When I need to feed a crowd but want to keep it casual, I go for the Pulled Chicken Sammys and Slaw! You can make the chicken in advance and reheat when ready, making it one of the most convenient crowd pleasers ever.
This recipe is sponsored by The Sauce Goddess!
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BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Creamy Coleslaw on blue platter

 

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Creamy Coleslaw: Delicious, Convenient, Easy!

If I am serving this meal for a get together I make the chicken a day in advance so I can relax at my own party. It’s also great to bring to outdoor parties or picnics, as long as you have a place to reheat and add the BBQ sauce, like a grill, it works!

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Creamy Coleslaw on blue platter with a bowl of BBQ pulled chicken and a bowl of coleslaw

 

Making The Chicken:

To make pulled chicken I use an Instant Pot. A crock pot works great too, so don’t panic.The advantage of the Instant Pot is that it takes minutes versus hours, but either way you end up with tender, juicy chicken! To shred the chicken you have two options. Option 1: two forks. Use one fork to hold the meat down and use the other fork to ‘pull’ the chicken into shreds. If you have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer you can simply place meat in the mixer with the ‘flat beater’ attachment and let the machine take care of it in seconds. Both ways work well so don’t sweat it if you don’t have a mixer.

 

Shredded chicken on platter with gold fork for BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Slaw!

 

The Sweet and Spicy Sauce:

After ‘pulling’ the chicken you simply stir in BBQ Sauce. I used award winning Sweet and Spicy Grilling and Dipping Sauce from Sauce Goddess. It’s slightly sweet with a nice spicy kick, no-GMO and gluten free! Sauce Goddess also makes spice rubs, relishes and caramel corn. You can order directly from their website, or click to find stores that carry Sauce Goddess products near you!

A jar of BBQ sauce for Pulled Chicken Sammy's and Slaw!

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Slaw in a bowl on wooden table

The Slaw!

I know, I know, people seem to have really strong opinions about coleslaw. They either love it or hate it. My coleslaw is creamy and delicious and the perfect compliment to almost any BBQ sauce, and not only do you need some veggies in this recipe but you need balance, and that is what this coleslaw provides! So I encourage you to try it even if you aren’t usually a fan. And just looks how pretty it is!

A bowl of creamy coleslaw on wood table BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Slaw

 

The Recipe: BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Creamy Coleslaw

What you need: an Instant Pot or crock pot, a delicious BBQ sauce and as always a good knife!

Print
BBQ Pulled Chicken Sammys and Slaw
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

A crowd pleaser made in the Instant Pot or crock pot!  This recipe includes crock pot and Instant Pot instructions.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crowd pleaser, easy dinner recipe, Instant Pot
Author: Linda Spiker
Ingredients
For chicken:
  • 2 bone in skin on chicken breasts
  • 4 bone in skin on thighs
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1-1 1/2 cups warm BBQ Sauce (or desired amount)
  • Desired amount of sandwich buns
For Slaw:
  • 2/3 head small green cabbage, very thinly sliced and then chopped
  • 1/4 head small purple cabbage, very thinly sliced and chopped
  • 1 large carrot, grated finely
  • 1 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 1/2 cup good quality Mayo
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. To make this recipe quickly, prepare coleslaw while chicken is in the Instant Pot.
Chicken using Instant Pot:
  1. Salt and pepper chicken to taste, set aside
  2. Place broth, onions and garlic in bottom of Instant Pot
  3. Add wire rack trivet and place chicken on top
  4. Plug in Instant Pot (yeah, you gotta do that)
  5. Seal the Instant Pot lid closed and make sure steam vent is in 'sealed' position
  6. Press "manual", "high pressure" and press the + or - button until the timer says 15 minutes

  7. Wait a few seconds and the machine will say "on" and make a beep. That's it. The pressure will build and soon the machine will cook and count down the minutes. When it gets to zero you will hear a beep and the machine will switch over to "low" . Leave the chicken at 'low' for at least five minutes or as long as 20. That will keep the chicken warm until you are ready to shred.

  8. With a hot pad or wooden spoon carefully turn steam vent to 'open' and allow steam to completely release before opening lid.

  9. Remove chicken, discarding broth and onions

  10. When chicken is warm but cool enough to handle, use forks to remove skin and fat from chicken (discard)

  11. Use your hands to remove meat from bones and use two forks or kitchen aid 'flat beater' to shred chicken (see instructions in blog post above)

  12. Add warm bbq sauce and mix thoroughly, place on top of a bun, add coleslaw and enjoy!
Chicken Using Crock Pot:

  1. Salt and pepper chicken to taste, set aside

  2. Place broth, onions and garlic in bottom of crock pot, add chicken on top
  3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours
  4. Remove chicken, discarding broth and onions
  5. Use forks to remove skin from chicken (discard)
  6. Remove meat from bones and use two forks or kitchen aid 'flat beater' to shred chicken (see instructions in blog post above)
  7. Add warm BBQ sauce to chicken and mix thoroughly, place meat on a bun and top with coleslaw. Enjoy!
For Cole Slaw:
  1. Prepare veggies and toss in a bowl.
  2. Whisk together dressing ingredients, drizzle over cabbage and carrots, toss. Season with sea salt and pepper if needed.