After making the roasted apple bbq sauce I couldn’t help but use it on something other than simple grilled pork tenderloin medallions and these tasty bbq pulled chicken sandwiches were up next! The idea for these bbq pulled chicken sandwiches came from one of my favourite slow cooker recipes the slow cooker bacon wrapped apple bbq chicken, I mean you really can’t go wrong with tender chicken in a sweet and tangy bbq sauce along with apples and bacon and placing it all in a sandwich with a tasty apple slaw only makes it better! Although I used my roasted apple bbq sauce, any bbq sauce will work since additional apples go into the slow cooker along with the chicken and they melt into the sauce infusing it with apple-y goodness. The bbq pulled chicken filling is as easy to make as throwing everything into the slow cooker so the only real effort required for these sandwiches comes in making the apple slaw, but it is so worth it!
Whenever you have a bbq pulled meat sandwich it is always nice to throw something into the mix to help cut through all of the flavours and a crisp, fresh apple slaw is the perfect way to do it for these pulled apple/bacon bbq pulled chicken sandwiches! I kept the apple slaw really simple with apples and cabbage and instead of placing it in the more typical mayo based dressing I used a lighter maple dijon dressing which I made creamy with the addition of some Greek yogurt. This slaw is sure to please, and disappear quickly, no matter how you use it but the apple and maple dijon combo perfectly complements these apple bacon pulled chicken sandwiches!
A heaping pile of cheddar cheese never hurts!
This super fresh apple slaw in a creamy maple dijon dressing is so addictively good that I could devour bowls of it all by itself! (It is amazing in this sandwich as well!)
Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Apple Slaw
Apple and bacon BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with a fresh crunchy apple slaw.
ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 4 buns
- 1 batch apple slaw (see below)
directions
- Place the chicken, apples, onion, bacon and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks and mix it back into the mixture in the crockpot.
- Load the shredded chicken into the buns, top with the slaw and enjoy!
Apple Slaw
A sweet and tart apple and cabbage slaw in a creamy maple dijon dressing.
ingredients
- 2 apples, julienned
- 2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 2 green onions, sliced thinly
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
For the slaw:
For the creamy maple dijon dressing:
directions
- Mix the apples, cabbage, carrot and green onions and toss in the mixture of the yogurt, cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.
Option: Replace the Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of oil for lactose free version.
Tip: Use a mandoline to quickly shred the cabbage and slice the apples and carrots thinly in one direction and use a knife to slice thinly in the other direction.
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Kevin, this is a sandwich I need to stuff my face with! You make everything look so scrumptious here on your blog. I. DIE. Thanks for sharing with us. Pinned!
Kevin we can use any kind of apple for the chicken ?
Oh my gosh this looks amazing!!! I can't wait to try this!
I want this now! Kevin, this looks like one amazing sandwich!
I am making this tomorrow cannot wait. Went grocery shopping today and planned on not going out tomorrow but I have to have this great looking sandwich, need to go buy the cabbage. YUM!!!!!
준: Any kind of apples will work. If you want it more on the savoury side a granny smith is good and if you want it more on the sweet side something like a honey crisp would be nice. Enjoy!
I have always enjoyed apple and bbq together. Love the idea of an apple slaw on the sandwich!
Gotta try shredding your chicken in the Kitchenaid mixer. Who knew the dreaded fork way could be improved upon.
Would this recipe work with pork shoulder?
Lili: Yes, this would also be fabulous with pork shoulder! Enjoy!
Delicious! Just made it for dinner last night with pork shoulder instead of chicken including the Apple slaw. It was great according to me and my impossible to please hubby! Thank you!
Id like to make this for the super bowl, Id like to make it with pork though and we will be having a smaller crowd. Any suggestions which cut I might use?
Anonymous: I would go with a pork butt or shoulder but a tenderloin would also work if you want to keep it leaner. Enjoy!
just made this with a tiny change. I had a chicken breast leftover from a roasted chicken. I just sliced it up and did everything as stated. Yummers!!!!! Ashamed to say my mother and I ate it just about all. I was so looking forward to leftovers.
Making this for pulled pork tacos !
Anonymous: Apple BBQ pulled pork tacos would be awesome!
Tips for cooking time for people without a slow cooker? I have a dutch oven though!
I just made the Apple Slaw (meat still cooking) and OMG, whoa does it blow your socks off. I could literally sit & eat the whole myself. I do recommend making it right before you serve it. The apples oxidize so it looses a bit of the "fresh" look. Or simply add a teeny bit of lemon to the apples before adding it in. But I say make it fresh. Thank you so much for sharing this AMAZING recipe!
Anonymous: I am glad that you enjoyed it! A touch of lemon juice works perfectly for keeping the apples looking fresh longer!
Mmm made this with pork shoulder roast and it was amazing. I love slaw on sandwiches but don't usually like it plain, but I could eat a whole bowl of this slaw on its own! In fact, that may be what I have for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for the keeper
Jessica Woodbury: I'm glad you liked it! I could easily polish off a bowl of the salsa all by itself as well!
Hi,I hope this question is not too dumb….after I shred the chicken do I add it back to the pot of onions,apples and sauce? I may have already messed up since this is what I did (just made it). However, the amount of onion in the mixture looks to be too much. I'm sure it would work either way,but did you use just the chicken on your sandwiches, without adding the chicken back to the crockpot of other ingredients?
Anonymous: Good question, I missed that bit in the instructions and I have now added it. Yes, you mix the chicken back into the onions in the crockpot.
Wow now that's what you call a sandwich. thanks for posting this recipe.
Simon
Hi Kevin,
What size crockpot do you use? Mine is 6 quart and seems way too large. Thx
I made this today, including the apple BBQ sauce and with pork tenderloin… Delicious! I am a household of one so I look forward to the many leftovers!
TiffanyK: Im glad you enjoyed it!
hi i dont have a slow cooker can i cook it with a normal pot or put it in the oven?
Just made this for dinner and it is amazing! I'm going to make it again next week and then divide the servings so I can take it to work for lunch. YUM!
I have a question about the calorie total, though. In the first half you list it as 543 calories and then list it as 91 calories a serving for the coleslaw. So do you add the number to your 543? I missed the serving size for the chicken portion and the ingredients do not seem calorically dense enough to arrive at a high number of 543 + 91 unless the 543 is for the total amount of chicken BBQ. What did I miss?
What are the seed looking things in the pic of the apple slaw?
Kelly Edwards: I used a grainier dijon mustard.
Just made this tonight. It was a huge hit. Love the apple slaw. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!