BBQ Chicken Sliders

Summer is busy – busy in a way that you don’t want to do all the boring routine stuff you usually have to do during the “school year.”  I use the term school year loosely because only one of my two children is in school and at that it’s only pre-school.  But there’s something to be said for the rhythm and routine of school that provides a sense of structure to your days, weeks, and months.  And then summer hits and schedules and routines are out the window.   My kids stay up later than usual, our days are filled with parks and play-dates, bike rides and sidewalk chalk.  I become more lax about, well, everything – and a couple nights a week, dinner might just end up being hot dogs and flavor-ices on the deck.   And you know what? I think that is totally awesome.

Try to spend more time outside running through the sprinkler and making mud pies and less time worrying about all the stains that your kids are making on their new clothes (ok, I need to work on that – seriously BRAND new clothes that make it look like my kids hang out in dumpsters for fun – end rant).  But you get what I’m saying – make memories, have fun and enjoy summer because soon the air will change and the leaves will turn and school will be back in session and we won’t get to be summer busy anymore.

With that said, here is a super simple recipe for BBQ chicken sliders.  And even though I’m not always a fan of the beloved crock pot recipes, this happens to be one!  It saves you time so you can play outside and make memories with your family and friends.

Necessities:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but breast meat will be drier, I really prefer thighs here because they have slightly more fat and retain their moisture much better)

1 medium onion (whatever color you have on hand – I used a yellow one)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I always use Stubb’s)

Method:

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder, set aside.

Roughly chop the onion and spread over the bottom of your crock pot.  Lay the chicken thighs on top of the onions and then sprinkle the seasoning mix you prepared over the chicken.  No liquid is needed – trust me on this one, the chicken will release it’s natural juices and that will be plenty of liquid and you won’t need to drain anything at the end.

Cover and set your crock pot on low for 4.5-5 hours. Now go to the park, pool, splash pad, ice cream shop, fair, concert, etc. Just go have fun and relax!

When you come home,  shred up the chicken, add back to the crock pot with any of the remaining drippings or “juice” that remains and add in 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and mix it all up – and just like that dinner is ready 🙂  You can also hold the shredded and sauced chicken in the crock pot on the warm setting for 3-4 hours – making it great for large gatherings. It should look like this.

My husband, who isn’t the biggest BBQ fan, even loves this chicken, so it is a pretty regular menu item during the summer months.  I whipped up some homemade coleslaw and served our chicken slider style on toasted buttered rolls – it was finger lickin’ good!  If homemade coleslaw is not your style, just buy some premade, slice up some watermelon and dig in. Alternatively, if you are trying not to eat too much bread, you can serve it up “salad” style – coleslaw on bottom and chicken on top – also super delish!

I hope you try out this recipe and let me know what you think!  Until next time, happy summer!