Apple Cider Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Slaw

I have made slow-cooker pulled chicken sandwiches in the past but felt like they would be improved with slaw. This version fulfilled that wish! We ate them on soft potato rolls with chips. It was a wonderful, casual dinner that we enjoyed outside on a beautiful night.

This recipe was adapted from Just Cook It! 145 Built-to-be-Easy Recipes that are Totally Delicious by Justin Chapple. I used broccoli slaw as a base for the cole slaw topping and opted to not toast the rolls. With minimal preparation required in the morning, it’s a great dish to serve after a busy day.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

For the Pulled Chicken:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (about 8 to 10)
• potato sandwich rolls, split, toasted if desired, for serving
• slaw (recipe below), for serving

For the Slaw:

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 tsp celery seeds
• 12 ounces broccoli slaw (Trader Joe’s) or Brussels sprouts or shredded cabbage
• 1 large Ruby Frost or Granny Smith apple, cored and julienned
• 1 very firm Anjou or Bartlett pear, cored and juilienned
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper

To Make the Chicken:

1. In a slow cooker, whisk together the apple cider, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, garlic, 2 tsp coarse salt, and 1 tsp pepper.
2. Add the chicken thighs and mix well.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is very tender.
4. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken in the sauce and then season generously with salt and pepper.

To Make the Slaw:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and celery seeds.
2. Using a mandoline set to 1/8″, julienne the apple and pear. Slice the Brussels sprouts lengthwise by hand, if using.
3. Add the fruit to the mayonnaise mixture, followed by the shredded cabbage/broccoli/Brussels sprouts.
4. Season with salt and pepper and mix.
5. Chill until ready to serve.

To Serve:

1. Pile the pulled chicken on soft or toasted potato buns, top with slaw, and serve.

Note: The pulled chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Vaguely Vietnamese Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

This really isn’t a taco blog! (or a Mexican food blog) 😉 I’ll stop after this one… or pretty soon anyway. In fact, calling these “tacos” is a little bit of a misrepresentation. They really taste something like deconstructed dumplings. Maybe? A warm, flavorful filling topped with a bright and crunchy slaw. All I really need to say is that these “tacos” were yummy.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sam Sifton. I used trimmed boneless pork shoulder country-style ribs instead of a bone-in pork shoulder and an unpeeled European seedless cucumber. I served the filling in warm 6-inch corn and wheat tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Perfect.

This is the second dish I’m bringing to Fiesta Friday #105 this week! 😉 Hosted by Lily @ Little Sweet Baker and Julianna @ Foodie on Board. Enjoy!

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For the Pork:

• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• ½ cup hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 4 to 5-pounds boneless pork shoulder country-style ribs, fat trimmed or a 5-pound bone-in pork shoulder, skin and fat removed
• 12 to 16 corn and wheat tortillas, warmed

For the Slaw:

• ⅓ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 T neutral oil, like peanut or grapeseed
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce, or to taste
• 10 oz shredded green cabbage or 1 small green cabbage, cored and sliced thinly
• 1 European seedless cucumber, unpeeled, sliced into julienne or 2 medium-size cucumbers, peeled and sliced into julienne
• 2 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced into julienne
• 1 Asian pear, peeled, cored and sliced into julienne
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed, dried and roughly chopped

1. Prepare the pork: Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. After a minute or so, swirl in the sesame oil and then the onions, stirring to combine. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to cook until the onions are soft and becoming translucent. Turn off the heat, stir in the ginger and set aside.
2. Add the hoisin sauce and the fish sauce to the pan, and stir to combine, loosening the mixture with a little less than half a cup of water. Add sriracha sauce to taste.
3. Put a few spoonfuls of the sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker, then nestle the pork on top of it. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the pork.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and allow to rest for a few minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the slaw: Put the vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, neutral oil and sriracha sauce in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cabbage, cucumbers, carrots and Asian pear and toss to combine.
6. Shred the pork with a pair of forks. Discard bones, if applicable.
7. Return the pulled pork to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the juices. Serve with the slaw and warmed tortillas, with the cilantro on the side.

