3 Easy Slow Cooker Family Friendly Recipes
3 Slow Cooker Recipes Perfect for Meal Prep, Freezing & School Lunches
Looking for easy, family-friendly dinners that can stretch across multiple meals? These three slow cooker recipes are weeknight heroes. With minimal prep and simple ingredients, you'll have tender, flavour-packed proteins ready to transform into nachos, sliders, pizzas, wraps and more.
Better yet, these recipes are perfect for batch cooking and freezing in portions. Store leftovers in silicone food containers and freeze individual serves for busy nights, quick lunches, or hot school lunches packed in an insulated food jar.
Why these recipes are perfect for meal prep
- Cook once, enjoy multiple meals
- Easy to freeze in individual portions
- Great for lunchboxes and hot school lunches
- Perfect for busy families and meal planning
- Reheat quickly for fuss-free lunches and dinners
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
This no-fuss slow cooker BBQ chicken is juicy, tender and packed with flavour. Simply add everything to the slow cooker and let it do the work.
Ingredients
- 800g–1kg chicken breast
- 1½ cups BBQ sauce
- ½ medium onion, grated (including juice)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients in the slow cooker
- Add chicken and coat well
- Cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 6–7 hours
- Shred chicken using two forks
- Return shredded chicken to the sauce and stir through
Meal ideas
- BBQ chicken nachos
- BBQ chicken sliders
- BBQ chicken pizza
- Loaded baked potatoes
- BBQ chicken wraps
Smoky Pulled Pork
This smoky pulled pork delivers big BBQ flavour with almost no effort. Simply season, sauce and slow cook until perfectly tender.
Ingredients
- 1–1.5kg pork shoulder
- 1 packet Tennessee Smokehouse BBQ rub
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Rub pork shoulder generously with BBQ seasoning
- Place into slow cooker and pour over BBQ sauce
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5–6 hours
- Shred using two forks
- Optional: crisp under the grill or in the oven before serving
Meal ideas
- Pulled pork burgers
- Loaded fries
- Pizza toppings
- Wraps and tacos
- Rice bowls
Enchilada Slow Cooker Chicken
Tender, juicy and packed with flavour, this enchilada chicken is one of the easiest slow cooker recipes you'll ever make.
Ingredients
- 800g–1kg chicken breast or thigh
- 1 bottle enchilada sauce
Instructions
- Add chicken and enchilada sauce to the slow cooker
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6–7 hours
- Shred with two forks
- Stir through the sauce before serving
Meal ideas
- Enchiladas
- Chicken pizza
- Chicken sliders with coleslaw
- Wraps and tortillas
- Loaded nachos
- Protein-packed salads
How to freeze portions for easy family meals
One of the best ways to save time during the week is to freeze leftovers in individual portions. Once your slow cooker meal has cooled, divide it into servings using silicone containers.
Silicone food containers make meal prep simple because frozen portions can be easily popped out when needed. Keep a variety of proteins ready in the freezer for quick lunches, dinners or after-school meals.
- Portion meals once cooled
- Freeze in silicone containers
- Pop portions out once frozen
- Store together in freezer-safe containers
- Label with the preparation date
Pack leftovers in an insulated food jar
These recipes also make fantastic hot school lunches. Simply reheat a frozen portion until piping hot, then transfer it into a preheated insulated food jar.
Food jars help keep meals warm until lunchtime and are perfect for:
- BBQ chicken and rice
- Pulled pork sliders
- Enchilada chicken wraps
- Pasta dishes
- Soups and stews
- Leftover family dinners
Meal prep made easy
Batch cooking slow cooker meals is one of the easiest ways to simplify family life. By freezing portions in silicone containers and using insulated food jars for lunches, you'll always have a nutritious meal ready to go. Whether you're preparing school lunches, stocking the freezer or planning weeknight dinners, these three slow cooker recipes are guaranteed to become family favourites.
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