Dinner time is better when these Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches are on the menu! Cheesy sandwiches are filled with Italian seasoned chicken and red peppers in this easy recipe.
Love Italian food? Learn how to make amazing homemade spaghetti sauce sauce in the slow cooker too. Served up with our favorite Olive garden breadsticks, it’s a sure hit.
Why These Sandwiches are Best
I love easy slow cooker recipes! The slow cooker makes the chicken easy to shred and gives it time to absorb all the flavors from the marinade.
- Made in the slow cooker for juicy, tender chicken.
- Topped with lots of gooey melted cheese.
- Chopped red peppers for a perfect kick.
- Seasoned with aromatic Italian herbs and spices.
The best part is that you can just throw it together in the morning, then basically forget about the chicken until dinner time. Easy, hassle free and delicious.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breasts – This slow cooking method makes the chicken breasts juicier and more flavorful. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used if you prefer.
- Italian seasoning – I use this homemade Italian seasoning which is a blend of dried oregano, parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram and red pepper flakes.
- Roasted red peppers – These give the chicken a little fiery flavor and add a pop of color to your sandwiches. No need to roast the peppers yourself. I just use the jarred ones and they’re delicious.
- Frozen chopped spinach – Don’t thaw and drain the spinach first. The water it releases as it thaws and cooks in the slow cooker adds necessary liquid that make these chicken sandwiches even juicier.
- Shredded cheese – I like Colby-Jack on these Italian Chicken Sandwiches. Mozzarella or Monterey cheese would be tasty choices too.
- Hamburger buns – Or serve the chicken on any toasted bun or roll you like!
Tips and Tricks
- Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker with two forks. No need for a separate bowl.
- Add the roasted peppers to the slow cooker after shredding the chicken. Let it cook for another 30 minutes before serving to warm the peppers.
- Cook this Italian chicken on the LOW setting for best results. Higher temperatures result in drier chicken with less flavor.
- Need more dinner ideas? Our list of easy chicken recipes has dozens of weeknight meal ideas, perfect so you never get bored.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, fresh spinach can be used instead of frozen in this recipe.
If you’re using fresh spinach, wait to add it until the last hour of cooking time.
The herby flavors in these chicken sandwiches pair perfectly with sides like this Olive Garden salad and this orzo salad.
A few sliced veggies with some roasted red pepper hummus for dipping makes a perfect side for these sandwiches too.
I make these slow cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches with frozen chicken breasts all the time! You don’t have to thaw it first. Just add it straight from the freezer and let your slow cooker do its job.
I do not find it necessary to add any liquid to the chicken in this recipe. Don’t worry about the chicken drying out, keep the lid on and cook it on low and you’ll be set.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef: easy, delicious and perfect with a side of mashed potatoes!
- Jamaican Jerk Pulled Pork Tostadas: orange juice and jerk seasoning create a delicious tang to this pulled pork recipe!
- Chicken Taco Soup: This is one of our families favorite meals, it appears on the menu least once or twice a month!
- Crockpot Barbacoa
- Meatloaf
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Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 12 ounce
- 1 package 10 ounce frozen chopped spinach
- 2 cups Colby-jack cheese shredded
- 6 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Add chicken to large slow cooker. Add seasonings and spinach. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.
- Using two forks, shred chicken. Add chopped red peppers to the slow cooker. Allow to heat thoroughly, about 30 minutes.
- When ready to serve, assemble bun with shredded cheese (desired amount) and scoop of shredded chicken mixture. ENJOY.
Notes
- If using fresh spinach add it around hour 5 of cooking, to give it time to wilt and soften.
- Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker with two forks. No need for a separate bowl.
- Add the roasted peppers to the slow cooker after shredding the chicken. Let it cook for another 30 minutes before serving to warm the peppers.
- Cook this Italian chicken on the LOW setting for best results. Higher temperatures result in drier chicken with less flavor.
- Need more dinner ideas? Our list of easy chicken recipes has dozens of weeknight meal ideas, perfect so you never get bored.
