Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade BBQ Sauce

We love pulled pork sandwiches in our house, but I don’t always love working with pork. I do admit to loving the taste and making a huge 5 pound pork butt is easier than any week night meal. And I know that pork is the “other” white meat, but I just don’t like eating it that often.

I do make a really good pulled turkey recipe that I discovered over ten years ago in Sara Foster’s The Foster's Market Cookbook, but like the pork, it takes hours to cook. This recipe is great fall dish when the weather is cooler and turning the oven on for 3 to 4 hours is no big deal. I have been searching for a pulled chicken recipe and alas, I finally found one over at The Comfort of Cooking. Georgia uses a dry rub to marinate her chicken and I think it is the rub that gives the chicken it’s tenderness.

I use organic, grass fed chicken from Whole Foods. For this dish, I don’t purchase the boneless, chicken breasts. Instead, I get the chicken breasts with the ribs attached. I then ask the butcher to remove the ribs. The breasts without bones tend to dry out on the grill. The taste, using the chicken in this way, is significantly different. If you don’t use your butcher at your local supermarket, you are missing out! They are always so accommodating, friendly, and they love their meats and poultry.

I have altered the rub just a bit and use my own homemade barbecue sauce to coat the chicken after it is grilled. Last week, I even made my own buns using Carrie’s hamburger bun recipe and they were delicious. I am going make a huge batch of these and freeze them for future grilling! I like to serve these sandwiches with an Asian cole slaw or a broccoli slaw. We use left over chicken and make BBQ chicken pizza the next day! At your next barbeque, make these instead of your traditional burger. Your guests will give praise to the cook!

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Yield: 6-8 sandwiches

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons sucanat or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce
2 pound chicken breast with skin + ribs attached (ask the butcher to remove the ribs)

Instructions: Combine the oil and spices for the marinade.
 Place chicken in a shallow, glass baking dish (I use a Pyrex). Rub the marinade on both sides of the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.


Preheat your grill. Grill chicken on indirect heat, about 20-30 minutes. We check the chicken by cutting through the center and tasting. When no longer pink, it’s ready.


Remove skin from chicken. Place breasts on a cutting board and shred using two forks. Place shredded chicken in a large bowl.
 Wet chicken with BBQ sauce of your choice. Serve a little sauce on the side.

Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.