Poultry
Jump to Recipe
by Jessica October 12, 2015
I’ve figured out how we can actually take a BITE out of fall.
This!!
Right here. Saucy pomegranate BBQed chicken covered in sweet and crunchy apple slaw.
Sounds about right to me.
I wish I could wear pomegranate arils as jewelry. Can’t even take their prettiness.
Can we talk about how wonderfully full of FALL this past weekend was? Our weather was fantastic and the leaves are just changing, it was still super sunny and warm but you could smell autumn in the air. I feel like this sounds like a used car commercial or something but it was dreamy.
Annnnd I am 100% sold on shoving as many fall activities into each weekend that I can before November gets here.
We went to the most crowded ever pumpkin patch/farm ever and neither Eddie nor Max threw any sort of tantrum.I mean, seriously. These kind of events can trigger road rage-like behavior while on foot when there are hundreds of people. Am I right?
This BBQ sauce is another extension of my pomegranate obsession and it’s completely packed with flavor. The thing is that the molasses (and pom juice) is fairly tart, so you might want to adjust the sweetness of the sauce. Or maybe add a little heat. Or do what you want!
But you know me. Give me alllll the super vinegary and tart briney things ever in the universe. It still will not be enough. (of course it won’t. I’m a millennial.)
OMG. Speaking of being a millennial. Do you know what headline I saw on the (internet) news this weekend? That counseling is up because milennials “can’t deal with their everyday life.”
Whaaaaaaat. GROSS.
This makes me hate everything, We are the worst.
As I write that I am sipping a pumpkin beer. So there’s that.
What isn’t the worst? Juicy chicken sandwiches!! They taste better with lots of exclamation points, in case you were wondering.
This is my go-to chicken starter at the moment: I brown (like, really brown) some boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are covered in tons of spices. I like to use a touch of both olive oil and butter. Once they are super golden and caramely on the outsides, I shred them (often using my stand mixer for that, because laziness) and take it from there. This is no different and it’s super easy. Not as easy as the crockpot, so if you want to take that route, go for it.
Then… covered in the BBQ sauce.
THEN. Cover itin the most delicious crunchy apple slaw. I used honeycrisp apples and sliced them into thin match-like sticks. Tossed those with some sliced napa cabbage and a few herbs, a touch of olive oil and honey and a hit of salt and pepper.
Whoa whoa whoa. How I did not eat that alone by itself, one will never know. Delicious.
The only thing to complete this fabulous sandwich is one buttery brioche bun. You deserve it! Maybe double the butter and then lightly toast it. Serve these with some hard cider and I think you’ll have a lot of new friends. Or at least, one heck of a meal that does not include pumpkin.
Yield: 4 to 6
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 1 vote
Leave a Review »
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- brioche buns for serving
pomegranate BBQ sauce
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
apple slaw
- 2 apples, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 head napa cabbage, sliced into shreds
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Heat a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Whisk together the sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Rub it all over the chicken. Add the olive oil and butter to the skillet. Place the chicken in the oil once hot and brown on both sides until deeply golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. I sometimes cover the skillet while doing this and it helps cook the chicken through.
Once browned, remove the chicken and shred it (I use my stand mixer). Return the chicken to the skillet with the drippings and toss well to coat. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce. Serve the chicken on the brioche with extra BBQ sauce and apple slaw.
pomegranate BBQ sauce
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together until combined. Heat oven medium heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, until thickened. Stir occasionally. Taste and if it seems too tart, stir in a little extra honey and cook for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit at room temperature until it cools and thickens even more.
Store in a jar or sealed container in the fridge. Note: if you want a lot of extra sauce, I’d double this.
apple slaw
Toss the apple, scallions, cabbage and cilantro together in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and honey. Drizzle it over the slaw and toss well to evenly coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Top your sandwiches!
Course: Main Course, Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
ADORE.
posted in: Poultry, Recipes, Sandwiches 43 comments
Order My New Book:
Everyday Dinners
Real-life recipes to set your family up for a week of success.
Order Now:Bookshop//Amazon//Target
Barnes & Noble//IndieBound//Apple Books
« Previous PostWeekend Things.
Next Post »Tuesday Things.
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Leave a Reply
-
Tori — Reply
Give me a bbq sandwich folowe by a little chocolate and I’ll be the happiest person alive forever! These sandwiches look amazing!
-
Taylor@Food Faith Fitness — Reply
Can I just say that this looks like one of the BEST chicken sandwich recipes ever? I think that slaw makes it divine! Pinning :)
-
Kristina — Reply
These look to die for. That BBQ sauce sounds delicious, something special. And the apple slaw fits perfectly with the rest.
-
Mollie K — Reply
DROOL. I think I will go the slow cooker route because laziness…and I am literally sitting here imagining how dysfunctional my matchstick cut apple slices will look because I have no skills but I am a perfectionist so it is going to drive me bananas that they don’t look pretty!
-
Kat — Reply
In defense of us millennials, I think counseling is up because there is less stigma associated with mental health disorders now than before. As someone who is studying to be a mental health professional, I think that’s an extremely good sign, so yay us!