Nutrition
Cooked low and slow with fragrant herbs and spices, this shredded chicken makes the best Italian Chicken Sandwiches. Serve it on buns with plenty of cheese and dinner is ready to serve!
Such a great idea! Can’t wait to try this.
Love how easy and delicious this is! Perfect week night dinner.
Can you use fresh spinach instead of frozen for this recipe?
I work and can’t stop this at 5 hrs and add spinach, could I just throw frozen spinach in and cook on low for 8-9 hours?
I just made the Italian chicken sandwiches tonight and it was really good. I was so happy the chicken didn’t dry out. I added a 1/2 cup of chicken stock and used mozzarella cheese instead. My young children loved it. Thanks!
Whoohoo, so glad you loved it Jaime!!
I made the Italian Chicken Sandwiches for dinner last night. They were delish! Thanks for the idea!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know!!
Aimee, you’ve got me wishing I had some chicken cooked right now so I could make this to bring to work for lunch tomorrow! This looks fantastic. Pinned and sharing on social media. Thanks for sharing this link with me in the Food Bloggers Roundup Page. I’ll be using this in my crockpot chicken roundup! Have a lovely weekend!
Hello! I wanted to try and make these tomorrow, but I was also wondering about the chicken – if it should be thawed or if it can go in frozen – and do you put any liquids in the crockpot, like water or broth or tomato sauce? I’ve never seen a chicken crockpot recipe with no liquids so I want to make sure I do it right and don’t dry the chicken out!
I toss it in frozen most of the time. Keep your lid on and it won’t dry out 🙂
Couple of stupid questions,
1 do you thaw chicken? 2. do you add any water to the chicken awhile cooking the first 5 hours?
My family loved the Balsamic shredded beef. Thanks so much!
This might be a silly question, but when you say Italian Seasoning-what is that? Is it a premade jar of spice I can just buy or did you make your own?
Yes, it’s in the spice aisle. Enjoy!!
Compliments on your recipe. But if you have to know, nobody here Italy makes that kind of “panino” or sandwich. The chicken breast (roast or boiled) is not shredded but sliced very thinly. Usually just seasoned with rosemary and origano and some tomatoes and olive oil. The only cheese we put in our panino is fresch mozzarella or ementhal or auricchio in think slices (sometimes fontina or gruviera, but not “melt” cheese). But kudos anyway! Keep it up! 🙂
Did you really have to make yourself feel big by coming on here and being a critical a$$hole? Please pay this person no attention! Keep up the great work! I don’t see them directing us to a recipe page that they have formed!😂 I can’t stand for people to criticize others and have to make sure that they are being seen and heard when nobody cares that you are nothing but a big bully! I hope that you have changed in the last 7 or 8 years since you have made your post! It’s not an attractive character to have or to flaunt!
Just inhaled the Slow Cooker Italian Chicken sandwich. Thank you for my new go to for lunch!
This is verrrry close to one of my favorite sandwiches, but this is an interesting twist instead of just a chicken breast panini sandwich. The difference would be to change the cheese to provolone and add a little mayo mixed with pesto on the bun. I can’t wait to try the slow cooker version–thanks for the inspiration!
Yum! Love the spinach used in this sandwiches!!
OMG…I’m so hungry now! This looks amazing!
Aimee, these look delicious! I love using the slow cooker! Perfect in the summer, when you don’t want to turn on the oven too! Can’t wait to try it- pinning:)
I absolutely love this! You’re really inspiring me to take out my slow cooker more often! I even used it this past weekend : )
Dust it off (well, not really if you just used it) and enjoy 🙂
I have to stop looking at this post, it’s making me too hungry!
Sorry about that 😉
I love using my slow cooker! It’s comes in handy when I don’t want to use my oven in the summer. These look amazing! I love how you added veggies to the sandwich. It makes it healthy, right?? 🙂 Pinning!
Sounds super yummy. I love spinach and anything with roasted red peppers!
DITTO.