Kansas City Sue’s Chicken {Slow Cooker}
This super simple Kansas City Sue’s slow cooker chicken is basically a sweet and sour slow cooker shredded chicken. So simple. So tasty.
While I managed to use my slow cooker plenty over the summer, I’ve now officially kicked into Slow Cooker High Gear thanks to the cooler weather and fall leaves changing.
This is great news for me because the slow cooker fantastically simplifies my life.
This particular recipe, sent to me by Tammy* is slow cooker perfection.
The tender, juicy chicken soaks up all the flavors of the sweet and tangy sauce and it requires, oh, maybe five minutes of prep work.
I like to think of this as a sweet and sour slow cooker shredded chicken. But I happen to like the original name better, even though I have no idea who Sue is and why this recipe is tied to Kansas City.
What To Serve With This:
I served it over brown rice with a green salad and steamed peas on the side. Simplicity and deliciousness at it’s best.
One Year Ago: Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Kansas City Sue’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through.
- Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Tammy, a reader
73 Comments on “Kansas City Sue’s Chicken {Slow Cooker}”
Do you think this recipe will reheat well if I make it a day ahead? Thank you!
I think so – the leftovers are always really delicious.
I love how if I don’t know what to make for dinner I can always count on you to save the day! I used chicken thighs (they were on sale) and since I waited until 5pm I cooked it in the Instant pot for 15 min. Can I just say how much I LOVE being able to brown the meat in the instant pot before cooking it- one less thing to clean!! Dinner was a success- Thanks to you!
Yay!
I have cooked this many times and loved it, and today I tried it in the pressure cooker since we have to get dinner in early before activities. It was great! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Mel,
How long would you suggest cooking this in the Instant Pot?
Thanks!
Try looking on the pressure cooking charts on hippressurecooking.com – she has recommendations for all types of meat and I’d probably use whatever she recommends for chicken breasts. Good luck!
Tried this tonight. Used frozen chicken breasts, cut the sugar to 1/8 cup, used chicken broth, and skipped the onion. Hubby and I loved it! Thanks, Mel!
I just made this tonight. I realized at noon that I was in a pinch for dinner-activities all afternoon until dinner time. Had all these ingredients on hand and quickly whipped this up. Delicious! Another amazing Mel’s recipe. Thanks so much!
tried this. was so, SO good. thank-you very much for the great recipe! I’m definitely doing this time and over again. SUCH a good and fulfilling meal!
katz – I think it’s referring to people shredding the chicken after it cooks and serving it that way (which you can do or you can leave the chicken pieces whole).
Mel, I’m confused: Everyone talks about shredded chicken but your recipe doesn’t mention that. Could the recipe be missing a paragraph?
Mel;
Made 4 recipies including this one since finding your site. All excellent!!! Where have you been all my life 🙂
Love this!! The first time I made this we had it on roll and the second time over rice. A couple of my kids just picked the meat out to eat. I wanted to make it again the next night. I love your recipes!
I’ve made this twice now. The first time I used frozen chicken breasts. It was good, but tonight I used fresh chicken breasts, browned them, and cut the sugar to 1/4 cup and it was GREAT! Thanks for another winner, Mel!
Made this tonight and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had everything on hand so I’d give it a try, I’m surprised how these simple ingredients come together for such a wonderful tasting chicken- will def. be making again!
Made for dinner tonight and all 3 kids ate it… great recipe!
made this with 4 large boneless pork chops and chicken broth rather than beef broth. doubled up the soy sauce and it was great over rice!
Made this yesterday, yummy! I did use regular yellow mustard in place of the powder, and I think browning the chicken first is what really seals in the flavor and texture. Served over brown rice with asparagus. Will definetely be making this again and again!
I made this one for dinner tonight! It was awesome! I have enjoyed everything that I’ve made so far and look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Can I cut this recipe in half? Will that affect the cooking time?
I think you probably can – it depends on the size of your slow cooker. If it’s big, you might need to adjust to a lower cooking time.
can i use chicken stock instead of beef broth??
Ali – I’ve never made that substitution but you can try. The flavor will be different, of course, but it will probably still turn out just fine.
Very yummy! The sauce came out kinda thin. Is that how it’s supposed to be or did I do something wrong? 🙂
Vivienne – my sauce is always fairly thin with this dish, too.
YUM! Had this chicken for dinner tonight with roasted broccoli and this brown rice recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/dressed-up-rice-recipe/index.html) and it was great! I love how I can start dinner early in the afternoon (in the slow cooker and the rice cooker) and then my feast is ready to eat when we get home from soccer that evening. The only change I made to the chicken recipe was to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts because strangely enough, that’s all I had in the freezer. I think I’ve been making too many of your tasty chicken breast recipes on the grill!
My children love this!! They request it a few times a month. I throw everything in the crockpot without browning the chicken and it’s wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
in fact – i made this one last night! with creamy garlic salted and pepper whipped/mashed potatoes! everyone loves it!!!
I made this and it was so tasty. I actually added some Splenda instead of sugar and it was great. I didn’t have beef broth, so I used chicken broth, and it was still good although I bet that beef broth would give it a fuller flavor. Nice and sweet and tangy! I LOVE this blog!!!
I put this in the crock pot before church and shredded it when we got home. Served it over the oven baked brown rice from this blog. I made that last night and just reheated it in the oven. This was a good, tasty alternative to my other chicken recipes I have. Most importantly-everyone in my family ate it! That is a minor miracle. They all had seconds. My picky son even liked it (because of the sugar) and had two helpings of brown rice to soak up sauce. I don’t think he’s ever willingly eaten brown rice. This simple slow cooker meal will go in my rotation. Thanks!
