Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches

Dear actual barbeque eaters of the world,

I’m sorry for misappropriating the word “barbeque” in this recipe. I could claim to simply be following in the steps of a blogger far more influential than I, but it’s no real excuse. There’s no pit in the ground, smoking, pork, or even a carefully measured spice rub – instead there’s just your favorite style of barbeque sauce pulled from the grocery store shelf added over some browned chicken and baked in an oven until it’s falling apart.

But it’s damned tasty.

And now that turning on my stove no longer makes me want to cry, I’m more than happy to have it bubbling away in the oven for an hour. I’m glad I didn’t find this recipe until recently – having to wait through the end of August to try this out would have been torture.

(And so you know – I’ve got another 2 full bottles of commercial barbeque sauce hanging out in my pantry ready for the next go-round. Yes. It’s that good)

Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches

Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman

I’m sure you can make this in the slow-cooker and make it even easier on yourself. I currently don’t have one, so I used the tried and true method of sticking an oven safe pot in the oven for a while. But if you end up adapting it for a slow-cooker, you should probably use less barbeque sauce than the recipe calls for since liquids don’t tend to evaporate as much in a slow-cooker as they do in the oven.

Ingredients

Chicken

2 lbs chicken thighs (or other parts – basically whatever you have or is cheapest)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 bottle (large) barbeque sauce

1/2 onion, sliced roughly

8 garlic cloves, whole

Slaw:

1/2 bag coleslaw mix

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon White Vinegar

1/2 tablespoon Sugar

Pinch salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Sandwich

Hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Equipment

Large oven-safe pot with oven-safe lid (or tin foil)

Instructions

Make the coleslaw: Mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Add liquid to coleslaw mix and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Before serving, toss in cilantro.

Make the chicken: Preheat oven to 300 F. Heat canola oil in oven-safe pot over medium high heat. Add chicken to pot and brown on all sides, then remove from pot onto plate. Add sliced onions and whole garlic cloves to pot and let cook for about 2 minutes. Add in barbeque sauce then chicken. Stir to coat everything well. Place lid on pot and place in oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is falling apart and can be easily separated with two forks.

Once cooked, remove the garlic cloves from pot and set aside. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred chicken – removing bones if there are any. Carefully skim off any excess fat that has risen to the top of the sauce. Once complete, return shredded chicken to pot and stir to coat entirely in the sauce. Reheat on the stove until warm.

Make the sandwich: Toast the buns or roll until they are warm and slightly crispy. Place a good amount of chicken on the bottom half of the roll, top with one or two cloves of garlic, and then add a good helping of coleslaw. Top with other half of the bun and enjoy!

Serves 8