These shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches are loaded with tender pulled chicken, tangy barbecue sauce, crisp slaw, and bread and butter pickles.
If you are looking for a delicious recipe using leftover chicken, or just want an easy meal for busy weeknights that the whole family will love, you can't go wrong with these easy bbq chicken sandwiches! You can make each component from scratch, or take it easy with store-bought ingredients. Both ways taste great.
What are they?
Shredded bbq chicken sandwiches, also called pulled bbq chicken, are topped with creamy coleslaw, sweet pickles, and served on a gourmet bun for a simple but upscale flare.
Pulled chicken sandwiches are simple to make because you can use a variety of cuts and shred them together. This works well using rotisserie chicken, cooking the chicken in the crock pot, smoking chicken cuts, or as a great way to use up any leftover chicken you have on hand for additional simplicity.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cooked chicken - 4 cups of shredded chicken is needed. One rotisserie chicken would be the perfect size. Otherwise, using slow cooker chicken would be the easiest method if you are cooking up chicken specifically to use in this recipe. A five pound chicken will take approximately 4 hours to fully cook in your crockpot.
- BBQ Sauce - You can use your favorite bbq sauce brand from the grocery store, or make my homemade BBQ sauce with pantry staples like brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Fresh coleslaw - I recommend the shredded style of coleslaw, rather than chopped slaw. Shredded has the best texture for a sandwich topping. Once again, you can use storebought slaw, but I humbly believe my easy homemade coleslaw will taste best.
- Pickles - The sweetness of bread and butter pickles adds a nice finishing touch to this sandwich.
- Hamburger buns - Buttery brioche buns are fantastic for this, but a potato bun, or even ciabatta rolls would each be great.
How to make it
Make this pulled bbq chicken sandwich recipe by first shredding your cooked chicken on a cutting board, then place it into a large mixing bowl and toss to combine with the barbecue sauce. If using leftover chicken, warm everything up in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat, adding more barbecue sauce as needed until the chicken is warmed through.
Lightly toast the interior of each hamburger bun, then add the warm chicken pieces onto each bun and top with coleslaw, pickles, and the top bun. Serve immediately with French fries, potato salad, or a simple fruit salad.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Shredded bbq chicken sandwiches are great to make in advance because the leftover chicken can be reheated throughout the week to make more sandwiches when needed. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days, then reheat the chicken in the microwave to make additional sandwiches.
Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add shredded chicken to a large bowl and toss to combine with BBQ sauce until evenly coated.
- Lightly toast buns.
- Assemble sandwich by placing pulled chicken on the bottom bun, topped with coleslaw and pickles. Add the upper bun to the top and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This was originally published on June 9, 2020.
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