Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches are the delicious sandwich we used to order at the baseball field snack shack. Hot, creamy, shredded chicken piled on a soft hamburger bun… the perfect easy meal for your family or to feed a crowd!
What is a Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
Growing up in Ohio, my brother played Little League and sometimes my mom and I would volunteer to run the snack stand. We sold candy, sodas (people here call it “pop” but I refuse), hot dogs, sloppy joes, and the most delicious hot shredded chicken sandwiches. Those chicken sandwiches were always a hit!
One time a friend showed my mom how to make the special sandwiches. She said they are a regional Ohio thing and as such, people have different ways of making them. Some folks crush Ritz crackers and add them to canned chicken and some other ingredients. But our friend made hers with a box of Stove Top stuffing mix. We liked this the best!
Now friends, haute cuisine this is not! This is down home, simple, not-afraid-of-a-canned-soup, country style food. We are not ashamed! 🙂 I think you’ll be amazed that a few weird canned and boxed ingredients can come together to make such a yummy sandwich! Totally approved by my picky eating 8 year old too.
The Ingredients
To make Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches, here is what you will need:
- 50 ounce can Sweet Sue boned chicken (or other brand or canned chicken)
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 6 ounce box Stove Top Stuffing, chicken flavor
- 10.5 ounce can chicken broth – I buy the Campbell’s broth from the soup aisle
- 8 ounce package cream cheese
- Hamburger buns
The full instructions are at the end of this post in the printable recipe card, but keep reading to see exactly how I made this recipe and for need-to-know tips.
Making Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
This is such an easy recipe! One of the things that makes it simple is the use of canned chicken. Now, if you have not used canned chicken before, do not be afraid! When you open the can, it’s not an impressive site… or smell. It does smell a lot like canned tuna. Don’t worry, it will be great once it is cooked!
I use one 50 ounce can of Sweet Sue Boned Chicken. I find it at Walmart or Kroger very easily. Be sure you don’t accidentally get the whole chicken; you want the can that says “boned chicken.” Another great option would be smaller cans of basic canned chicken, like these. You would need 4 of those cans for this recipe.
Now, just pour everything into your Crockpot.
Now, when you get to this point, you’re going to feel some fear. Like, “how in the world can this weird smelling not appetizing looking concoction turn into delicious shredded chicken sandwiches?” But again I’ll tell you… just wait! Trust me, once it slow cooks and all the flavors meld together, it’s a really delicious chicken sandwich.
Slow cook the mixture for an hour, then begin giving it a good stir about every 30 minutes to keep it from burning around the edges. I usually slow cook the chicken on low for 2-3 hours until good and hot. Then, cut the cream cheese into cubes and drop it into the chicken. Let it slow cook for about 15 minutes, then stir well until the cream cheese is fully incorporated into the chicken.
Now, it’s time to serve! Pile that Ohio shredded chicken onto some nice, soft hamburger buns. My absolute favorite are Nickles Honey Buns, but in these pictures I used a good sesame seed bun and it was good too.
What Should I Serve with the Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches?
I love to eat these sandwiches with a side of wavy potato chips. They’re also perfect with cold, crisp carrot sticks.
Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
- Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
Description
Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches are the delicious sandwich we used to order at the baseball field snack shack. Hot, creamy, shredded chicken piled on a soft hamburger bun… the perfect easy meal for your family or to feed a crowd!
Ingredients
- 50 ounce can Sweet Sue boned chicken (or other brand or canned chicken), drained
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 6 ounce box Stove Top Stuffing, chicken flavor
- 10.5 ounce can chicken broth
- 8 ounce package cream cheese
- Hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, combine the chicken, cream of chicken soup, dry stuffing mix, and the chicken broth; mix well.
- Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 2 hours, stirring at least once after the first hour.
- After 2-3 hours of cooking, the shredded chicken mixture should be hot (if it is not, continue to slow cook until it is hot before moving on to the next step). Cut the cream cheese into cubes and stir into the shredded chicken. 15 minutes later, stir the chicken again until the cream cheese is completely melted in.
