Slow Cooker Ohio Chicken Sandwiches
Apr 11, 2022Updated Oct 27, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Shredded chicken breasts flavored with cream of chicken, seasoning, and stuffing is what makes Ohio chicken sandwiches an iconic and prized dish. It almost tastes like Thanksgiving on a bun.
Never heard of these but love shredded chicken sandwiches? Give this yummy sandwich recipe a try, and you’ll quickly see why Ohioans rave about this being one of their most classic meals! Another unique recipe is my Alabama Chicken Sandwiches or my Slow Cooker Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwiches.
Table of Contents
What are Ohio Chicken Sandwiches?
Interesting fact: although these chicken sandwiches are named after the state of Ohio, not everyone in the state is familiar with them. That aside, where they are well-known, they are very popular. In fact, they’re so popular in some Ohio towns, you can find them at drive-ins and restaurants.
Similar to other “pulled” meat recipes, the stuffing sets this dish apart. And instead of using a tomato or barbeque sauce base, this recipe calls for a creamy base typically made from cream of chicken soup.
Overall, this is a meal that can be seen at many Ohio potlucks, family gatherings, or at the dinner table on any given night. It’s an easy meal with short prep time.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded in the crockpot minimize the steps it takes to make this recipe.
- Cream of Chicken Soup – is the preferred soup to keep the chicken flavor strong. You can use cream of celery or mushroom if that is what you have on hand.
- Stove-Top Stuffing – this is what binds everything together while providing a filler; we prefer the chicken variety.
- Butter and Seasoning – everything is better with butter and seasoning. Black pepper and oregano are the flavors of choice.
Step-by-Step Ingredients
Step One – Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot and add seasonings.
Step Two – Pour the cream of chicken on top of the chicken along with quartered butter. (Notice: you will not be adding water or milk with the cream of chicken soup.)
Step Three – Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Then, shred the chicken using two forks. Add the uncooked stove-top stuffing and stir.
Step Four – Allow the mixture to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
Variations
- Ritz Crackers – Use one sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers instead of the stuffing mix (add at the end of the cooking time). These sandwiches are often called Bitz of Ritz Sandwiches.
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches – Add a 1/4 cup of Frank’s Red hot at the beginning of the cooking time for hot chicken sandwiches.
- Cornbread Stuffing – The most significant difference between stove-top and cornbread stuffing is how they’re made. Making the cornbread stuffing from scratch (or from a box of Jiffy) can yield the same results as using a box of stove-top.
- Add Shredded Cheese – Go for the cheese of your choice; however, most Ohioans agree that you can’t go wrong with a slice of Swiss.
- Bun Substitutes – While you can’t go wrong serving these on sesame hamburger buns, you can swap the buns for a bed of mashed potatoes or rice.
- Canned chicken – Cut cooking time down a fraction by using canned cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken can also be used.
What to Serve with Ohio Chicken Sandwiches
- Jalapeno Macaroni and Cheese will add a delicious and hearty side and one with a kick.
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes make a great addition to these shredded chicken sandwiches.
- Slow Cooker Cranberry sauce – top your sandwiches with jellied or whole cranberry sauce! It tastes just like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!
- Chips and dill pickle slices would go perfectly with an Ohio shredded chicken sandwich. This is a great go-to if you’re cooking these for a picnic or potluck.
Recipe FAQs
It freezes perfectly when put into a freezer-safe bag (or container). It will keep up to three months.
Yes. It will change the flavor slightly, but if you like the way cream of mushroom soup tastes, you’ll enjoy using it in this recipe.
Absolutely! Simply add everything except the stuffing into a Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook it. Thaw, then proceed with the directions.
Add a splash of chicken broth if your shredded chicken has dried out. This may happen if you leave the lid on for a length of time.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe Ideas
Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and YouTube.
Slow Cooker Ohio Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 21 oz. cream of chicken soup (two 10.5 oz. cans), do not add water
- 1/4 cup salted butter, sliced
- 6 oz. Stove top stuffing – chicken flavor, (WAIT TO ADD)
- 8 sesame seed buns
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the pepper and oregano. Don't be tempted to add more salt, this recipe has plenty.
- Spread over the cream of chicken soup.
- Slice the butter and place over the chicken and soup. DO NOT ADD THE STUFFING YET.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
- After the cooking time is up shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker.
- Add the dry, uncooked stovetop stuffing and stir. Place the lid back on for 5-10 more minutes. The finished chicken stuffing will be dry-looking, that's ok! It's not going to have a drippy sauce. It is a perfect texture for not making the buns soggy.
- Serve on soft sesame buns. And enjoy! Serve with chips and top with cranberry sauce if desired.
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
After 6 hours at LOW, the temperature of the chicken was only 140 degrees. Seems like it should be 7-8 hours…
Was your chicken thawed? If this is happening with thawed chicken, you need a new slow cooker. The chicken should be shreddable after 6 hours, which means it is well over 165 degrees, also make sure your thermometer is calibrated.
It doesn’t say if I’m to cook the stuffing first or is it going in dry?? Sorry if I missed it somewhere……
Thank you for your fantastic recipe’s!!!!
Dry, uncooked.
Everyone loved it. I did make a few changes. Half-way through I added one can of chicken broth and a package of frozen mixed vegetables & served over rice. Delicious!!
I was WRONG! Majority of the sodium is from the soup HELP!
Both have quite a bit. You could the chicken in low sodium chicken broth or water. Then add the stuffing mix with maybe some sour cream to make it creamy.
Looks scrumptious! Any suggestion on how to lower the sodium? I suspect the majority of the sodium comes from the stuffing mix. Am I right?
Lived In Ohio my whole life, never heard of these sandwiches. Southern dish, perhaps?
They came from a family in Fremont Ohio which started a business around 1970 called โRootsโ, They processed the chicken sandwich among other things that took off in sales so they bought a small store on edge of town on ST 53 and within 5-7 years they were doing so well that eventually they built a processing and packing plant and processed several hundred chickens per day along with different meats.
and many other items but even today the chicken sandwich still outsells everything.
So now you know.
I grew up in Canton, Ohio and these sandwiches were served at the Drive-In Rootbeer Stands!
How lucky were you!
If using canned chicken, how many cans should be used?
Thank You.
I would use three 12.5 ounce cans
I don’t care for oregano. Could I substitute sage?
Yes, that will work great.
Being about 55 minutes away from Ohio, here in Ky., I just HAD to see this recipe & it sounds delicious! Thank you so much for posting! ๐ Posted on FB & pinned! ๐
OK what do you do if a person in your house does that like stuffing can you substitute something else instead of that if so what
I would dish out their portion, then add the stuffing mix. Or you can use ritz crackers instead.