Barbecue Pulled Chicken
Fire up the grill for mouth-watering Hickory-smoked chicken sandwiches!
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Hickory wood chunks (3-inch)
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 (3-inch) Hickory wood chunks, soaked in water for 2 hours
- Disposable aluminum roasting pan (13 x 9-inch)
- 10 bone-in skin-on chicken leg quarters (about 4 pounds)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 medium cloves garlic finely grated on a microplane
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- ¼ cup mild molasses
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar divided
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Light a large chimney starter filled three-quarters full with hardwood charcoal and burn until coals are covered with a thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Empty and divide coals in half to create piles on opposite sides of the grill. Place the disposable pan in the center between the coal piles. Nestle one soaked wood chunk on top of each pile. Position clean cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until grates are hot, about 5 minutes. Oil grate.
- Season both sides of chicken legs with salt and pepper. Place chicken legs skin side up in a single layer on center of grill over roasting pan. Cover and cook for 30 minutes (internal grill temperature should register 325ºF after 30 minutes).
- Working quickly to prevent excess heat loss, remove cover and, using tong, rotate each leg so that the side facing inward now faces coals; do not flip chicken pieces. Add a second wood chunk to each pile of coals; cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs registers about 185ºF, about 30-40 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest until to cool enough to handle.
For the Sauce
- While the chicken is cooking and cooling, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chili powder, garlic, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, apple cider, molasses, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper; stirring until combined. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the sauce until desired consistency. You should have about 4 cups of sauce. Transfer 2 cups of sauce to a serving bowl; leave remaining sauce in the saucepan.
- Remove and discard skin from chicken quarters. Using fingers, pull the meat off the bones, separating larger pieces from smaller pieces. Coarsely chop smaller pieces and transfer to sauce in the saucepan. Using fingers or 2 forks, pull larger chicken pieces into long shreds and add to saucepan. Stir in remaining tablespoon of vinegar and heat chicken over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve, passing the remaining sauce separately. Enjoy!
Notes
Tip:
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce.
To store:
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Chicken can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 701mg | Potassium: 1173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 838IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg
