on the side of the road, so clearly he likes it. My son just adores BBQ sauce. He asks to have it with pretty much every meal, including random things like spaghetti. And my daughter, well so far she hasn’t met a food she doesn’t like, which includes BBQ.
Putting chicken in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker is as close to ‘real BBQ’ as I’m going to get on a weeknight. But I have found that with homemade BBQ sauce, that doesn’t matter, because the sauce makes the sandwich.
I have never been a coleslaw fan. I don’t care for mayo or too much vinegar. But recently I had a dish with an Asian slaw and adored it. So, I took the basics of that slaw and made it into something I thought worked with BBQ.
This sandwich is fantastic. If you live in a family like mine, where there can never be too much BBQ sauce, I recommend doubling the sauce and pouring the extra on top of your chicken.
Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breasts
Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced finely
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
Slaw
- 4 ounces broccoli slaw
- 1/2 red pepper cut into thin slices
- 1/3 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
Serving
- 6 Slider buns
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir until well combined. Turn to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Chicken
- Instant Pot: Place chicken in pot and cover with sauce. Cook on high pressure for 11 minutes and let natural release for 10 minutes. Slow Cooker: Place chicken in slow cooker and cover with sauce. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- After chicken is cooked, remove from sauce and shred with two forks. Return chicken to sauce and stir.
Slaw
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, oil, and vinegar.
- Add broccoli slaw, red pepper, and carrots. Toss together.
- Let slaw sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serving
- Serve slaw over chicken in a slider bun.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
Enjoy these Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders? You’ll probably enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Barbacoa Beef (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Homemade Hamburgers
Wasabi Teriyaki Chicken and Rice (Instant Pot or Stove Top)
Oven Fried Chicken
