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Wow all of your game day fans with these easy dump-and-go Slow Cooker Cherry Coke Barbecue Chicken Sliders. With only 5 minutes of preparation, the meat simmers all afternoon in your Crock Pot so that it’s ready and waiting when the crowd gets hungry!

Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Barbecue Chicken Sliders

Long gone are the days that Keith and I used to spend a lazy Friday evening or Saturday afternoon socializing with friends and watching sports at a bar. Oh, no! Anyone with young kids can probably relate to the many ways in which your social life is altered once little ones arrive on the scene!

These days, we still make a point to get together regularly with our adult friends. But now it usually involves a much earlier dinner time, kids in the mix, and a quick, throw-together meal that appeals to the dads, moms, AND kids in the crowd. We eat, play, laugh, and then all head home to crash into our beds for an early night…exhausted.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that’s perfect for a family-friendly get together. We enjoyed these Slow Cooker Cherry Coke Barbecue Chicken Sliders with some friends at our house on Saturday evening, and they were a great option for feeding our crowd. They appeal to basketball-watching dads, but they’re small and tender for little preschooler appetites as well. And best of all, I could throw all of the ingredients into my Crock Pot in advance so that I could devote my attention to my girlfriends, my kids, and a little bit of socializing once our guests arrived.

{Margeaux + Ian!}

Margeaux and Ian

But before I get to the details of our party food, let me backtrack a few days and show you how it all came together. It’s the perfect time of year to host an NCAA® March Madness party at your own home, and this is a fool-proof, easy way to do so.

On my weekly shopping trip to Walmart last week, I picked up the food and drinks to have on hand for our Saturday evening play date. In keeping with the basketball theme, I grabbed some Coca-Cola NCAA® Final Four Packs, which I found on an end display next to the larger aisle of soft drinks.

IMG_2595

The Coca-Cola NCAA® Final Four Packs available at Walmart come in Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, and Coke Zero flavors. There’s a promotion going on right now, so you can get 4 packs (16 cans) for $5 or 2 packs (8 cans) for $3 in certain areas of the country. I brought home four 4-packs so that I would be sure to have enough for drinking and for cooking!

Sodas

I also picked up some slider buns and coleslaw from the deli counter, chips, fresh chicken, and barbecue sauce for our meal. My friend Hope brought along a salad and Margeaux supplied the wine (as usual)! Getting the group fed at these parties is always a team effort.

And when it came time to actually make our dinner, it couldn’t have been easier! I used a combination of chicken thighs and chicken breast meat, plus a can of Cherry Coke, a bottle of barbecue sauce, and a few simple seasonings. The result is tangy, sweet, and tender barbecue…perfect every time!

Ingredients

To start, just place the chicken in the bottom of your Crock Pot. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, add a bottle of barbecue sauce, and then pour in a can of Cherry Coke.

Ingredients in Slow Cooker

About 5 hours later, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place it on a large cutting board or in a large bowl. Use two forks to shred the chicken (it will just fall apart easily), and then return it to the pot and stir it into the sauce.

Shredded Chicken

You can leave it in the slow cooker to stay warm during your party and allow your friends to help themselves, or you can make and serve the sandwiches immediately. Just grab your slider buns and some coleslaw…

Rolls and Coleslaw

and it’s party time!

Slow Cooker Cherry Cola Barbecue Chicken Sliders 5

While the older kids ran laps around the house and dressed as Ninja Turtles, the moms hung out in the kitchen (as always), posed for a few photos, held some babies, and nagged husbands to take our picture!

{Hope & her youngest + Me & my youngest!}

Hope and Blair

By the end of the evening, we had A LOT of very tired kids with very full bellies…and house that proved everyone had enjoyed themselves. Such a fun way to spend time with some of our favorite people!

Blair with Boys

Here’s the handy printable recipe:

Slow Cooker Cherry Coke Barbecue Chicken Sliders

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Total: 5 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8 -10

Ingredients
  

  • 3.5-4.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs breasts, or a combination of both
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 18 ounce bottle barbecue sauce
  • 1 12 ounce can Cherry Coca Cola Classic

For serving:

  • Coleslaw optional
  • Slider buns or hamburger buns

Instructions

  • Place chicken in bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour barbecue sauce and Cherry Coca Cola over top of the chicken.
  • Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4-6 hours.
  • Remove chicken from slow cooker and use two forks to shred. Return to slow cooker to keep warm, or serve immediately.
  • For serving, place shredded barbecue chicken on slider buns. Top with coleslaw, if desired.
Author: The Seasoned Mom

Are you excited about NCAA® March Madness too? Be sure to enter the National Coke Zero Final Four Selfie contest. You can upload a selfie with a Coca-Cola product on the site below, and be entered to win 2016 NCAA Final Four tickets. Afterwards, you can go on the site to find your selfie and see all of the others!

Coca Cola #FinalFourPack Walmart Sweepstakes – $1,000 in Prizing

Be sure to follow Coke Zero and Coca Cola on your favorite social networks:

Okay, friends: now it’s your turn! I’ve shared our ideas for fun NCAA® March Madness get-togethers…and now I want to hear about yours! Leave a comment sharing your favorite easy recipes, family traditions, or party tips.

And if you’re looking for more great party food, check out these other options:

No-Cook Buffalo Chicken Bites

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Skinny Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Rolls

Skinny Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Rolls 1

Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos

Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

Read More

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Comments

  1. This is so simple! Can’t even believe it. It’s so easy! The flavors sound delicious too!!

  2. What a great, great idea! Love how you used the Coke! I gotta try this tomorrow for dinner! Hope that you are doing great Blair! I would love for you to share this over at my new link party Making Memories Mondays going on now!
    Cathy

  3. Wow that sounds really intriguing and looks delicious – I’m going to give this a go.
    I love my slow cooker but when we’ve got people round our go to is the bbq or oven – I’ll have to pull out the slow cooker more often!

  4. This sound delicious, and easy, too! I can imagine all kinds of occasions I would use this recipe for!

  5. This looks incredible! I’m drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We are so thrilled to have you at our party. Please stop by on Monday at 7, so we can see your amazing projects. Lou Lou Girls

  6. I just entered the giveaway on a different blog, but I found this recipe at the #FinalFourPack site and had to hop over here and pin it! =0)

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