-
Amelia — Reply
Agreed. Also, as a counterargument to the millennial hate in general and specifically on this issue: http://www.salon.com/2015/10/10/14131480_partner/
-
M —
Thanks for sharing something thoughtful in this space. From the charity I work for, as well as from a personal perspective, it’s always heartening to find relevant topics being discussed and considered with a feeling of potential for positive change.
-
-
-
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions — Reply
I LOVE everything about this! The pics, the pomegranate BBQ sauce (OMG!) and the apple slaw! Pulled pork sandwiches were on the menu for dinner tonight and I am totally changing it to make them this way!
-
Alyssa — Reply
Oh oh oh oh. This looks SO good! You are so good at seasonal foods!
Alyssa | Glitter and Grey
-
Rachel — Reply
I usually don’t comment much on recipe posts, but I just had to today because this not only looks rather delicious, but it has put a smile on my face at my desk where I’m wrapped in my scarf like a blanket and absolutely freezing!
-
Elaine @Flavour and Savour — Reply
I really enjoyed reading this post and your fabulous photos. While this sandwich looks delish, the best part for me was your line “one heck of a meal that does not include pumpkin.” When will pumpkinmania end?? lol
-
gerry @ Foodness Gracious — Reply
Wow, this is major epic high five stuff!! I need to get on board with pomegranates stat.
-
Paige Flamm — Reply
These chicken sandwiches look incredible! My mouth is seriously watering just looking at them! I’m definitely pinning this recipe to save for later.
-
Barbara | Creative Culinary — Reply
Not that I’m anti-pumpkin, well, maybe I am a little, but I’m absolutely PRO Pomegranate; one of my favorites of the season! This looks fantastic, almost worth the hassle of cleaning one myself!
-
-
Tonya — Reply
Megan here’s her response from a previous post..
“i can usually find mine near the honey, but they definitely have it at whole foods! you can also look in the worldwide foods section of your grocery store.” -Jessica
See this post:
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/10/pomegranate-roasted-carrots-with-feta-and-brown-butter/-
Megan Brown —
Thanks!
-
-
-
Tonya — Reply
This is one delicious sandwich! I need to get my hands on this pomegranate molasses, it’s the business!
-
Blanca — Reply
I had a version of skinless chicken thighs sandwiches on the menu for tonight, using your chicken recipe from the smoky grilled chicken pita flatbreads with creamy feta post, but changing to this instead! That pomegranate molasses is a priority!
-
Happy Valley Chow — Reply
That barbecue sauce looks soo stinkin good so does the apple slaw…looks like a perfece pairing. Great job :)
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow -
Bella B — Reply
Goodness, I am totally craving this now. It looks so tasty!
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
-
Ahhh — you’re SO onto something delicious here!! I can live on sandwiches like this!! And give me all the smokey tangy bar-be-que sauce.
-
Stephanie — Reply
pomegranate arils jewelry on google. Thank me later.
-
Robyn @Real Food Whole LIfe — Reply
Oh. my. word. This looks amazing. I feel like I need to adapt this into a slow cooker recipe asap (just as soon as I make your original recipe this weekend)! xxoo
-
Erin — Reply
It will be stupid not to try this. It looks really light and fresh for a burger. And gals on a diet like me always appreciate delicious stuff that don’t make us break (at least not much) our meal plan.
Thanks for sharing, sweetie :) -
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings — Reply
This looks like fall on a plate! I would love to try this as a bowl without the bun. This slaw looks like a perfect side dish on its own. Yum.
-
mascasa — Reply
¡Fantástica receta! Fácil de elaborar, con buenas fotografías y un resultado final delicioso. Muchas gracias por compartirlo con todos/as.
/ http://www.mascasaonline.com -
Simone — Reply
Made this last night and it was so STINKIN AMAZING. I had everything but pomegranate molasses, but it was delicious regardless. My husband is stoked for leftovers in his lunch today.
You’re a genius.
-
Brian @ A Thought For Food — Reply
That BBQ sauce. How does one resist putting that on everything? And the slaw. I mean, this is one tasty (and wonderfully messy) looking sandwich!
-
Katalina @ Peas & Peonies — Reply
That bbq pomegranate sauce is killer, I am going to get my hands on some and make it.
-
Alanna Kellogg — Reply
So for six months I knew my best friends would be over for dinner/book club last night. But yesterday morning? No menu, still. And then this popped up in my news feed — that was it! Even with three things to make and a long list of ingredients — most were pantry items, I only needed to stop for chicken, Napa cabbage and pomegranate juice. RAVE REVIEWS! My friends especially appreciated a non-tomato BBQ sauce and the touch of cilantro in the slaw. Total win — thanks so much! FYI I made biscuits for the bread, that really worked too.
-
Pingback: friday things. | Erin Brown Writes
-
Alison — Reply
Like all your recipes, this looks and sounds amazing! I’ve never thought to put apples in slaw for bbq sandwiches, but that’s brilliant! I’m adding this to my bucketlist of recipes to try this year! :)
-
Pingback: 19 Healthy Burgers and Fries for Your Summer BBQ | The Health Sessions
-
Pingback: Recipes That Taste Even Better As Leftovers • BrightonTheDay
-
Pingback: Autumn Harvest Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Homemade Apple BBQ sauce - Use Your Noodles
