Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich recipe is simple to make ahead and use during the week. It works great on sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos or even on top of salads. You will love this easy recipe!

 

SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED CHICKEN SANDWICHES 

With two children under the age of 4, meal time in my house is crazy.

When 4pm rolls around and it is time to start preparing dinner my children become very needy.

Does that happen to you? It is like their toddler radars know that Mom needs to start preparing dinner.

As time goes on I have slowly learned how to make meal time easier by doing my meal preparation on Sunday. 

It doesn’t matter if you work full time, part time or stay home with your children, meal time can be downright hard to conquer, especially for a busy family.

One of the most important things when feeding my family dinner is to put a healthy, well-balanced meal on the table and I think that meal planning helps tremendously with this.

When I worked full time there were many nights we would end up at a restaurant or getting take out because I was too tired to cook, and now that I work part time and stay home with my kids that hasn’t changed at all.

Today, I’ve partnered with Just BARE^® Chicken to bring you these 5 Steps for Quick Meal Preparation in hopes that you can put healthy, stress free dinners, like this Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken, on the table.

Tip 1: Create a Weekly Meal Plan

Each week on Sunday morning I sit down and create a meal plan for the upcoming week. I look through Pinterest, cookbooks, my favorite blogs and decide what I want to make.

Then I create a grocery list based on what I don’t already have in my house for those recipes.

I feel strongly that having dinner as a family creates a healthier, happier family.

The family that eats together, stays together, right? The reality of eating dinner together every single night doesn’t always happen.

Someone might have to work late, or the kids have sports, but setting aside as many nights as you can to eat together is important.

If I plan ahead and have my dinners for each night on a calendar, it helps save me the hassle of having to decide what to cook each day and also ensures that I have the ingredients I need on hand.

You want to eliminate as many road blocks to those healthy family meals as possible and save yourself time in the process.

Tip 2: Prepare Your Fruit, Vegetables, Beans and Rice

When my kids want snacks, I love having a big container of chopped vegetables and fruit for them to snack on.  

I also use a lot of vegetables in my weekly cooking, so having my vegetables prepared ahead of time saves me the time of chopping and having them on hand for the kids encourages healthy eating.

You can spend 15 minutes peeling and chopping vegetables which will save you time during the week.

Once you have your meal plan set, create your grocery list and buy everything you need so you can start preparing.

I set out my recipes for the week and pre-chop anything that can be done ahead like bell peppers, onion, carrots and celery. You can put them each in a container that corresponds with that recipe.

I also like to slice up red and green peppers, carrots and celery to snack on during the week and keep those separate.

Aside from vegetables you can prepare and portion the beans and rice that you will need to use for a recipe and have it portioned out in the fridge.

For example, if I am making this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup I will have my beans rinsed and in a container and the onion and peppers chopped and ready to go. Then the day you are ready to make that recipe you just throw it all in the slow cooker with the chicken breasts and remaining ingredients and you are good to go.

Tip 3: Prepare Your Chicken and Other Meat

Preparing the meat you are going to need for the week can be a lifesaver.  

Everyone likes to cook their meat in different ways, from roasting, to poaching to grilling or in the slow cooker.

Whatever way you choose, if you make it ahead it will save you time.

One example is if you are making this 30 Minute Chicken Tortellini Skillet you can have the chicken precooked and the vegetables chopped up to save you time. That 30 minute meal can turn into a 15 minute meal!

Tip 4: Utilize Your Slow Cooker

My slow cooker is my best friend.  I know that busy families use their slow cooker a lot and for good reason. When I am meal prepping for the week I get out my slow cooker and put it to good use. 

I like to make two batches of shredded chicken for the week to use on tacos, salads, burrito bowls, soups, quesadillas and so much more. These Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas are one recipe I make and use the shredded Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken in.

You can also freeze the chicken which is perfect for a busy night that you might not have planned ahead for. Today’s Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich {head to the end of the post for the recipe} is one way you can utilize your slow cooker and get a few meals out of it. You can easily double the recipe too, which makes for easy lunches.

Try these easy slow cooker chicken recipes:

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos  {this is great for tacos, salads, quesadillas and enchiladas}

4 Ingredient Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken {this is great for tacos, salads, quesadillas, sandwiches and enchiladas}

Slow Cooker Mexican Cheesy Chicken Soup 

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

Tip 5: Stock Your Pantry, Freezer and Refrigerator With the Staples

Once a month I stock up on all of the basics. You can do this by going to any grocery store or if you have a large family try a store like Costco that sells the basics in bulk.

When I stock up I like to have broth {chicken, vegetable and beef}, the staple spices I always use {cumin, basil, oregano, paprika, chili powder}, brown rice, quinoa and other grains I use a lot, pastas including vegetable and whole wheat, sauces and oils {olive oil}, beans {black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas} and diced tomatoes.

You can even buy your chicken and other meat ahead of time and put it in the freezer until you are ready to use it.  

By doing this you are making your weekly meal planning and shopping trip even easier.  

I like to focus on using quality ingredients that I know and love. 

What I like about using Just BARE^® Chicken is that they are a provider of Natural/No Antibiotics-Ever and Organic varieties of chicken distributed nationally by Minnesota-based GNP Company.

The brand lives its mission of raising goodness by providing good food for more people to fuel passions and a healthier future.  I can feel good about using their chicken in my weekly meals for my family and know the product I am getting is of good quality.

Hopefully these 5 Steps to Easy Meal Preparation have helped you begin to think about ways to make mealtime easier.

With the busy lives so many of us lead we need to think ahead and prepare meals as much as possible to ensure we are putting healthy, satisfying meals on the table that our families will love.

While these steps help me, they will not be right for everyone. Flexibility and modification is the key to success based on your family’s needs, tastes and lifestyle. And don’t be afraid to give the cook a night off every once in a while too!

Now, let’s get to the Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Recipe!