Whether you are a Philadephia Eagles fan or a Kansas City Chiefs fan, this recipe is a winner. I like easy recipes. I want an ingredient list so short that I can remember what goes in it without a grocery list. You will love this BBQ chicken slider recipe with peach salsa because it's easy and delicious. I made this in a crockpot, but an instant pot would also work. 

Fresh peaches were abundant when I first made this dish, but you can substitute frozen peaches or even canned ones when peachers are not in season.  







Here in North Carolina, that farm-fresh peach window is about six weeks in late summer. Luckily, for super bowl season, we have canned or frozen peaches that can easily be used to make this peach salsa to pair with BBQ Chicken Sliders. If you use canned peaches, definitely rinse them in syrup. 

This easy and quick recipe for pulled chicken and peach salsa recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight or hosting a party for a crowd like the Super Bowl or a college tailgate. My kids eat BBQ chicken and hamburger buns, so even if they don't eat peach salsa, they have something to eat.



The peach salsa is also great to serve with chips if you want to skip the BBQ-pulled chicken sliders altogether and just serve chips. I like blue chips with them. Or you can skip the peach salsa and do BBQ-pulled chicken sliders for dinner, a tailgate, or a party for a crowd. Leftover BBQ pulled chicken is significant for another night in the week if you are serving a small group. The sliders also taste great without the salsa but combined, it's a culinary touchdown.





Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders in Crockpot

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (or combo)
1/2 onion, minced
1 cup plus 1/4 Brown Sugar-Based BBQ sauce ( I used a sauce from Trader Joe's)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

**If you do not have a brown sugar-based sauce, add 2 Tbsp brown sugar to the crockpot.

Add onion, BBQ, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and brown sugar (if needed) to the crockpot. Make sure salt and sugar are dissolved. Add chicken, and mix to coat thoroughly. Cook for 3 to 4 hours at a high temperature until you can tear the chicken apart with a fork. When the chicken is tender enough to take apart with a fork, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and add some cooking juices. Continue to pull the chicken apart, and mix 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce. Stir until the chicken is coated. Add salt or additional seasoning to taste. If you like heat, add a hint of red pepper. Serve on buns or small rolls. Add the following Peach salsa for a Superbowl touchdown.

If you are cooking in this easy pulled bbq chicken in the Instant Pot, you can search many recipes, but most say to pressure cook for 15 minutes, then do a natural release for ten minutes, and then open the valve. I've yet to do this in an Instant Pot, but I will put it on my menu soon.

Peach Salsa

2 peaches, chopped ( I used fresh when in season, but canned peaches work, too)
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp salt.

Combine chopped peaches, Roma tomato, lime juice, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and 1/4 tsp of salt in a bowl. Mix well. Add additional salt or lime juice as needed or to your taste.

Serve pulled chicken on hamburger buns with peach salsa.





Other sides or main dishes that are easy for Tailgating have been featured by me
     Easy No-Mayo Pasta Salad
     Southern Baked Beans with a Twist
     Potatoes for a Crowd
     Deviled  Eggs from Bill Smith 
     Southern cornbread
     Cackalacky Game Day Dip
     Marinated Asparagus
     Shoe-Peg Corn Salad
     Hines Mac and Cheese 
     Caribbean Bean Salad 
     Creamy Pasta Salad 





Updated: January January 2023

1-gallon apple cider

2 (12-ounce) cans of frozen lemonade

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1/3 teaspoon ground allspice

4 sticks cinnamon

5 dried apple rings

1/2 orange, thinly sliced

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1 quart of white wine

Mix the first five ingredients in a large pot. Heat to boiling and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Place fruit in the bottom of the punch bowl. Add wine. Pour cider mixture over fruit and wine. Serve. 

I've had the pleasure of working with Visit Edenton this December, promoting it as a  #CountonMeNC travel-friendly destination in 2021. As North Carolina's first colonial capital, this charming town has been making holiday wassail for over 250 years. The Cupola House, one of the oldest British buildings in the United States, is known for its gardens and wassail. Cupola House Wassail is always served along with delightful cookies when the home is open yearly to the public for the Edenton's Candlelight Tour. 

The Georgian-style home was built-in 1758 for Frances Corbin, an agent for Lord Granville, one of the original eight proprietors given land by the British crown in the Carolinas. By 1918, the home was in disarray, and a group of Edenton volunteers, banned together under The Cupola House Association, purchased the home to preserve it. 

