Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches

Don’t you just love your crock pot? I love cooking all sort of dishes in them (even some desserts!).  They make life easy, uncomplicated and YUMMY.

Speaking of yummy, did take a peek at these Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches. They’re all saucy with tender chicken and have that sweet ring of pineapple on top.

These sandwiches are so good that any person would love them, even those picky eaters!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches Recipe

So to make life even easier, this recipe uses a commercially prepared teriyaki sauce. Honestly, while I prefer to make sauces and things like this from scratch, sometimes our crazy schedules demand something even quicker, and so a store-bought sauce was a must that day.  Nothing wrong with that!

I know there might be a few other ways you can make this recipe (oven, Instant Pot, etc), but really, we want it easy here right? And this teriyaki chicken recipe is one of the easiest I know of.

There’s no specific brand of teriyaki sauce to buy for this crock pot chicken recipe, just buy your most favorite.  It can be on the sweeter side, or more spicy, whatever you prefer is going to make it the best for you.

Ingredients You’ll Need For These Crock Pot Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken Breast: Please use boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. Also, chicken thighs work perfectly as well.
Pineapple Rings: I used canned pineapple rings only for ease of use, but if you have access to fresh whole pineapple you can cut into rings, please use them.
Teriyaki Sauce: I’ve made homemade teriyaki sauce before and it’s quite simple to make. However, on this day I wanted quick and easy so using store-bought teriyaki sauce is completely fine.
Chicken Broth: I like to use just a smidgeon of broth so the chicken doesn’t initially stick to the slow cooker bowl. Chicken breast typically produces a lot of its own juice, but it’s a good idea to add just a tad at the beginning of cooking. Water will sub perfectly fine here.
Dried Chili Flakes: This addition is optional. If you like your food with a kick, include them. If not, leave them out. The chili flakes are not a necessary ingredient.
Salt and Pepper
Bread Buns: I used Kaiser buns, but go ahead and use your favorite. I like Kaiser because they have a fairly large surface when you cut them in half and I find they’re sturdy enough to hold up to all the chicken sauciness!

Let’s Make This Pulled Chicken Recipe!

Step #1: Place the chicken breasts in the crock pot bowl. Add the chicken broth or water. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Step #2: Cook on low. The chicken will release a lot of its liquid, that’s why I suggested starting with only a half cup of liquid. You could cook the chicken on high, but keep an eye on it as some crock pots cook hot, and may evaporate a lot of the liquid. Slow and low is best in this case, I think.

Step #3: When the chicken is fully cooked, remove the breasts from the bowl, and with two forks, begin to shred the chicken. You can do a lot of little fine shreds if you prefer, or more of a chunky shred, it’s all with your preference!

Step #4: Return the chicken to the bowl and then add your sauce. My bottle of sauce was a 12 ounce bottle and I used it all because I love my chicken saucy! I also added just a dash of dried chili pepper flakes just to add a bit of heat, but again, you don’t have to. Make this crock pot teriyaki chicken all your own! I am only providing guidelines here.

Step #5: Let that cook another ½ hour or so. While it’s finishing up, you’ll want to get your pineapple rings drained and ready to go, as well as the buns. I recommend toasting those buns because it just adds so much more flavor and texture to the sandwich. Plus, when it’s toasted, all the sauciness doesn’t make the bread go soggy.

No one likes soggy.

To assemble, it’s super duper easy. With a fork or spoon, I like to simply scoop some of the teriyaki pulled chicken onto the bottom portion of the bun. Top with a pineapple ring, and place the top on!

Hint: I recommend having PLENTY O’ NAPKINS on hand. This yummy crock pot chicken recipe can get pretty messy – but hey, messy food is sometimes a lot of fun, right?

If you don’t like messy, then just put the pulled chicken onto both sides of the bun and leave them open-faced on your place. Top each bun with a pineapple ring, and use a fork and knife! See my beautiful reader, I gotcha covered!

Tips and Variations for Pulled Teriyaki Chicken

• Cut the pineapple up into pieces and mix it in with the pulled chicken and sauce.
• Add some diced sweet peppers when you add the sauce to provide some extra crunch
• Add some fresh diced chili peppers if you’d prefer an even spicier sandwich
• If you’re looking for more crunch, adding water chestnuts to the chicken and sauce will do the trick. I would probably spend a bit of time and chop them, depending on the side of the medallions. 
• Skip the bun and serve on rice. And for a lighter choice, serve on cooked cauliflower rice.

Sides Suggestions

If you’re wondering what to serve on the side with this crock pot teriyaki chicken, I would suggest items that will give a contrast in texture to the soft-pulled chicken. Think crunchy:

• Dill Pickle Veggie Pasta Salad
• fresh cut veggies
• Shredded Carrot, Pineapple and Raisin Salad
• fresh green salads
• 4 Ingredient Stick of Butter Rice
• potato chips

I love using my crock pot. It’s convenient and it lets me get dinner going and then tackle other things I need to get done in the day. A few of my favorite meals are this Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken, but also my Slow Cooker Beef Barley Stew, and also, my Crock Pot Taco Pasta, (which is a reader favorite!).

If you’ve made this slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe, please tell me your thoughts on the dish below. Did you switch it up?

Thank you for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a fantastic week!

~Joanne