Slow-Cooker Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches

These simple sandwiches are reminiscent of a lazy summer cookout — but doable on a weeknight. Though slow cookers are often associated with winter, they’re great in hot weather because they don’t heat up the kitchen like ovens do. For this recipe, there is no need to add liquid to the pot before cooking, because the chicken will release moisture as it cooks. If you have a lot of liquid remaining when the chicken is done, that’s absolutely fine; just incorporate it into the shredded chicken. But if you have a little extra time, before you shred the chicken or add the honey, remove the chicken to a bowl with tongs, pour the juices into a small saucepan, and simmer until the juices are reduced by half to intensify flavor and thicken the sauce. After that, simply pick the recipe back up at Step 3.

Ingredients

• 2

  pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1

  tablespoon vegetable oil 

• 2

  teaspoons red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

• 1 ½

  teaspoons garlic powder

• 1

  teaspoon onion powder

• 1

  teaspoon ground sweet paprika

• ¼

  teaspoon ground smoked paprika 

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• ¼

  cup honey 

• 2

  teaspoons cider vinegar, plus more to taste

• 2

  heaping cups shredded green cabbage (about 8 ounces or ¼ medium green cabbage)

• ¼

  cup mayonnaise, plus more for the buns

• 3

  scallions, sliced

• 1

  tablespoon lemon juice

• 4

  rolls or buns (preferably onion rolls)

• Vinegary hot sauce, for serving

Preparation

1. In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the chicken, oil, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, the onion powder, sweet paprika and smoked paprikas. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low until the chicken is very tender, 4 to 5 hours. (The chicken will keep well on warm for another 3 hours.)
2. At any time before serving, combine the honey with the remaining 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a liquid measuring cup or a small bowl. Cover and reserve at room temperature until the chicken is done. 
3. Using two forks, finely shred the chicken with its cooking liquid. Pour in the spiced honey and the cider vinegar and toss to coat. Taste; it may need a little more salt, to sharpen the flavor. Also add more red-pepper flakes and vinegar, if you like. 
4. In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, mayonnaise, scallions and lemon juice; season the slaw to taste with salt and pepper. 
5. Toast the buns, then spread with mayonnaise and a few shakes of hot sauce. Mound the chicken on the bottom buns and top with the slaw.