One Year Ago:

• Velvet Chicken with Mustard Sauce

Two Years Ago:

• Jose Garces’ One-Pot Arroz con Pollo

Three Years Ago:

• Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Pork

Grilled Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage & Corn Slaw

We were recently able to have all of my immediate family get together at our house to spend some quality time together. My mom and sister with family were able to spend almost a week here, but my brother was only able to stay one night. The special dinner to serve when everyone was able to be together had to be TACOS. 🙂 Guacamole too, of course.

I had received extra CSA chard from a friend, so I served Rick Bayless’ Swiss Chard Tacos (one of my favorites) along with these shrimp tacos for variety. It’s always more fun to be able to try different types and use tons of toppings! We set up the table so that everyone could assemble their own tacos. The chard tacos had smoky chipotle salsa, feta, and sour cream toppings, and the shrimp tacos had corn slaw and roasted jalapeño crema toppings. We also had rice and refried beans on the side. Nice. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from closetcooking.com. I modified the cooking times, used a grill basket to cook the shrimp, and used raw fresh corn in the slaw. The recipes below were doubled for my crowd.

Yield: Serves 4

For the Grilled Cilantro-Lime Shrimp:

• 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 limes, juice and zest (about 1/4 cup lime juice)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Marinate the shrimp in the mixture of the lime juice, zest, oil, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper for 15 to 20 minutes. (In the original recipe, the shrimp marinated for 30 minutes & was “cooked” by the end; I modified the cooking time so that the shrimp would not be overcooked after grilling.)
2. Skewer the shrimp and grill over medium-high heat until cooked (pink), about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Alternatively, place shrimp in a lightly-oiled grill basket over medium-high heat and cook until pink, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

For the Roasted Jalapeño Crema:

• 2+ jalapeno chiles, cut in half and seeded
• 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 small clove garlic, grated
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• coarse salt, to taste

1. Place the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet with the cut side facing down, place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blistered and blackened, about 8-14 minutes.
2. Seal the foil around the chiles and let them cool until you can handle them, about 10 minutes, before pinching off the skins.
3. Puree with remaining ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup for the Corn Slaw. Place remaining Crema in a bowl for serving.

For the Corn Slaw:

• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded in a food processor
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted jalapeño crema (above)

1. Combine all ingredients. Place in a serving bowl.

For the Tacos:

• 1 pound cilantro lime shrimp
• 12 small corn tortillas
• Roasted Jalapeño Crema
• Corn Slaw
• 1 large avocado, diced, optional
• cilantro to taste, optional

1. Assemble the tacos with corn slaw on the bottom, topped with avocado, shrimp and a dollop of roasted jalapeño crema along with a garnish of cilantro.

One Year Ago:

• Oaxaca-Style Mushroom & Cheese Quesadillas
• Poisson Meuniere or Fish with Lemon & Browned Butter Sauce

Ina Garten’s Vegetable Coleslaw

One of my good friends absolutely loves this recipe and I have had this coleslaw several times at her house. It is colorful, simple, and delicious. I served it with Slow-Cooker Barbecue Pulled Pork on the Fourth of July this year; it was wonderful in the sandwich or on the side. 🙂 This recipe was adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, via foodnetwork.com.

• 1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 head)
• 3/4 pound red cabbage (about 1/2 head)
• 5 large carrots
• 2 cups good mayonnaise (I used Trader Joe’s Organic)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Fit a food processor with the thickest slicing blade. Cut the cabbages into small wedges and place horizontally into the feed tube. Process in batches.
2. Next, fit the food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches. Mix in a bowl with the sliced cabbages.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, celery seeds, celery salt, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten them. Serve cold or at room temperature.

One Year Ago:

• Grilled Corn Salad

If you like this you may also like:

• Perfect Coleslaw