Chicken thighs are seared until golden, then simmered with beer and an easy homemade BBQ until irresistibly tender. To assemble these hearty sandwiches, layer the meats and our Shredded-Carrot-and-Cabbage Coleslaw on squishy buns for a satisfying crunch.
Ingredients
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1 ½ cups ketchup
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2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
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2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
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2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
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1 tablespoon smoked paprika
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Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
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2 tablespoons safflower oil
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6 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 12)
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1 large yellow onion, finely diced
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6 cloves garlic, smashed
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1 bottle (11 ounces) lager beer, such as Stella Artois (1 ⅓ cups)
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8 potato sandwich buns, preferably Martin's
Directions
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In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper.
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Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Working in three batches, and adding remaining 1 tablespoon oil as necessary, sear chicken until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
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Drain all but 1 tablespoon oil from Dutch oven; reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beer and barbecue sauce; stir until combined. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour. Turn off heat.
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Transfer chicken to plate; let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove skins (and reserve, if crisping; see Cook's Note, below) and bones; discard bones. Shred chicken into large pieces with two forks.
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Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. (You should have about 3 cups.) Mash garlic with a potato masher until broken down. Return shredded chicken to Dutch oven and heat through, or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days (gently reheat before serving). Serve on potato buns.
Cook's Notes
Crisped chicken skin makes these sandwiches even more crowd-pleasing. To make cracklings, arrange reserved chicken skins from step 4 in a single layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; top with another piece of parchment. Weigh down with another rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven 15 minutes, then flip, re-cover, and bake until crisp and caramelized, another 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cracklings to a paper towel-lined plate to crisp. Layer on sandwiches when serving.