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Pulled Chicken Sandwich
It’s time for junk food. Well, sorta. This pulled chicken sandwich doesn’t really qualify as junk food on its own so it’s no fair calling it that, but because I now serve these on our infamous junk food Friday, add loads of crispy French fries and coleslaw, it might be considered that. Nothing wrong with junk food as an occasional treat, the only thing wrong with it is people eating too much of it too often.
If you don’t have time to make a pulled pork sandwich, don’t eat it for religious reasons or simply don’t like it, this one’s for you. All this time I’ve been posting mostly European recipes—with a side-step to Surinamese or Indonesian food—and now it’s time to post a more American recipe for my Dutch friends here. Here’s my chicken version of a pulled pork sandwich and I cannot recommend it enough. You Dutchies are gonna love it, mark my words.
This one has been labeled ‘new favorite’ by the guys here, go figure.
Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
Tabasco
pepper
Optional: I ran out of chili powder (the flavored one, not the hot version!) or I would have added 1/2 a tsp as well.
Note:
The American-style BBQ sauce is very different from the ‘gypsy’ type of sauce we have in the Netherlands. Way more vinegary, for lack of a better word. Keep that in mind when you decide to make this recipe.
Directions:
Finely mince the onion. Don’t you love storyboards when you see me using 3 different photos of an onion being chopped? Imagine having to scroll down everything!
I roasted a red bell pepper when testing the Big Green Egg—which I’m madly in love with btw—but you can also use a regular bell pepper. Finely mince half of it.
Grate two smaller or one large garlic clove.
You’ll be needing at least 1 pound of skinless chicken breasts, preferably a little more.
Grab the ketchup (Heinz, of course!) and put 1 cup of it in a big bowl.
Add 1/2 a cup apple cider vinegar to it.
Combine it with 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce, 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp worcestershiresauce and a few good shakes Tabasco.
Add 1/2 a tsp mustard powder. Alternately you can add 1 tbsp yellow ballpark mustard as well.
More stuff to put in it. A slightly heaping 1/2 tsp sweet paprika powder, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 3 tbsp brown sugar to balance the sourness, a generous amount of black pepper and 2 tsp salt. Mix it all up.
Heat 2 tbsp butter and sauté the onions for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and chopped peppers. Give everything 1 more minute. You could also use raw onions, garlic and peppers in stead, it will be boiling for quite some time so the veggies will soften anyway.
Add your ketchup/vinegar mix.
Pour in 1 1/2 cup water and squeeze 1/3 to 1/2 lemon in there as well. Bring it to a boil.
Put your chicken breasts in there, lower the heat, put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is well done. Don’t cook the chicken for too long or it’ll dry out.
Fast forward to 20 minutes later. Time flies when you’re having fun. Or having to pick up a million toys scattered all over the living room floor.
Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Simmer the sauce for another 15 to 20 minutes without the lid on, until it’s been reduced to 1/4 the amount you have now and has turned into a thick bbq sauce.
Use two forks to pull the chicken apart.
Once the sauce has a consistency you like, check the seasoning. It might need an extra pinch of salt or a hint of sugar. Add your pulled chicken.
Don’t care for indecent amounts of sauce like I do? No worries! Just pile the pulled chicken on top of your bun and spoon a little sauce over it rather than drowning the chicken.
My bread of choice for dishes like these is usually a fresh, crispy Moroccan bread but any type of bread will do.
This is so crazy good. It’s meaty, tangy, sweet and tasty, all things good rolled into one. Serve with a nice crispy coleslaw and French fries on the side. Yum!
Kay’s Recipe Card
Click here for printable size.
| Pulled Chicken Sandwich | |
| Ingredients |
1 large onion 1/2 red bell pepper 1 tbsp butter 2 garlic cloves 1 cup ketchup 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce 1 1/2 cups water 3 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp mustard powder 1/2 tsp paprika powder 1/2 tsp curry powder fresh lemon juice 2 tsp salt Tabasco pepper |
| Directions |
Heat 2 tbsp butter and saute the onions for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and peppers, cook for one additional minute. If you use crispy bell peppers in stead of roasted, cook the onions and pepper together and then add the garlic. Add the ketchup/vinegar mix, pour in 1 1/2 cup water and squeeze 1/3 to 1/2 lemon in there as well. Bring it to a boil. Put your chicken breasts in there, lower the heat, put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is well done. Don’t cook the chicken for too long or it’ll dry out, though. After 20 minutes you transfer the chicken to a plate. Simmer the sauce for another 15 to 20 minutes without the lid on, until it’s been reduced to 1/4 the amount you have now and has turned into a thick bbq sauce. Use 2 forks to pull the chicken breasts apart. Once the sauce has a consistency you like, check the seasoning. It might need an extra pinch of salt or a hint of sugar. Add your pulled chicken. Spoon a generous amount of chicken and sauce on your bread of choice, serve with a nice crispy coleslaw and French fries on the side. |
| Variations | I ran out of chili powder (the flavored one, not the hot version!) or I would have added 1/2 a tsp as well. |
| Meal type: | Lunch – Main Course |
| Servings: | 4 to 6 |
| copyright © kayotickitchen.com | |
Yum! I actually made something similar (bbq pulled chicken) the other week, but I wrapped it in tortillas instead. One of my secret ingredients for bbq sauce is prepared horseradish. Adds a nice subtle flavor. Did you order your Coleman’s mustard powder or find it in a toko? If you tell me your AH carries it, I’ll cry. ;) Mine doesn’t have any mustard powder and it’s also not selling the olive oil spritzers. I need to hit up my tokos with mustard powder on a list. I always get overwhelmed when I go in and forget half the things I need!
