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.