AMY
My go to dinner options don’t usually include any type of sandwich. To tell you the truth, I’m really not sure why that is. Especially after finding this delicious and super easy recipe for homemade barbecue chicken sliders.
Let’s talk homemade BBQ Sauce:
If the process of making your own barbecue sauce seems like too big of a task for you, please think again. Barbecue sauce is basically a tomato product, some kind of vinegar, a sweetener, some spices, and veggies of your choosing. You can honestly leave the veggie part out completely, but sometimes a little extra onion and garlic never hurts. Plus, you get control of the ingredients that you put into it. You control the salt and the quality of the ingredients.
This recipe is super easy because you cook the chicken in the same pan you will use to start the sauce. How easy does that sound?? I’ll tell you…super easy. You begin the sauce in the pan, add in your chicken, cover and cook until chicken is fork tender. Remove the chicken from the pan, reduce the sauce until thickened, shred the chicken and add the chicken back to the pan. It’s incredibly easy and unbelievably tasty. If you don’t want to cook the chicken, then buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it and add it to the sauce once it’s thickened and you’ll get the same effect. I still suggest cooking it for a while in the sauce because you really want it to marry together and become juicy and saucy.
Some like it saucy.
This sauce is sweet, smoky and spicy all in one and it’s the perfect pairing for this delicious pulled chicken. The first time I made this recipe, I only added about a cup of the sauce to the chicken and served the rest on the side. It was fine that way, but everyone who ate it ended up adding more sauce to the top of their chicken when they put it on their slider buns. When I tested it again, I added the chicken back to the thickened sauce and I think we all agreed that it was much better that way.
You do you. If you’re into saucy barbecue chicken, then follow my advice. If you like to have the option to add more sauce, then only add a cup and then serve the rest on the side.
Serve it up!
I serve these on Hawaiian style slider rolls but do what your heart desires. The chicken will be equally delicious on a pretzel bun, hamburger bun, hot dog bun, sandwich bread (made into a delicious barbecue chicken grilled cheese…) or tossed with lettuce and turned into a healthier version with a salad.
One thing that I do recommend is that you serve these barbecue chicken sliders with my cabbage slaw with creamy yogurt sauce. It gives the sandwich a little bit of texture and crunch. You get the sweet chew from the slider bun, the smoky flavor from the chicken and then a tangy crunch from the slaw and it all balances to make one of the most flavorful sandwiches you will make.
I will say that the barbecue chicken is a lot like a soup or stew and is even better the next day.
PrintBarbecue Chicken Sliders
These sliders are a huge hit for parties, week night dinners or late night snacks! The barbecue sauce is rich, thick, sweet and smoky and provides a perfect bath for the chicken to soak in. Make these immediately!!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Cuisine: BBQ
Ingredients
Chicken**
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4 – 5 cups shredded chicken
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Barbecue Sauce
- 1 – 2 teaspoons olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of your pan
- 4 teaspoons chili powder (I use ancho) *
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup brown sugar or honey
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced / grated
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Season the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper. I’d say a good 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium/low heat, add the olive oil and chili powder, cumin, coriander and paprika. Stir the spices constantly to bloom and allow the flavor to develop. Stir this for about a minute or until they become fragrant. Next, add the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar/honey, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic and chicken stock and bring it to a simmer. Season it with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Stir it constantly to try to avoid burning it. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens up a bit.
Once the sauce thickens, add the seasoned chicken nestling it right into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low for 25 – 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (internal temp 165 degrees F). When chicken is done, remove it from the pan and set aside for 5 minutes before shredding it. Keep the pan uncovered and over medium low heat and simmer again until thick.
Meanwhile, shred the chicken and then add it back to the sauce and toss to combine.
Serve this on top of small slider rolls with cabbage slaw with creamy yogurt sauce homemade (or store bought) pickles and potato chips.
Notes
**If you don’t want to cook the chicken, buy a good quality rotisserie one! Shred up all the chicken instead of only using the breasts. Save the bones for stock!!
*If you don’t want this to be a spicy sauce, leave the chili powder out. Although I typically use ancho chili powder in place of all chili powder recommendations. It’s mild enough that even my kids enjoy it.
*It will take you about 5 minutes to prep and then it took me about 10 minutes to shred 5 chicken breasts.
This recipe was adapted from Kelsey Nixon’s Instant Pot Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders
Keywords: barbecue chicken, bbq chicken, sandwiches, sandwich