smoked chicken sandwich
BBQ Recipes

Smoked Chicken Sandwich Recipe


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.

smoked chicken sandwich

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”.

smoked chicken sandwich

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.

smoked chicken sandwich

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.

smoked chicken sandwich

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

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.

 

smoked chicken sandwich

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.

smoked chicken sandwich

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.

Smoked Chicken Sandwich

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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Smoked Chicken Sandwich Recipe


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3.4 from 13 reviews

Ingredients

  • 2 Whole Chickens (about 5lbs each)
  • ¼ cup Killer Hogs AP Rub
  • ¼ cup Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub
  • 10oz Shredded Red Cabbage
  • ½ cup White BBQ Sauce*
  • ¼ cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
  • 3 Green Onions sliced fine
  • 2 tablespoons White Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Celery Seed

For the White BBQ Sauce

  • 2 cups Mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons Black Pepper (course ground)
  • 1 tablespoons White Sugar
  • 1 heaping teaspoon Prepared Horse Radish
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
  • Juice from 2 Lemons

Instructions

  1. Bring Smoker or Grill set up for indirect heat to a cooking temperature of 275⁰ using a few chunks of pecan wood added to the hot coals for smoke flavor.
  2. Remove Chicken from packaging and rinse under cool water. Be sure to remove neck and giblets from cavity.
  3. Season the outside of each chicken with AP rub (Salt, Black Pepper, and Garlic) and a layer of The BBQ Rub (any bbq rub can be substituted).
  4. Place chickens on cooking rack and hold smoker temperature steady at 275⁰.
  5. After 1 hour place a wired meat probe into thickest part of Breast. Set alarm for 165⁰ internal.
  6. Remove chicken from smoker when internal temperature hits 165⁰ in breast and 175⁰ in thigh.
  7. Rest chicken for 15-20 minutes on counter before pulling.
  8. Separate chicken from bone and shred into equal size pieces.
  9. For each sandwich Open a split bun or roll and layer pulled chicken topped with a good drizzle of White BBQ Sauce, and a heaping scoop of Blue Cheese Cole Slaw.
  10. Serve with your favorite Spicy Sweet Pickle and enjoy.

Malcom Reed
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Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Blue Cheese Slaw

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