@ Alison:
I”m going to make your cry, sorta, our Jumbo carries it. Along with Hellmann’s and lots of other American brands. You need to shop in Gouda soon, girly!
I love horseradish but the kiddo doesn’t like it all too much when I use it.
I’ve got friends that live in Oudewater and there’s a special boat tour that runs from there to Gouda. Maybe I’ll combine the boat tour with a grocery shopping trip!
@ Alison:
I’m assuming the boat tour goes straight to downtown Gouda? These stores are not downtown, they’re in a different part of Gouda. There is a small AH downtown but I’m not sure they carry the oil spritzer either.
Homemade fat food is no junk food! That looks to die for. I love pulled meat.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ah, figures that would be the case. First I’ll try the AHXL here in Utrecht, at least for the oil. I’ve yet to go, since I usually do ok with what I can find here in the centrum. Plus, with a small fridge, it’s better to shop at the smaller stores so I don’t get carried away! The Super De Boer here is handy for some of the more “exotic” items, as well. I don’t really miss too many items from the US, fortunately.
@ Alison:
I wouldn’t mind picking a few things up for you and sending them, but you’d already pay E7 shipping fee, so not sure that’s all too economical.
I’m not big on pork this looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the thought, but yeah, not really economical. I could always buy my own oil spritzer if I really wanted it, and I can probably find mustard powder at the toko. Fortunately, my parents keep me stocked in the Chipotle Tabasco that I love so much!
@ Alison:
I completely forgot to look around for that, won’t be surprised if they sell it at the Jumbo as well. I’ll let you know! You can definitely buy mustard powder at the toko, much cheaper, too!
It looks so good. This will be dinner!
I always feel sorry for the animal when it’s pulled. ;)
@ Karohemd:
What can I say? Top of the food chain, baby :)
This looks really good and your photography is awesome.
My mouth is watering, it looks so yummy!
Ooh, I love pulled chicken! I usually cheat and use a bottled BBQ sauce though. I’ll have to make it this way next time. :)
Yum! It looks delicious, especially that bread!
I’d have to use a different pepper though, maybe an Anaheim or POsilla instead, as the hubby can’t stand bell peppers. Boo on him cause I love ‘em.
I’m pretty sure I’d have to double the amount of chicken so that I could have leftovers to bring to work all week…mmmmm!
With your new BGE I dare you to make PP as soon your back from vacation.
@ FrankvW:
Challenge taken! :)
Barbecue, that’s one thing we know how to do in the American south. I love the combination of the mustard and the traditional Lexington-style sauce here, usually when I do pulled chicken I make something vinegary and spicy and probably nose-curling for those on the other side of the pond. The burn of the vinegar is part of the deliciousness :)
Your photos are great help and quality is amazing… I love the idea of crispy Moroccan bread. We also did a similar Barbeque chicken sandwich with ciabatta roll athttp://desigrub.com/2010/08/a-tale-of-two-barbeque-chicken-sandwiches/ . There we compared two different kinds of meat (chicken) with exact same preparation. We would love to hear any comments you have.
Hi!
So I tried this recipe tonight and it was nothing short of spectacular! Everything tasted exactly how I had hoped it would.
I only had one small problem. I ended up having to mix the “reduction” with regular bbq sauce to thicken it. My reduction didn’t reduce! It just stayed kindof soupy.
Any suggestions on how to avoid this outcome for next time? Because there will DEFINITELY be a next time!
Thanks for the tasty-ness!
i’v bin looking for pulled pork recipes but coulden’t find a good one, this wil be a great substitute. making it now smells great, also i found the mustard powder in the AH.
Just made these with a friend of mine using them in calzones. We love the sauce and wished we had made more to go on the side to dip in. The aroma while it was cooking was more than heavenly. Thanks for the recipe will use again :)