Stove Top Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Asian Flavors – Recipes!

Wow, what a day yesterday, huh?  The speeches, the previous presidents, and the band.  Didn’t it make you feel good?  It did me.  I’m ready to get back to cooking, like I ever stopped.  Rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken, has so many practical uses for a meal.  Whether you go and buy a previously cooked bird, or roast one at home, the extra shredded meat can stretch so far, and come in handy in a pinch.  I like to use both light and dark meat chicken in my recipes because I think it gives a better balance of flavors.  The dark meat adds a little more richness, while the white meat has more body.

Creating a quick Asian sauce on the stove top with pantry ingredients is not hard to do, and when you toss in the shredded chicken, it drinks it up immediately.  Soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sliced jalapeno are like characters in a play with all the right gestures, and personality to form a perfect ensemble.  The deep dark strands of chicken become a desirably tasty meat that piles gently on a bun.

A cabbage-mix with an Asian inspired vinaigrette is the topper on this sandwich.  It’s cool and crisp, a nice contrast to the warm meat.  To toast or not to toast, that is the question?  For me, it’s always a light toast before adding the ingredients to my bun.  I think it protects the bread from quick invasion-of-sauce, and allows it to hold up for proper enjoyment, but that’s entirely up to you.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

3 slices jalapeno

2 1/2 cups cabbage mix

2 scallions, sliced

radishes for serving, optional

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or coconut aminos

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

(Makes 4 Sandwiches)

To Prepare:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and jalapeno, stir.  Add chicken and turn heat to simmer.  Cook for 8 minutes or until sauce infuses chicken, and turns a dark hue.
2. Toast buns in oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, add cabbage and scallions, toss.  In a small jar, add all vinaigrette ingredients, shake until well combined.  Pour over cabbage mixture and toss.
4. Remove buns from oven, pile with chicken and then, cabbage.  Top with remaining bun.  Repeat with other buns.  Serve with sliced radishes, if desired.  Enjoy!