Fantastic Foodie Friday ~ Chef Richard Blais’ Pulled Chicken Sandwich

 

Barbeque is usually loaded with calories and fat, but not this version by Chef Richard Blais! Instead of pork, Richard uses chicken to make this tasty sandwich. With reduced-sugar BBQ sauce and a whole wheat bun, this sandwich is less than half the calories of the traditional pulled pork dish.

Ingredients
12 white meat chicken breasts

Brine
4 qts of cold water
2 cups of kosher salt
1 cup of brown sugar
3 tbsp of black pepper
3 tbsp of garlic powder

Carolina BBQ Sauce
1 cup of prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
3/4 cup of cider vinegar
1/4 cup of apple juice
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp of white pepper
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tbsp of onion powder
1/2 tbsp of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of butter

Coleslaw
1 head of green cabbage (cored and shredded)
3 carrots (peeled and julienned or shredded)
1 tbsp of celery seed
1 tbsp of kosher salt
1 tbsp of black pepper
1/4 cup of chines mustard
1/2 cup of pickled ginger juice
3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
3 bunches of green onions (thinly sliced)

Directions
For brine: Heat to a simmer about 15 minutes. Cool to at least cold to touch. Pour over chicken to cover. Let the chicken brine for at least 1 hour. Wash and pat dry for smoking.

For BBQ sauce: Mix all except soy and butter. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 more minutes. Cool and store.

Grill the chicken with Carolina BBQ sauce and pull it.

For the coleslaw: Mix well and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

For the sandwich: Spread tzatziki on bottom whole wheat bun. Layer pulled chicken on top. Top with coleslaw.