BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes

My parents flew across the country last week for a short visit (in my Dad’s case) and a nice, long vacation (in my Mom’s case). We’ve been running thither and yon finding fun touristy things to do. We have been having a ball! Then yesterday we had to take my dad to the airport, boo. (Someone’s got to go make some money to support our shopping habits!!! *wink*) So today we’re taking a day off to recuperate and do some necessary housework and I thought I’d post a yummy recipe!

This is an older recipe from Rachael Ray (don’t hate) that we just loved and I’ve been making for years now. That sounds so weird, that I’ve been making something for years. But this recipe is a keeper! You can make it as mild or spicy as you like and it keeps really well in the fridge, so it’s nice to make a really big batch and have it on hand if you know you’re going to be running thither and yon and won’t feel like slaving away in the kitchen when you finally make your way home.

 

BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes

3 cups chicken stock

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce (I just use a couple of teaspoons when I make it for my kids. I set a portion aside (for them) and then add more hot sauce to taste (for us).)

2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons tomato paste

6 soft sammy buns, such as soft burger rolls, split (run these under the broiler if you don’t have anything better to do. I didn’t take the time to do it this last time! But it is yummy!)

 

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and slide in the chicken breasts.

Gently poach the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning once about after 5 minutes.

While chicken poaches, heat a medium skillet over medium low heat.

Warm the oil,  then add the garlic and onion and gently saute until translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.

Combine the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, grill seasoning, and tomato paste in a medium bowl and set aside.

When the chicken is cooked through (to an internal temperature of 170 degrees) remove to a cutting board. Reserve the cooking liquid. (I pour it into a big 4 cup measuring cup and dump the rest.) 

Add the onion and garlic mixture and about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid to the sauce bowl & combine.

Shred the chicken with two forks. (I hate this part, but it’s totally worth it)

Put the chicken back into the cooking pot, pour the sauce over the top and combine well.

Turn the heat up to medium and simmer together 5 to 10 minutes, using extra cooking liquid to make your chicken as saucy as you like.

Heap some of the chicken onto half a bun and top with the other half. Enjoy!!!

P.S. This recipe serves 4 people. I definitely recommend doubling it! The leftovers are AWESOME!!!!

P.P.S. The last time I made it I used half chicken breast and half chicken thighs (they were on sale for practically nothing!) and it turned out really, really good. You would never have known there was dark meat in it. Jay is not a fan of dark meat and he loved it!

P.P.P.S. I don’t have a crock pot right now (because my last machine had a mind of it’s own when it came to cooking temperatures and did not believe me when I told it that ‘Low and Slow is the Way to Go’. Stupid crock pot.), but I would imagine that this would be a great recipe to try in one. It wouldn’t take much altering and I bet it would really benefit from cooking all day. I’ve been wanting to get another crock pot, I need to get on that!