Smoked Chicken Sandwich Recipe

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Smoked Chicken Sandwich Recipe with Blue Cheese Slaw

Everyone is firing up the grills for the 4th of July Celebration this weekend, and I want to share with you a recipe that’s guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser! It’s for a Smoked Chicken Sandwich topped with creamy Blue Cheese slaw.

For these Smoked Chicken Sandwiches, first you’ll need a couple whole chickens from the grocery store. Remove the chickens from the cryovac packaging and rinse under cool water in the sink. Be sure to remove the neck and any giblets left in the cavity and be extra careful when working with raw chicken.

For this recipe I’m keeping it real simple. It’s what I call “old school” smoked chicken. Just seasoning and smoke… no brine, injection, or marinade.

Hit the outside of each bird with a good dose of Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic (my Killer Hog’s AP seasoning goes great here). Then layer on your favorite BBQ Rub to create a “Chicken Bark”.

Anytime I’m smoking chicken I run my pit at a higher temperature. 275⁰ is optimal for getting the meat done and cooking the skin. There’s nothing worse than rubbery chicken skin, so ramp that cooking temperature up and you won’t have a problem.

For this cook, I’m using my Ole Hickory Ace MM set for 275⁰ with a little pecan chunks thrown right on the hot coals for smoke. Pecan is my go to wood for chicken. It’s mild and gives it a great lightly smoked flavor. You can use your favorite wood; it’s not gonna hurt my feelings.

When the smoker is up to temp, place the chicken breast side up on the rack and close the lid. It’ll take about 3 hours for these to smoke, but after an hour or so insert a wired probe thermometer (I use the Chef Alarm by Thermoworks) to keep an eye on the internal temperature.

Chicken is done when the white meat hits 165⁰ and the dark meat hits 175⁰. Always be sure to check in the thickest part of the meat away from the bone.

While the chicken is doing its’ thing on the smoker, it’s a good time to put together the slaw used for building the Smoked Chicken Sandwich.

Blue Cheese Slaw Recipe

• 10oz Shredded Red Cabbage
• ½ cup White BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
• ¼ cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 3 Green Onions sliced fine
• 2 tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Celery Seed

Combine these ingredients and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

 

Remove the chickens from the smoker and cover loosely with foil inside on the counter. They’ll need to rest at least 15-20 minutes before pulling.

There will be a little moisture loss during the resting stage but this is ok. I use a big platter so none of the juice escapes. It’s great for mixing back in with the meat once it’s off the bone.

Now it’s time for a good ole fashioned “Chicken Pickin”. Remove the legs, wings, breast, and thighs. The meat will still be hot, so use a pair of glove liners underneath a pair of nitrile gloves.

Pull the meat into equal size portions separating any bones or cartilage working through the whole carcass. The skin can easily be pulled apart too, and it’s great mixed in with the meat. You can even save the discarded bones and make a really good smoked chicken stock.

Once all the meat is pulled, it’s time to build the sandwiches…

Split open a jumbo burger bun and pile a good bit of the chicken on the bottom half, drizzle with White BBQ Sauce (recipe below), and top with a mound of the Blue Cheese Slaw.

My extra spicy Killer Hog’s Sweet Fire Pickles go great with this sandwich and it’s sure to be a huge hit at your 4th of July Celebration this weekend. Enjoy the Holiday and we’ll see you next time!

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Malcom Reed
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Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Blue Cheese Slaw