This healthy crockpot chicken philly cheesesteak is the perfect recipe for those busy weeknights! It requires just a few minutes of prep time to cut the chicken, red bell peppers, and onions, and you’ll come home to a slow cooker full of tender, perfectly cooked meat and veggies ready to serve. You just need some cheese and hoagie rolls to get dinner on the table!
Healthy Chicken Philly Cheesesteak – Crockpot Recipe!
This crockpot chicken philly cheesesteak recipe has quickly become a go-to in our household! It’s so easy to make ahead of time, especially if you use chicken tenders and prep the sliced onions and peppers ahead of time.
You can literally dump everything into the crock pot and go. Then add the mixture to buns, sprinkle on some cheese and crisp it up in the oven. The melted cheese and rolls take it to a whole new level!
It’s so flavorful you can even serve these philly cheesesteak sandwiches at your next gathering. It’s always a party pleaser!
For more sandwich recipes, be sure to check out my Pesto Breakfast Sandwiches and BBQ Shredded Chicken Sandwiches.
Why We Love this Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
- Effortlessly simple: Recipes don’t come much easier than this! It takes just a few moments of prep time to cut the chicken and veggies, then dump the ingredients into your crockpot and go! These chicken philly cheese steaks are perfect for those busy nights!
- Simple ingredients: There’s nothing fancy about this recipe, which is why it makes the perfect easy weeknight meal! You just need some chicken, sliced peppers, yellow or white onions and garlic, and a little chicken broth. You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand already!
- Great for both kids and adults: Although it can be hard to please the whole family with one dish, these crockpot philly cheesesteaks are equally enjoyed by adults and young kids.
- Can be easily adapted: The chicken philly cheesesteak filling is a great recipe that can be easily adapted for allergies and intolerances. The chicken filling is totally gluten-free, and you can serve it on a GF roll if you or someone in your family has an intolerance. You can also make them dairy-free by using plant-based shredded cheese to top them up or leave the cheese off altogether. Either way, it’s still super tasty!
Ingredient Notes
To make the chicken philly cheesesteak mixture:
- Chicken: Use skinless chicken breasts and cut them into thin strips. Alternatively, you can buy chicken tenders already cut to save on prep time.
- Peppers: I used red and green peppers because I liked the taste and colour variation, but feel free to sub in any colour pepper.
- Cornstarch: This is a great thickener to make the broth a little more saucy. You can also sub in tapioca starch if preferred.
- Sliced onions and garlic: The onion mixture provides a delicious base layer of flavor for the slow cooker chicken cheesesteak sauce. Yellow onions or sweet onions both work well.
- Chicken Broth
To make the sandwiches:
- Hoagie buns: Feel free to use hoagie rolls, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, or your favorite bread. Be sure to toast them first!
- Sliced cheese: You need a good melting cheese to set on top of the hot chicken. We like Swiss cheese, white cheddar, or provolone cheese.
How to Make Philly Cheesesteak with Chicken – Step-by-Step
- Place all ingredients for the chicken philly cheesesteaks in a slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
To serve
Cut rolls in half and place on baking sheet. Using a slotted spoon, pick up the chicken and vegetable mixture and place mixture inside each bun.
Top with shredded cheese. Preheat broiler to high. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread is lightly browned and crispy.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
- If you’re not going to be home during the day, then you can dump all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- If you are home, you may wish to add the vegetables at the end of the cooking cycle if you’d like them to be a bit more firm. In this case, cook chicken and broth on low for 4-5 hours, then add the vegetables to the slow cooker for the last hour on high.
- You can reserve some of the liquid from the slow cooker to use as a dip for the sandwiches and eat it like a French dip sandwich.
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: You can store the leftover chicken philly mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
To freeze: Freeze the chicken and veggie mixture for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
To reheat: Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until warm. Alternatively, you can reheat it on the stove or dump it back into the crockpot, press the warm setting and let it sit until heated though. If it’s frozen, allow the mixture to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
If you have some thighs that you want to use, you can use them in this recipe in place of the chicken breasts. Use skinless and boneless thighs cut into strips and follow the recipe as is.
Yes, this is a great make ahead meal. Let the Philly cheesesteak filling cool completely to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop before serving.
Yes, it makes a great freezer meal that requires no pre-cooking! I love to place all of the ingredients raw into a large Ziploc bag and toss it into the freezer. Then defrost for 24 hours or place the bag in some water to thaw and dump the ingredients into the crockpot. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. So easy, but so tasty!
Serving Suggestions
This crockpot chicken Philly cheesesteak is a pretty filling meal by itself when placed in whole-grain hoagie buns or dinner rolls and topped with your favorite cheese. We used a jalapeno mozzarella cheese, and it tasted amazing!
You can easily pair it with your favorite sides like this Tossed Green Salad, No-Mayo Broccoli Salad or Curly Sweet Potato Fries.
Either way, it’s a hearty meal that the whole family will enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Add hot peppers: Instead of just red and green bell peppers, slice some jalapenos or habaneros into strips for a punch of heat.
- Adjust the seasonings: I like to keep this delicious recipe pretty simple but feel free to add your favorite spices and herbs, like garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, or even Italian seasoning.
- Add hot sauce: The tender chicken and peppers taste amazing on a toasted bun with some melted provolone cheese, but we like to take it one step further. Add a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce for a kick of heat.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
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Healthy Crockpot Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 green pepper sliced
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons corn starch (or sub in tapioca starch)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
For serving:
- Hoagie buns or whole grain dinner rolls
- Shredded or sliced provolone, mozzarella or Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Place all ingredients for the chicken philly cheesesteaks in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- To serve: Cut rolls in half and place on baking sheet. Using a slotted spoon, pick up the chicken and vegetable mixture and place mixture inside each bun. Top with shredded cheese. Preheat broiler to high. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted and bread is lightly browned and crispy.
Notes
- If you’re not going to be home during the day, then you can dump all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- If you are home, you may wish to add the vegetables at the end of the cooking cycle if you’d like them to be a bit more firm. In this case, cook chicken and broth on low for 4-5 hours, then add the vegetables to the slow cooker for the last hour on high.
- You can reserve some of the liquid from the slow cooker to use as a dip for the sandwiches and eat it like a French dip sandwich.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and based on one serving without a roll or cheese.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in October 2020 and was updated in November 2023 to include more helpful tips.
Going to make this tonight when do you put the cornstarch in?
You put the cornstarch in along with all of the other ingredients in the crockpot :) Hope you enjoy!
could I sub the chicken broth with beef broth??
Yes for sure!