We love BBQ sauce around here! There just isn't much that it doesn't taste great on. Plus, I can whip up giant batches of it and store it in the freezer. My favorite way to serve it is mixed with shredded chicken on a whole wheat bun... otherwise known as a Sweet N' Tangy Pulled Chicken Sandwich?.
When you look at the ingredients in most store bought bbq sauces (and you always should), you’ll find TONS of ingredients, words you can’t pronounce, and often, high fructose corn syrup. Sooooooo..... Homemade BBQ sauce!
This sweet and tangy BBQ sauce is surprisingly easy to make once you have the right formula! I say surprisingly because this recipe took me no less than 10 hours, 12 boxes of tomato sauce, 3 bottles of apple cider vinegar, and unknown amounts of honey, molasses, and spices to perfect. You have no idea how difficult it is to make BBQ sauce with unprocessed REAL FOOD ingredients. AKA.. no worcheshire, liquid smoke, ketchup, brown sugar, etc. Calling it "easy" is a bit of a stretch for me. But... lucky for you, no figuring, just easy.
This yummy BBQ sauce comes together quickly. No chopping!!! Just throw all the ingredients into a pot and let it simmer. Simple. Healthy. Delicious.
Now.. on to this Sweet N' Tangy BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich.
Time Saving Tips and Tricks:
Make Ahead:
BBQ Sauce: You would be crazy not to! Since you are just dumping ingredients into a pan you should definitely double or triple this recipe. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week, but it never lasts that long around here.
Pulled/Shredded Chicken: You can make the shredded chicken ahead of time and it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days! You can mix the BBQ sauce in ahead of time, or wait until you are ready to serve.
Freezer:
BBQ Sauce: You bet! To store in the fridge just place bbq sauce in a freezer friendly container. It can hang out for months without going bad.
Pulled/Shredded Chicken: I like to keep cooked shredded chicken in my freezer. It thaws well, and saves me TONS of times on those nights that there just isn't time to wait for the chicken to bake for 35 minutes.
Print
Sweet N' Tangy BBQ Chicken Sandwich
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup molasses
- 3 TBS tamari
- 1 TBS spicy brown mustard
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chipoltle powder
- ** ½ teaspoon chilli powder (if you like extra heat (optional))
- ** Arrowroot powder to thicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (Organic Recommended)
- 4 whole wheat hamburger buns.
Instructions
- SAUCE: Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium high heat. Whisk. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes until it thickens slightly, If the sauce does not thicken enough for your personal taste, add a little Arrowroot powder.
- Chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in a glass baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use 2 forks to shred chicken.
- Combine ¾ -1 cup of bbq sauce with shredded chicken. Serve on a whole wheat bun with desired toppings.
Helpful Hints:
- Tamari is a soy-sauce like liquid that can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Don't want to look for it? Soy sauce would work fine as well! Soy is infamous for containing tons of GMOs. Make sure to check the label!
- Arrow root is a tasteless thickening agent. It is becoming easier to find. It is located in the spice section of most grocery stores.
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