My uncle showed me this trick for pub food at home. Just 4 ingredients for the richest and most tender meal you will ever make.

My uncle Earl ran a tiny tavern off a gravel road where the jukebox crackled and the beer stayed cold. On slow nights, he’d fuss more over the food than the customers, and this little trick was his pride: take plain chicken, tuck it into the slow cooker, and drown it in the same kind of creamy, sharp pub cheese he used for his bar snacks. Hours later, you’d lift the lid and find the richest, most tender chicken you could imagine, falling apart into a bright orange, pepper-flecked sauce. It tastes like something you’d order at a cozy Midwestern bar on a snowy night, but it’s just four ingredients and a plug-in slow cooker away in your own kitchen.

Spoon this creamy pub cheese chicken over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or thick slices of toasted bread to soak up every bit of sauce. It’s also wonderful piled onto soft hamburger buns or hoagie rolls with a few pickle chips for a pub-style sandwich. Add a simple green salad, steamed green beans, or a pan of roasted broccoli on the side to cut through the richness. A cold beer or sparkling apple cider fits the tavern-at-home feeling just right.

Servings: 6

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Lightly spray the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray for easier cleanup.

Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. If they overlap a little, that’s fine.

In a medium bowl, stir together the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, condensed cream of chicken soup, and the black pepper until you have a thick, cheesy paste. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth; just roughly combined.

Spoon the cheddar mixture evenly over the chicken, spreading it so all of the chicken is covered. The mixture will melt down as it cooks.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, or on HIGH for 2½ to 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.

Once the chicken is cooked, use two forks right in the slow cooker to gently shred or pull the chicken into large, tender pieces, mixing it into the melted orange cheese sauce. The sauce should be glossy and creamy with visible flecks of black pepper.

Taste and add a little more black pepper if you like a stronger pub-style bite. Give everything a final stir, then switch the slow cooker to WARM and serve straight from the crock, making sure each serving gets plenty of sauce.

For a little extra pub character, you can swap half of the condensed cream of chicken soup with condensed cheddar cheese soup, keeping the total amount the same so you still only use four ingredients. If your family prefers dark meat, boneless, skinless chicken thighs will turn out even richer and more forgiving if you accidentally cook them a bit longer. To stretch the meal, stir in cooked egg noodles or small cooked pasta shapes directly into the slow cooker during the last 10 minutes on WARM so they soak up the sauce. If you like a bit of heat, add more freshly ground black pepper or a pinch of cayenne when you mix the cheese and soup, but keep in mind that sharper cheddar already brings a good bite. Leftovers reheat nicely on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of milk or chicken broth to loosen the sauce. This same method works well with leftover turkey breast after the holidays—just reduce the cooking time and warm it gently in the slow cooker with the cheese mixture until it’s hot and easy to pull apart.