- Serve the shredded chicken hot on hamburger buns.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Sandwiches
- Method: Slow cooked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: sandwich, Ohio chicken sandwich, shredded chicken sandwich, tailgate chicken sandwich
WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
After you make Crockpot Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches, come back and tell me how you like it! You can leave a comment and recipe rating in the comments section below. You can also click here to see this on Pinterest and leave a comment there or even your own picture of your sandwiches. Another option would be to tag me on Instagram @MomNeedsChocolate. Can’t wait to hear from you!
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Could you use a different kind of cheese?
I think the best thing to do if you don’t want to use cream cheese is just to leave it out. There’s no need to replace it. Typically, an Ohio chicken sandwich doesn’t have cheese in it anyhow. I use cream cheese to bump up the creaminess, but it’s not essential to the recipe.
Can this be frozen?
Yes, it can! I’ve made it before and had a lot of leftovers, so I put it into a ziplock freezer bag and froze it to use later. I would say it should keep for up to three months in the freezer. I let mine thaw in the refrigerator and then reheated it in the slow cooker.
Also an Ohio girl, I love shredded chicken sandwiches. There was one store that carried the Sweet Sue canned chicken where I am in Ky, but not anymore! Actually found this recipe because I was looking for chicken online that I can have shipped. My ex husband, born and raised in Ky also loves chicken sandwiches and still asks for them, but I CANT FIND CHICKEN!!!
Oh bummer! I’m not sure if the Sweet Sue chicken is a regional thing or not. I know I saw it in Georgia once and I always bought it in PA when I lived there.
But at any rate, you can just use regular canned chicken. I’ve used the large cans of chicken that Walmart has and they worked fine. They’re bigger than tuna cans, but I don’t remember the weight. I think I used 4 of those cans to equal about 1 of the large Sweet Sue cans of chicken.
Definitely a regional Ohio thing. My husband grew up in Southern Ohio and never heard of it. I grew up two hours north of Columbus and it is served at every social get together! Never tried the cream cheese in it, but willing to give it a shot!!
I think the addition of cream cheese is really good! I’m the only person I know who does this, so it’s not common. The cream cheese can easily be left out if anyone doesn’t want to add it, but I love the extra creaminess.
Can I use bread crumps instead of stuffing mix?
That will work as far as the consistency is concerned, but you’ll need to add other seasonings. The stuffing mix has salt and seasonings included. You can use breadcrumbs instead and then add salt, pepper, and other seasonings at the end to adjust the flavors to your preference.
I’ve lived in Southern Ohio my whole life, and I’ve never heard of Ohio chicken sandwiches. I was looking for a recipe to use up shredded chicken, so I thought I’d try this. I didn’t want to wait 2 hours, so I just fixed it on the stovetop. I left out the cream cheese to cut a few calories, but I’m sure it’s better with it. I toasted ciabatta buns from Aldi in the oven and topped them with the chicken mixture and a little Swiss & gruyere. Good stuff! Thanks!
★★★★★
Can this be made with chicken breasts instead of canned chicken? What taste does the canned chicken add?
It can, but the chicken would need to be very tender and well-shredded. Canned chicken is easy and has a great texture for the sandwiches. Very tender shredded chicken breasts will work, you may just need to have some extra chicken broth on hand to adjust the moisture of the chicken filling.
OMG!!!! I have been trying to get this recipe for YEARS!!! I’m from Ohio (now in SE TX) and one side of my family (divorce situation) would serve this at nearly EVERY get together, but being the stooge I was, I never asked for the recipe. I left Ohio about 11 yrs ago and since then, an already strained relationship with that side of my family has expanded ( guess they feel I abandoned them since I moved out of State) and getting any contact with or from them is like pulling teeth! Can’t wait to share this delicacy with my new TX friends!!! You are SOOOO RIGHT these sandwiches are to die for!!!