Description
Slow cooker chicken Philly sandwiches bring Philadelphia’s iconic street fare into home kitchens with minimal effort. Tender chicken, melted provolone, and caramelized peppers nestle between crusty rolls, delivering delicious comfort for busy families.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (900 g) chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 bell peppers (red, green, or yellow), thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 packet (1 oz or 28 g) Italian seasoning mix (or 1 tbsp homemade blend)
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 6 hoagie rolls or sub rolls
Instructions
- Preparation: Arrange chicken breasts in a uniform layer within the slow cooker, thoroughly coating with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to maximize flavor infusion.
- Vegetable Integration: Distribute sliced peppers, onions, and garlic over the seasoned chicken, creating a robust aromatic foundation that will tenderize and enhance the protein during cooking.
- Liquid Foundation: Pour chicken broth around the ingredients, ensuring even moisture distribution without disrupting the initial seasoning layer, which will prevent drying and maintain ingredient integrity.
- Slow Cooking Transformation: Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, allowing the chicken to become exceptionally tender and easily shredded.
- Protein Breakdown: Remove chicken breasts and meticulously shred using two forks, then reincorporate into the slow cooker, gently blending with the vegetable medley to ensure complete flavor integration.
- Sandwich Assembly: Preheat broiler. Slice hoagie rolls lengthwise, generously fill with the chicken-vegetable mixture, and crown with provolone cheese slices.
- Final Broiling: Position sandwiches on a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese melts completely, developing a golden, bubbling crust.
- Serving: Transfer piping hot sandwiches to plates, offering optional condiments like mayonnaise, mustard, or hot sauce for personalized flavor enhancement.
Notes
- Prevent Dryness: Add a splash of extra chicken broth if mixture seems dry during cooking to maintain moisture and tenderness.
- Cheese Melting Trick: Let provolone cheese sit at room temperature before broiling to ensure more even, smooth melting across the sandwich.
- Seasoning Depth: Toast Italian seasoning briefly in a dry pan before adding to chicken to release deeper, more intense flavor compounds.
- Vegetable Swap Strategy: Substitute bell peppers with poblano or banana peppers for a slightly different heat profile and unique taste dimension.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-7 hours (low) or 3-4 hours (high)
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 980 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg