Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches

Fifty Shades of Chicken, p. 53

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup light molasses

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco or other chile sauce, plus more for serving

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken

6 soft buns, toasted and buttered, for serving

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Shredded cabbage or lettuce, for serving (optional)

Pickles, for serving (optional)

To prepare the barbecue sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring until the onions are soft and browned, about 15 minutes. 

I love the magic of cooking that turns this...

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the molasses, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, Tabasco sauce, and spices and puree until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

...into this!

Gently pull apart the chicken, taking care to gather every bit of flesh, wresting it from the bone; chop any large pieces of skin into bite-size morsels. Toss the chicken bits with just enough of the barbecue sauce to coat it. Taste and stir in more of the hot sauce if you want it even hotter.

For me, "just enough" meant the whole batch. But I also got a pretty sizeable rotisserie chicken.

Stuff the pulled pullet into the hot, buttered buns and top with onions, cabbage, and pickles, if using. Enjoy.

Served with some Zapp's Voodoo chips - a great complement!

My Rating: 5/5 "This is an amazing from-scratch barbecue sauce. It's robust without being syrupy and has a lot of nuance to its flavor. The cabbage and pickles added nice flavor and texture, too. Excellent stuff."