BBQ Chicken Sandwich (Printable)

Tender shredded chicken in smoky barbecue sauce with crisp slaw and pickles on a soft bun.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or grilled and sliced (about 1.1 lb)

→ Barbecue Sauce

02 - 1 cup barbecue sauce (store-bought or homemade)

→ Sandwich

03 - 4 soft sandwich buns or brioche buns
04 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional, for toasting buns)

→ Slaw

05 - 1 cup shredded green cabbage
06 - 1/2 cup shredded carrots
07 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
08 - 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Toppings

11 - Sliced pickles
12 - Red onion rings

# Steps:

01 - Grill or poach chicken breasts until internal temperature reaches 165°F, then shred using two forks.
02 - In a bowl, toss shredded or sliced chicken with barbecue sauce until fully combined.
03 - Combine cabbage, carrots, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl; mix thoroughly.
04 - Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; place buns cut-side down and toast until golden brown, about 1 minute.
05 - Layer barbecue chicken on bottom half of buns, add slaw if desired, top with pickles and red onion, then cover with top bun halves.
06 - Enjoy sandwiches immediately while warm.

# Chef’s Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can feed four people without spending your whole afternoon in the kitchen.
  • The slaw adds this bright, cool contrast that keeps the sandwich from feeling heavy, even when you're eating something gloriously messy.
  • You can use store-bought sauce and rotisserie chicken if you want, or go homemade—it adapts to whatever you've got.
02 -
  • Toast your buns even if you're tempted to skip it—untoasted buns will collapse under the sauce within minutes, and that single extra step transforms everything.
  • If your barbecue sauce is thin or runny, the sandwich will become a knife-and-fork situation; slightly thicker sauce clings to the chicken and stays where it belongs.
03 -
  • Add a dash of hot sauce to your barbecue sauce if you want heat, or a spoonful of mustard if you want tanginess—small tweaks that make it feel like your own creation.
  • Grill the chicken instead of poaching it if you have time; the charred edges add a layer of flavor that really shines through the sauce.
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