I’m feeling quite refreshed in the culinary department after our trip to KCMO! Sometimes when you do the same thing every day – no matter the field – a once free-flowing faucet of fresh ideas can occasionally slow to a mere trickle. That being said, the menus at the eclectic restaurants my husband and I visited left me brimming with new and creative recipes ideas. Take Crock Pot Bourbon Chicken Sammies with Crunchy Apple Slaw, inspired by a menu item at The Westside Local, for example. I was this close to ordering them for dinner when I decided it would be more fun to recreate them at home. So I did, and they’re incredible!
Chicken breasts are slow cooked in a homemade bourbon-BBQ sauce then shredded and topped with smoky gouda cheese plus a Crunchy Apple Slaw. These sandwiches are seriously mouthwatering, and made right in the crock pot! Crock pot recipes don’t seem like an obvious choice in the warmer months, but this is a great time of year to use them crock put because they don’t heat up the house like cooking with the oven or stove does. When they’re used to create a summery dish like this, dripping with smoked gouda cheese (!) all the better. You will love these smokey bourbon chicken sandwiches!
Start by prepping the homemade bourbon-BBQ sauce, which cooks the chicken to tender, saucy perfection. To the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot add: ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, gluten free Tamari (or soy sauce if not GF), apple cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, pepper, brown sugar, dijon mustard, molasses, and garlic and onion powders. Oh, and bourbon, of course! You only need 1/2 cup bourbon for the recipe, so if you don’t have a bottle on hand and don’t feel like buying one, pick up a couple of those little bottles they have near the cash register in the alcohol department of your grocery store. I wouldn’t substitute anything in place of the bourbon – it gives this dish an unbelievably unique flavor.
Next add 2lbs chicken breasts that have been cut in half then smother them in the sauce.
Cook the chicken on low for 4 hours or until it shreds easily with 2 forks.
Scoop out 2 cups of the cooking liquid then let it simmer and reduce in a saucepan on the stove top for 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools, FYI.
Add the shredded chicken back into the crock pot with the reserved cooking liquid then stir to combine.
Next make the Crunchy Apple Slaw that goes on top of the Bourbon Chicken Sammies. In a large bowl whisk together 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and 1 Tablespoon honey.
Next add the juice of 1/2 lime and salt and pepper.
To the dressing add 3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage, and 1 thinly chopped Granny Smith Apple, then toss everything to combine. I love the crispy, crunchy, tart, and sweet flavors in this slaw!
Slice some buns open then top with the shredded chicken…
Top with a few spoonfuls of the reduced bourbon-BBQ sauce…
Then place a few slices of smoked gouda cheese on top. Smoked gouda iso SO delicious and pairs really well with the smokey bourbon flavor in the sauce.
Pop the sandwiches under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese then top with the Crunchy Apple Slaw and devour.
This is a stand-over-the-sink and inhale kinda sandwich. Which, yes, I freely admit to doing!
Messy, cheesy, crunchy, and with a deep bourbon flavor, this is one of my favorite recipes to come out of my kitchen in ages. Hope you love it too!
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