Jennifer – thanks for letting me know you loved this one (and hello…everyone loved it – that IS a miracle!).
I made this tonight and it was a hit with my family. We did it with cous-cous and I really liked dripping the tasty sauce over the cous-cous. I did use yellow mustard from my fridge and it was great. Thanks!
Louisa – love the idea of serving this over couscous! Glad your family loved it.
Melanie, I love this recipe. I seriously love it so much I make a huge batch and use the leftovers in a million different ways. On top of a salad, on a bun with some BBQ sauce, tossed in a soup, even in a tortilla! So yummy!
Kyra – I’m so glad you love this one! I love all the ways you have enjoyed it.
I’m making this tomorrow!
I think this didn’t make it under your “slow cooker” tab in your recipe index for some reason- just wanted to make sure you knew that!
Thanks Mel! I made it today, using the grill pack, and it turned out wonderfully! My 4 year old asked if we can have it every day. 🙂 I didn’t have time to brown the chicken beforehand, and only cooked it for 5.5 hours on low, but it was done and delicious!
Allison – thanks for checking back in on this – glad it worked out and that your 4-year old gave such great compliments!
Do you think I could substitute bone-in chicken for the boneless breasts? I have a grill pack in the freezer that I’d love to use up. 🙂 I think I’d need to leave it in a little longer to account for the bone-in aspect. Thanks!
Allison – yes, I think they would work fine, although you obviously will want to take out the bones after you shred the chicken.
it’s incredible to me how much impact a little dry mustard can have on a batch of chicken barbecue or really any random dish. it’s potent and wonderful stuff!
OH I just love slow cooker recipes and this sounds (and looks!) fabulous! Bookmarked!!!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
Made this for dinner tonight, served with your baked brown rice recipe! First time I’ve made either recipe, and both turned out really good:) I especially like the brown rice, it WAS better than any other brown rice I’ve had!
I halved the chicken recipe and used 3 chicken breasts, since 4-6 breasts was a huge amount for my small family of 3. It was a little tricky halving some of the items, but I pretty much just eyeballed it. It was really good and a nice change from what I’m always making. I love the slow cooker! I also didn’t have any apple cider vinegar, so I used white vinegar with a little bit of apple juice added to it…it seemed to work? 🙂 Thanks again for all of your awesome recipes!
Tracey – I’m glad you liked both recipes! Great job on halving the recipe successfully – I’m happy it worked out for you!
This was better than I expected! so much flavor and my kids LOVED it. Usually if I like the flavor on it the kids don’t! I made it with Orzo, next time I think I am going to make it with rice for sure.
Thanks, Kara – glad this was a hit with the kids, too!
We made this a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. My husband especially liked the vinegar based sauce because it reminded him of the NC BBQ from home.
And thank you SO much for the tip about homemade buttermilk. Who knew it was that easy? I will be making the new cinnamon roll recipe along with your other recipes that require buttermilk! Thank you Mel!!!
Kensi – glad everyone liked this one. I hope the homemade buttermilk works out for you when you try it!
This looks so yummy, my mouth is watering right now!! I also think I found my Sunday dinner recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Made it last night– it was yummy & a nice variation from my usual dinners. I’m trying to cook healthy these days so we lack some variety! J
Alisha – glad you liked this one. And good luck on your admirable cooking healthy quest!!
I love using my crock pot when the weather turns colder, and this sounds like a winner!!! Hope to try it soon!
I love my crock pot! I am in Dallas though so we have some time before fall hits! This looks amazing!
I am always in search of a good crockpot recipe so I will add this to my list to try!
Looks good Mel, anything in the slow cooker works for me. This chicken dish looks fantastic 😉
I have to say I would have never put these ingrediants in the slow cooker on my own but think they will mesh well and think I will give it a try. I too lovethe slow cooker in the fall. I made your brown rice yesterday 🙂
Do you have to brown the chicken? Could you just put it in frozen and cook it all day and then shred it?
Jennifer – the honest answer is no, but you’ll definitely get more flavor from browning the chicken. If you are in a hurry or don’t want the hassle, you could throw frozen chicken in there, though. I can’t vouch for the results, but I’m guessing it will still work out alright!
This sounds great and I really want to try it, I just have one question: Can I sub bottled mustard for the dry mustard? I know I need to just pick some up next time I’m at the grocery store, but I never seem to remember and I’ve always wondered if I could just swap for the stuff I always have in the fridge!
Emily Marie – I don’t really know the answer to that since I haven’t tried it but it is always worth a try, I’d say. I don’t think it will make that much of a difference to use yellow mustard in place of the dry since it is such a small amount.l
This is so handy ’cause I’ve realized that if I have my kids’ friends over in the afternoon I can say goodbye to a home cooked dinner. Crockpot to the rescue!
I saw this & immediately made it for dinner tonight. Excited to try it in a few hours. I love my slow cooker – keep posting recipes for it!
I’m always looking for slow cooker recipes. Will definitely have to try this, thanks!
i’m such a sucker for chicken and rice. i’m definitely on this recipe!
This sounds great. I love using my slow cooker!
This sounds really good. I am going to try it. Hopefully our weather will cool down soon. Had a couple days of really cool, but now, we are back in the 90’s. I’m ready for soup weather!
Ah, the slow cooker. Hardly ever use mine. Why? Hmmm – I’ll have to think about that one. Your recipe looks delicious.
i use my crock pot all the time. it is by far my favorite household appliance! this recipe looks great!
Shut Up! My crock pot is my bestest friend ever! I’ve already done the menu for this week but am putting this down for next week!
I don’t use my crock pot nearly enough. This sounds like a tasty dinner.
This looks yummy! Love that you cooked it in the slow cooker!