Barbecue pulled chicken is super easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser!

This is one of those recipes that turned out delicious at the first attempt. I was just trying to recreate the chicken we use to fill empanadas in Venezuela and one thing led to another.

I used half of this recipe with arepas and kept the other half in the refrigerator.  I was going to freeze it but instead I decided to use it to make some sliders with coleslaw on top. I added some barbecue sauce to warm the leftover chicken up and that’s how this recipe was created!

I use rotisserie chicken. It is already cooked, full of flavor and most importantly juicy! You can roast the chicken at home if you prefer. Since I use the store-bought one it takes me no time to pull this recipe off.

One of the secrets is to sauté the onion, red pepper and garlic first and season them as you cook them. Add the turmeric, cumin and tomato paste and then add the veggie or chicken broth to deglaze and remove the bits from the bottom of the pan (that’s where all the flavors are!). Since the chicken has already been cooked you don’t need to let it simmer for more than 10 – 15 minutes.

This chicken is amazing for entertaining and also for a quick weeknight dinner.

We love to grill the buns with a little olive oil. It will toast the buns with a great grilled flavor. Spread the chicken in the bottom and add a couple of tablespoons of coleslaw and voila, that’s all you need!

You can use my recipe for coleslaw and omit the mango or just add pineapple instead. I love pineapple with barbecue!

Enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 medium/small roasted chicken

1 bell red pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 sweet onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of turmeric

2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp of tomato paste

1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

(I used Annie’s Organic Smokey Maple)

1 1/2 – 3/4 of vegetable ir chicken broth

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of butter

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp of dry thyme

Parsley for garnishing

Instructions

Finely shred the chicken (white and dark meat) wih two forks. Place in a big bowl and set aside.

Place olive oil and butter in a 12 inch frying pan at medium heat. Add the onion, stir for a couple of minutes and add the red pepper. Season with a touch of salt and pepper and the thyme. Stir and sauté at medium for about 6-7 minuted or until onions are traslucent. Stir in the garlic.

Add turmeric, Worcestershire sauce and continue stirring. Add cumin and tomato paste.  Add the chicken and mix with the sauted onions and peppers. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes and add the broth to deglaze the pan.

Add the barbecue sauce, mix in and let it simmer at low temperature for at least 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with some fresh parsley and serve!

Notes

This chicken is great over white rice, inside arepas and it is especially delicious in sliders or sandwiches with coleslaw or pickled onions on top! We love to spread some olive oil on the buns and grill them for sandwiches!