Before becoming the museum it is today, the house was the Chowan County library for forty-five years. In 1971, the house was designated as a Registered Historic National Landmark. 

Updated: December 2022

When you drive down Highway 70 between Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, you will spot an iconic red barn that has created pure holiday magic in the Triangle for families for over 50 years.

And holiday decorations at the Angus Barn, a premier steakhouse in Raleigh, get better and better every year. It's like N.C.'s mountain's Biltmore Estate for the eastern part of North Carolina, just on a smaller scale.




The exterior of Angus Barn twinkles as soon as you see it. It's surrounded by car lots and commercial businesses on a bustling highway. However, despite the hustle and bustle, the Angus Barn still projects that same holiday magic of yesteryear. When this restaurant was first established in 1960 in Raleigh, it was located in the country. Seriously, the country! The country where you would see barns in rural North Carolina. I have photos of my parents dressed up and attending business Christmas parties. Even though Raleigh's Angus Barn is spread among urban sprawl on Highway 70,  it is one of Raleigh's most iconic places to visit, especially during the holidays.

The Angus Barn maintains its country roots with a rustic, elegant interior. But, this is no country Cracker Barrel, even though the Angus Barn Country Store sells its famous cheese and crackers. But, of course, Angus Barn elves are modern now and ship everywhere, so non-Southerners can taste what's so great about Raleigh's destination. With most entrees priced above $30 and a children's menu starting at $14, it's where many Southern families splurge during the holiday season.



People flock here because it's an experience like none other. A purely magical, joyous experience for kids. To dine during regular dining times like 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, in December, you may need to make Angus Barn dinner reservations up to a year in advance. The Angus Barn extends its hours during the holiday season, though, and if you can sit down to eat dinner at 10:00 pm, you can snag a reservation during this busy time for the restaurant.



Dinner at the Angus Barn is steeped with tradition, and unlike most high-end steakhouses in America these days, they do not do that a-la-carte business of sharing a larger side with the table. Instead, your 14-ox "IronChef" Ribeye (Oh, yeah. There's that, too. Angus Barn Executive Chef Walter Royal won T.V.'s Iron Chef Competiton. He beat chef Cat Cora) comes with your choice of soup or salad and a side. Bread, homemade crackers, cheese, and fresh raw veggies are on the table for every Angus Barn diner to enjoy. Even for non-beef eaters, the Angus Barn menu has something for everyone to enjoy.



But, the view of the Angus Barn restaurant through the magic of a child's eye is where this eatery has its edge. Beautiful trees, appearances by Santa, and life-sized elves greet you at the door with homemade gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa. It's like North Carolina's own North Pole.

There is a toy box for kids, and the staff takes them into the kitchen to make their dessert sundae after dinner.

The only downside is for kids who are true steak lovers because the Angus Barn kid's menu has a variety of typical kid-like items, but the only steak choice for kids is a chopped hamburger steak. I've talked to many parents (you know, parents today have more sophisticated little foodies) who frequent this venue year after year, and they all have expressed their desire for a small filet option for kids. So, Angus Barn, are you listening? Unfortunately, one child is aging out of the Angus Barn kid's menu. He'll be 13 this month and has disliked any kid-type menu for years.

My son is one expensive date these days. But more and more elementary-school-aged children are eating fish and filet cuts of beef these days. So things have changed since the 60s.

And I must not forget the lady's parlor for little girls like mine. Liza remembered the bathroom experience more than anything. It's a fancy parlor; they have all these toiletries to powder your nose. It's a little girl's adult version of the blingy store Justice.

Can I wait for a Table at the Angus Barn?

It is a sophisticated bar, so if you have older children like me who are used to dining in luxury hotels and do not have to dine off a kid's menu,  I will not hesitate to dine here in the late afternoon with them. Dining in the Wild Turkey Lounge offers elegance without the family bells and whistles downstairs. The Christmas season makes this lounge even more appealing.

Have you dined at the Angus Barn in Raleigh, N.C.?

The Angus Barn also has a Pavillion that hosts private parties. In December, parking is at a premium. It, of course, is free to look around the Angus Barn. The Angus Barn is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.



The blog's local sponsor, Gladwell Orthodontics, made my time to write this post possible in Raleigh, N.C. 

I last visited the Angus Barn on my birthday after Christmas in 2017. All photos were taken by Leigh Powell Hines and are subject to copyright.