BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Crunchy Purple Slaw

Name: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Crunchy Purple Slaw
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1.5 pound pack boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic; 3/4 cup BBQ sauce (I use this one); 1/4 cup water; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; for serving: purple cabbage slaw, seedy buns, sharp cheddar cheese, pickles, additional BBQ sauce

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Make these shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches for a crowd when the weather warms up. They can stand alone as a complete meal, but are even more perfect served up with potato chips and juicy watermelon.

bbq chicken sandwich with cheese, slaw and pickles on a seedy bun

If you like hosting as much as I do, these sandwiches will be a keeper for you to tuck away for warm patio days. I’m always looking for recipes that can be easily scaled, (mostly) prepped ahead of time, and are easy to customize based on personal preferences. Bonus if the sides are simple and hands-off. This one is a win across the board!

Chicken thighs are super tender and shreddable at the end of a short cook-time in the Instant Pot (see the recipe card for slow cooker instructions too). The vibrant slaw is easy to throw together while the chicken cooks, or even earlier if you want to make it up to a day in advance.

Lastly, the “extras” really take this to another level: melty cheddar cheese for some richness, pickles for tang, and a little more BBQ sauce if you like. Serve them up on a seedy bun and you have sandwich perfection.

Here’s what you need to make them:

Ingredients for BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

boneless skinless chicken thighs
smoked paprika & granulated garlic
BBQ sauce (I like this one – affiliate link!)
apple cider vinegar
mustard
for serving: seedy buns, sharp cheddar cheese, pickles, additional BBQ sauce and a batch of this purple cabbage slaw

My favorite thing about these sandwiches is that they feel like an elevated version of a classic. The purple cabbage and kale slaw is beautiful and vibrant and adds a great crunchy element, minus the mayo-laden slaw that’s more traditional.

All of the makings of a complete meal! You can easily serve this deconstructed for kids too.

How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

This is surprisingly simple. You can either cook the chicken thighs for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot, or six hours on low in the slow cooker. By the end of cook time, the chicken should basically fall apart and you’re ready to serve. This is actually one of my favorite uses for the IP because you don’t need to plan ahead with timing to have this meal on the table quickly on a weeknight. Totally hands-off once you dump all of the ingredients in!

I find that using two forks to shred the meat is easy, but you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer if your arms tend to get sore doing it this way. Although you do dirty more dishes with these methods.

FAQs and Ingredient Substitutions

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes, but I always prefer thighs when you plan to shred the meat because the higher fat content makes for a much more tender final product. Chicken breast can sometimes be a little tougher/stringier in these types of recipes but it will still work if it’s all you have. It also keeps the recipe leaner.

What type of BBQ sauce do you use and recommend?

I love this Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce, because it’s low in added sugar (the label says unsweetened but it does have some date paste so that’s not totally accurate).

What kind of buns do you use?

The buns pictured above are homemade and the recipe can be found here. If you don’t have time to make them, I usually buy buns from the bakery section of the grocery store because they’re the freshest! Any seedy, hearty bun will work best here. A more delicate bun will get soggy and fall apart from the juices of the meat.

open faced bbq chicken sandwich with colorful vegetables on top

Get ready to impress with these gorgeous shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches this spring/summer! Remember to leave a comment and star rating below if you make and love these.

3 More Chicken Recipes We Love: