Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sliders

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These Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sliders are topped with crushed pineapple and red onions all on Hawaiian slider rolls. They are so easy in the slow cooker and the scratch made sauce is so simple and better than any bottled sauce.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sliders

Busy days call for easy suppers and I don’t think supper can get any easier than these delicious Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sliders. Don’t freak out with the addition of crushed pineapple, trust me you don’t want to have these sliders without it. It adds that hint of sweetness that these sandwiches needs and cuts the saltiness of the homemade Teriyaki sauce.

Making traditional Chicken Teriyaki with broccoli is one of my family’s favorite meals; however, cooking it can sometimes take more time than I have on a weeknight, so I love making these sliders in the slow cooker.

I made a huge batch of this meat with the intentions of leftovers, but every last piece of chicken was devoured along with all the toppings. There wasn’t even enough left over for my lunch. Consider this your warning that you might consider a double batch if you want leftovers.

What Slow Cooker is Best?

While the fancy slow cookers with timers seem great, I’ve never had much luck with them. The electronics burn out fast or don’t function properly. Over the years, I’ve used several brands and types of slow cookers and in my experience a simple slow cooker with a simple knob with 3 settings (low, high, warm) is the best. This one is my favorite, but this one is a close second.

My other suggestion is to get the largest one you can afford and have room for. You won’t regret it.

Can you use a premade Teriyaki sauce?

You can absolutely use a premade sauce in this recipe. Just swap it for the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and mirin. You’ll use somewhere between half and 3/4 of a regular sized bottle of teriyaki sauce. However, making the sauce from scratch is truly worth the extra effort.

Can you make this in an Instant Pot?

Yes, you can absolutely make this chicken teriyaki in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Cook the chicken and sauce ingredients in the instant pot for 8 minutes (fresh chicken) on high pressure, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure. Or 12 minutes (frozen chicken), vent immediately to release any remaining pressure. These times are based on each chicken breast being around 10 ounces each. Add or subtract time if your chicken breasts are larger or smaller. 

After the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the instant pot and shred. Then continue with the regular instructions.

How can I make this gluten free?

This recipe is so easy to make gluten free. The only changes are the soy sauce and the bread. Instead of using soy sauce, use tamari or liquid aminos (I actually use liquid aminos all the time instead of soy sauce). The other swap is to pick a gluten free roll. There are some really good brands or you can make your own gluten free sliders.

If you love using your slow cooker, make sure to check out all of my slow cooker recipes. But my favorite thing to do on a busy night is to fill up a big tray with all the sandwich fixin’s and let my family build their own sandwiches. Just think how excited they will be when you show up to the table carrying a big beautiful tray of slider ingredients!

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki Sliders

Yield: 12 sliders

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

These Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sliders are topped with crushed pineapple and red onions all on Hawaiian slider rolls. They are so easy in the slow cooker and the scratch made sauce is so simple and better than any bottled sauce.

Print

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (or Tamari or Liquid Aminos)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ginger, freshly grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons mirin (opt, but really makes it Teriyaki)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1/4 cup water
• 12 sweet Hawaiian rolls, slider size
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 12 lettuce leaves
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place first 7 ingredients in a slow cooker. chicken, ½ bottle Teriyaki sauce, and water in slow cooker. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. About 30-60 minutes before serving, remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and pour into cooker. Return shredded to slow cooker, stir, and keep warm until ready to serve. (Turn slow cooker to warm setting if available, if not just keep on low.)
3. Build sliders by placing a piece of lettuce on bottom bun, then a spoonful of shredded chicken, top with some red onion and crushed pineapple. Put on top of bun and enjoy.
4. Instant Pot Sliders: Cook the chicken and sauce ingredients in the instant pot for 8 minutes (fresh chicken) on high pressure, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure. Or 12 minutes (frozen chicken), vent immediately to release any remaining pressure.  These times are based on each chicken breast being around 10 ounces each.  Add or subtract time if your chicken breasts are larger or smaller. After the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the instant pot and shred.  Then continue with the regular instructions.

Notes

Gluten Free Sliders: choose a gluten free soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos and use a gluten free roll.

Dairy Free Sliders: choose a bread that is dairy free

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Hamilton Beach Extra-Large Slow Cooker, 10 Quart Capacity
• 
  Crock-Pot Cook Slow Cooker 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 255 Total Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 56mg Sodium: 744mg Carbohydrates: 34g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 18g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 18g