Paprika BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat pulled from bones or 1 3-pound chicken, well-seasoned with Kosher salt and refrigerated, uncovered, overnight*
- For the chicken filling: 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 of a palmful) cumin
- 1 teaspoon (1/3 of a palmful) coriander
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1/4 cup white distilled or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
- Salt
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- For the sandwiches: Store-bought, sliced bread-and-butter pickles
- Potato or other soft sandwich rolls, toasted
* To cook the chicken, pat it dry and roast it at 425°F until golden and an internal temperature of 165°F, about an hour. Let cool then separate chicken from skin and bones and pull into bite-sized pieces
Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add onion and garlic. Soften then season with salt, pepper and the spices. Add vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, stock and tomato sauce, and stir to combine. Add pulled chicken meat and let simmer a few minutes for flavors to combine and to thicken sauce.
To assemble sandwiches, on the roll bottoms, place a couple of pickles, some pulled Paprika BBQ Chicken, some of the cucumber salad, if using (add more pickles if not), then set roll tops in place.