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Adding BBQ pulled chicken topped with a lip-smacking applesauce BBQ sauce and crispy apple coleslaw to a soft brioche bun for one of the most amazing BBQ chicken sandwiches you’ll ever eat!
The Perfect Fall and Football Sandwich
This sandwich started with a vision of how to use a recipe I created for a client. The other day I posted a recipe for an Apple Sauce BBQ Sauce that has been in my family for years.
That sauce is amazing. As I was making it I was thinking, “what are some different ways to use this sauce”. Yes, it’s amazing on pulled pork, grilled chicken, and so forth but I really wanted it on a pulled chicken sandwich.
But I couldn’t just give you a sandwich with BBQ sauce and chicken. It needed balance and something fresh, and light to balance it out. And definitely some crunchy texture.
So I created my Fall Apple Coleslaw With A Honey Dijon Vinaigrette recipe. I kept the dressing light as I wanted the BBQ sauce to shine through.
Grab Your Ingredients
With this recipe, it’s going to assume you already made your chicken, the BBQ sauce, and the apple coleslaw. I’ll share later on some ways to make the chicken.
- Cooked and shredded/pulled chicken
- Apple Coleslaw
- Apple Sauce BBQ Sauce
- Brioche Buns
Let’s Assemble The Sandwiches
Whether you make these as full sandwiches or sliders on those sweet Hawaiian rolls, the process is the same. These are great for a cookout or for hanging with the guys watching football!
- Mix the warmed chicken with warm BBQ sauce and place it on the bottom of the bun.
- Next, drizzle on more BBQ sauce and top with the slaw.
- Put on the top bun and ENJOY!
Suggestions On Cooking The Chicken From Scratch
Now there is no harm in buying one of those pre-made rotisserie chickens and shredded that. However, if you want to make it from scratch you have a ton of options:
- Instant Pot – Simply poach the chicken (thighs/breasts) in the instant pot and your favorite BBQ dry rub and stock. When it’s done, pull/shred.
- Oven – Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat the chicken with olive oil and your favorite BBQ seasoning. Place in a rimmed baking pan/dish and bake uncovered for 22-26 minutes or until the internal temp reads 165F. Shred/pull the meat apart with 2 forks or use your mixer.
- Grill – Season your thighs/breasts with olive oil and your favorite BBQ seasoning. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness). You’ll know it’s done when the thermometer reads 165F. Pop the warm chicken in a mixer and shred it with the paddle attachment.
- Smoker – Coat with olive oil and your favorite BBQ dry rub. Preheat the smoker to 225F. Place the boneless chicken directly on the grates and smoke for about 1 hour or until the internal temp reads 165F. Shred with the mixer or 2 forks.
For an awesome all-purpose chicken seasoning, I prefer THIS ONE or THIS ONE. Honestly, all of the seasonings by 2 Gringos Chupacabra are EXCEPTIONAL! This is a great sampler pack to try many of them out!
The Perfect Fall and Football Sandwich
PrintThe Most Amazing Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Crisp Apple Coleslaw
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: sandwich, bbq, smoked, fall, football foods, tailgating, home gating
- Method: grill, smoker, bbq, oven
- Cuisine: sandwich, bbq, smoked, fall, football foods, tailgating, home gating
Adding BBQ pulled chicken topped with a lip-smacking applesauce BBQ sauce and crispy apple coleslaw to a soft brioche bun for one of the most amazing BBQ chicken sandwiches you’ll ever eat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and pulled chicken, hot *See post for cooking instructions
- 1/4 cup plus extra for drizzling Apple Sauce BBQ Sauce, warmed
- 1 1/3 cups Apple Coleslaw
- 4 Brioche Buns
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the cooked and pulled chicken with 1/4 cup of the Apple Sauce BBQ Sauce, and set aside.
- To the bottom of 4 buns, add 1/2 cup of the BBQ-pulled chicken. Next, drizzle on 1-2 Tablespoons of the Apple Sauce BBQ Sauce.
- Top with 1/3 cup of the Apple Coleslaw, add the top of the bun, and enjoy!
Francine A says
Cant wait to make this.
Lori says
We love this recipe so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Karen D says
love the idea of apple in the coleslaw!
Lori says
It’s so good in this slaw!!
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Sheri Lee says
wow!! so unique – I would have never thought to add apple sauce to bbq, but it give it that special extra something!! Love this recipe
Lori says
OMG it’s amazing!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Roberta Goschler says
Another winner of a recipe!
Lori says
Thank you Roberta!
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Adrienne says
This slaw looks so tasty and would be great with chicken or even pork! So perfect for fall!
Lori says
Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Dea Varner says
Made this wonderful coleslaw today to go with some crockpot pulled pork sandwiches I made. The coleslaw is soo flavorful-spicy yet sweet from the Dijon mustard and honey and this recipe is very quick and easy to throw together! Will definitely be making this again!
TKWAdmin says
So happy you loved it! It’s definitely perfect for Fall!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Zena says
We made this for Labor day and wow you weren’t kidding!!! This sandwich is phenomenal! So flavorful and just absolutely incredible! This sandwich will definitely be on the menu for each football game!
TKWAdmin says
Yeah! So happy you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!