Name: Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 can (300 mL) pure tomato sauce; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar; 1/3 cup honey*; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp chili powder; 4 drops liquid smoke**; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 2 1/2 pounds cooked, shredded chicken; 4-6 brioche buns; optional: pickles, for topping; 3/4 cup mayonnaise; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 1 tbsp maple syrup; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 4 cups shredded green cabbage; 3 cups shredded purple cabbage; 2 cups shredded carrots

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This is the easiest method to make moist, delicious pulled chicken sandwiches all from scratch! Tender, juicy chicken covered in a homemade sauce, served on a soft bun and topped with a light and crisp coleslaw!

If you’ve been following along you might remember my Dutch oven pulled chicken that I posted a couple of weeks ago; well, you guessed right. I’m incorporating that wonderful, functional recipe into today’s pulled chicken sandwiches!

I love this recipe because it is EASY, and everyone in my house loves it. I also love that it is a great fallback recipe to feed a crowd if we’re having dinner guests over. The sauce for these sandwiches is made completely from scratch, no weird preservatives here! A great recipe for lunch or dinner, summer or winter. Save this one!

Ingredients for Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

For these sandwiches you’ll need a batch of my Dutch oven pulled chicken, or about the equivalent of 2 rotisserie chickens shredded and cut up. This works out to around 2 1/2 pounds of cooked chicken meat.

For the sauce, you’ll need:

pure tomato sauce
tomato paste
apple cider vinegar
honey
Worcestershire sauce
dijon mustard
garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder
liquid smoke
salt
pepper

Ingredient Substitutions

Honey: If you prefer to use maple syrup in your cooking, you can substitute this 1 for 1

Liquid Smoke: I really enjoy using liquid smoke in all of my homemade barbecue sauces, as it adds that wonderful smoky flavour! If you don’t have it or don’t care to use it, you can add smoked paprika to the sauce (about 1 tsp) if you have it on hand. Otherwise, just leave it out.

Homemade Coleslaw Ingredients

You can absolutely use a premade coleslaw to top these sandwiches with, but I highly recommend making your own! If the idea of shredding cabbage sounds exhausting to you, use a pre shredded bag of coleslaw!

For the coleslaw you’ll need:

mayonnaise (I like this Chosen brand)
apple cider vinegar
Dijon mustard
maple syrup
salt
pepper
shredded green cabbage
shredded red cabbage
shredded carrot

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Recipe Directions for Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Luckily, this recipe requires very few instructions as you’ll already have cooked chicken on hand!

1. In a medium saucepan on the stove, over medium heat, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, from the tomato sauce to the salt and pepper.

2. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, then turn it to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken up. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you see fit! Remember, just add a little at a time of whatever you think its missing.

3. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the coleslaw by whisking together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and salt and pepper. Combine the dressing with the shredded cabbages and the carrots, and mix everything together. I sometimes taste and add a bit more salt if I think it needs it!

4. Once the pulled chicken sauce is ready, add it to the precooked, shredded chicken. I like to have the chicken warmed up at the same time as I’m adding the sauce. Stir everything together until the chicken is totally coated in the sauce.

5. On an open bun, smear a bit of mayo on both sides, then add the coleslaw on one half, topping it with as much chicken as you think is appropriate. Place a couple of pickle slices on top, if you desire, then place the other half of the bun on top. Enjoy your sandwich!! Easy peasy.

What Goes Well With Pulled Chicken Sandwiches?

There are soooo many sides and salads on the blog that would go great with a pulled chicken sandwich!! I love to serve these with the following:

Other Favourites From The Blog

You’ve got to try out these other favourites from the blog!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

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Author: Katherine | Love In My Oven
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6–8 servings 1x

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

1 can (300 mL) pure tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey*
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
4 drops liquid smoke**
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 pounds cooked, shredded chicken
4–6 brioche buns
optional: pickles, for topping

Homemade Coleslaw

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups shredded green cabbage
3 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots

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Instructions

In a medium saucepan on the stove, over medium heat, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, from the tomato sauce to the salt and pepper.
Allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil, then turn it to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken up. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you see fit! Remember, just add a little at a time of whatever you think its missing.
Prepare the coleslaw. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the coleslaw by whisking together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and salt and pepper. Combine the dressing with the shredded cabbages and the carrots, and mix everything together. I sometimes taste and add a bit more salt if I think it needs it!
Once the pulled chicken sauce is ready, add it to the precooked, shredded chicken. I like to have the chicken warmed up at the same time as I’m adding the sauce. Stir everything together until the chicken is totally coated in the sauce.
Make the sandwich. On an open bun, smear a bit of extra mayonnaise on both sides, then add the coleslaw on one half, topping it with as much chicken as you think is appropriate. Place a couple of pickle slices on top, if you desire, then place the other half of the bun on top.

The chicken coated in the sauce will keep, in an airtight container, in the fridge, for 2-3 days. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months and thawed overnight in the fridge.