Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

For the past couple of months, I’ve been writing a food column titled ‘Masterclass with Winola Peris’ for The Woman magazine, Oman. Every month, the column includes a step-by-step tutorial of an easy recipe that is in-tune with the theme of the edition. The April issue of The Woman is all about health and when it came to writing a healthy recipe, I was stuck. That’s because, well…I’m a baker! (It’s kind of hard to come up with something healthy when you’re in love with turning loads of butter, eggs and sugar into cake!)

A little research on and having put my mind to cracking this challenge, I decided to come up with a wholesome healthy meal that would be both supremely nutritious and lip-smackingly delicious at the same time! Hence, I made Pulled Chicken Sandwiches! 😀

These chicken sandwiches are fascinating. Combining an array of flavours and textures, they are sure to take your palate on an endearing journey – with every bite you will fall more in love with this delectable sandwich. And you know that feeling when you eat something super yummy that you just wish it would never get over? Yes, that feeling is a given!

If you’re a fan of chicken and you love a good sandwich, you ought to try this recipe!

Here’s what you need:

For the sauce:

• Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp
• Onions – 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Dark Brown Sugar – 1 tbsp
• Garlic Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Roasted Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
• Ketchup – 1 cup
• Vinegar – 2 tbsp
• A dash of salt

For the Chicken:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – 4
• Dark Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Paprika – 1 tsp
• Ground Cumin – 3/4 tsp
• Ground Ginger – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp
• Vegetable Oil – 1 tsp

For the Sandwich:

• Cheese – 4 slices
• Ciabatta Bread – 8 slices
• Lettuce leaves – a bunch, coarsely chopped

Here’s how you make these Pulled Chicken Sandwiches:

• The Sauce: In a skillet, heat the oil and fry the onions until translucent. Add in the brown sugar, chili powder, roasted black pepper powder and garlic powder; stir until the spices are well incorporated. Mix in the ketchup and vinegar and stir. When it comes to a boil, take it off the heat.
• The Chicken: Marinate the chicken with brown sugar, paprika, ground cumin, ginger and salt. Heat oil in a pan and cook the chicken until tender and well done, about six minutes on each side. Take the chicken off the heat and while still hot, shred it with two forks.
• Assemble the sandwich: Place a slice of cheese on one slice of bread and pop into the oven for a few seconds. Top the cheese with chopped lettuce and a good helping of pulled chicken. Lightly drizzle the sauce over the chicken and finish it off with the other slice of bread

Take a bite of this sandwich and here’s what you’ll experience – the soft melt-in-the-mouth bread, the creamy cheese lending its perfect sourness. