BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and a 4th of July Party Menu!

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

90 Comments

5 from 8 votes
6 Sandwiches
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
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Sweet and Tangy Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich topped with tangy Cole Slaw and served on Hawaiian buns. A perfect meal for your 4th of July BBQ!

Serve up this summertime favorite with more Sumer Side Dishes like the flavorful Three Bean Salad and the delicious Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese for the easiest and most delicious summer cookout menu made indoors!

Sabrina’s BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

BBQ Pulled Chicken is a summer favorite, and it’s much easier to make for a crowd than individually grilling regular chicken breast and slathering them in sauce. Instead you make it in your slow cooker which not only cooks all the meat at once, but you are also free to enjoy your Fourth of July party with your guests! Just throw the chicken in a few hours before the party starts, set out toppings and buns when its time to eat, and let everyone serve themselves in between the festivities. Be sure to check out my full 4th of July Menu below for a celebration spread that is just as exciting as fireworks!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw Recipe

Sweet and Tangy Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich topped with tangy Cole Slaw and served on Hawaiian buns. A perfect meal for your 4th of July BBQ!
Yield 6 Sandwiches
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Chicken sandwich next to a red drink
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Ingredients
 

  • 8 chicken thighs , (bone in, skin on)
  • 2 cups BBQ Sauce , homemade or store-bought
  • 6 Hawaiian Buns
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted (optional)
  • 2 cups Cole Slaw
  • salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

  • Put salt and pepper in the bottom of your slow cooker.
  • Place the thighs in, skin side up.
  • Season with more salt and pepper.
  • Cook on low for 7 hours.
  • Remove skin and bones and gently pull chicken apart with a fork.
  • Mix with BBQ Sauce.
  • Brush melted butter on the inside of the buns and put face down on a griddle or in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until browned.
  • Top the bottom bun with ½ cup of BBQ chicken mixture, then ⅓ a cup of cole slaw.
  • If you are going to make these ahead of time, you can add a leaf of lettuce to the top and bottom bun before you add the chicken and cole slaw. It will help prevent sogginess from setting in.

Nutrition

Calories: 714kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 209mg | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

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Chef’s Note

This dish is perfect for game day, summer BBQs, or an easy family dinner. If you’re looking to use your slow cooker more but don’t know where to start, this recipe is a great introduction. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken is tender, flavorful, and you can easily switch up the flavors by swapping the BBQ sauce or adding ingredients like root beer, apples, hot sauce, pineapple, jalapenos, onions, etc.

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Fourth of July Menu Ideas

These are a few of my favorite dishes to serve at our usual holiday BBQ, but be sure to check out my full collection of over 80 Delicious Dishes for Fourth of July for even more ideas!

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes, Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken can definitely be made ahead of time, and it actually reheats really well because the sauce keeps it moist.

How to Store

  • Serve: Don’t leave the chicken sandwiches out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. If you want to, you could put the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and keep it on warm for up to 4 hours during a party for people to serve themselves!
  • Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
  • Freeze: Freeze in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Oven-Roasted Chicken

  • Season the chicken and roast in the oven, skin side up, at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
  • Pull the chicken apart and mix with BBQ sauce.

Grilled Chicken

  • You can also grill and chop the chicken (not really a pulled chicken, but still delicious).
  • Then, braise in the bbq sauce in a low 250 degree oven for 2 hours.

More Delicious BBQ Sandwich Recipes

Side view of shredded chicken and coleslaw in a sandwich with title on the top

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Argh I bought the wrong chicken thighs! Boneless, skinless. Do you think they could still cook in the slow cooker with your method?

    Reply

    1. They could (less flavorful though), I would shoot for 4-5 hours on low though, or they’ll start to disintegrate 🙂

      Reply

  3. This looks amazingly good. I love pulled pork and cole slaw but haven’t had them together like this. It sound great though!

    Reply