Tired of Pork? Give This BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders Recipe a Try Instead

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Barbecue is a universal cooking method that takes shape differently across the globe. Korean BBQ is known for its tabletop grilling method, meant to be eaten on the spot with sides of lettuce and ssamjang. Barbecue in Mexico is the opposite; it is grilled in a pit and slow-roasted for hours. Even American barbecue has different regional styles, some sauces are thick and sweet while others are punchy and acidic. Whichever way it’s made, it’s not made quickly: Most meats are smoked, grilled, or roasted slowly, then pulled into tender pieces and served with a generous helping of sauce. In other words, barbecue is an all-day affair. That’s where our BBQ chicken sliders recipe comes in handy.

There is a way to have the taste of classic American BBQ in half the time without the need for a smoker or even a grill. The answer to a last-minute barbecue craving is chicken, which is both cheaper and quicker to cook than the large pieces of pork and beef that usually make up the BBQ scene. In this recipe written with developer Michelle McGlinn, chicken breasts are added to a slow cooker with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and plenty of seasonings to create a fast, easy, and delicious version of BBQ sliders in half the time. Served with a spicy jalapeño slaw, this is the BBQ recipe you need for nights when smoked ribs and sliced brisket just aren’t in the cards.

To make the chicken for the sliders, you’ll need chicken breasts or thighs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, brown sugar, and your favorite BBQ sauce. We used Sweet Baby Ray’s, a classic sweet-and-spunky sauce, but you can use anything from Hawaiian to Carolina gold. From there, you’ll need to grab shredded cabbage and carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper to make the coleslaw, and a pack of slider buns to make it all into sandwiches.

Mix together the BBQ sauce, spices, and sugar in the bowl of a slow cooker.

Add the chicken and stir to coat.

Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-6.

In the meantime, make the coleslaw. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Add the cabbage, carrot, cilantro, and jalapeño and mix to combine well.

When the chicken is ready, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it.

Add chicken to slider buns and top with coleslaw to serve.

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Barbecue sauces are traditionally used as a finishing sauce on smoked and grilled meats like pork, beef, and chicken. Because this recipe isn’t made using the traditional methods, the barbecue sauce is used a little unconventionally, too, being layered onto the chicken before the cooking process even begins. Almost acting as a glaze or marinade, the flavor of the barbecue sauce makes all the difference in this recipe, and choosing one that works well with chicken is important.

There are a few ways to choose the best BBQ sauce for your grilled meats, or in this case, your pulled chicken. Chicken, according to champion pitmaster Christie Vanover, pairs best with mustard or vinegar-based sauces that are typically flavorful and zingy. For this slow-cooker version, we recommend staying away from mayonnaise-based Alabama BBQ sauce and instead opting for a mustard-based sauce like Carolina gold, a vinegar-based sauce like Carolina vinegar, or, like we did, a Kansas City style sauce with ketchup (or tomato paste) as the base. If you really want to think outside of the box, take it Nando’s style and use Peri-Peri sauce.

Pulled meats don’t need to be made in a Crockpot and can even be a little faster when braised, instead; the drawback, of course, is that you may not want to leave your stove on for hours, whereas a slow cooker can be left alone all day. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can instead make this in the oven or on the stove. If you’re making it on the stove, first sear the chicken to brown it, then add the remaining ingredients and ½ cup chicken broth. Cover the pot and let the chicken simmer in the ingredients until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

To make this recipe in the oven, add all of the ingredients to a small casserole dish and toss the chicken to coat. Add to an oven preheated to 300 F and roast for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until pull-apart tender. If you do own a grill, you can also make the chicken that way by heating the grates to about 275 F — or medium low — and cooking the chicken over indirect heat for up to 2 hours, or until pull-apart tender.

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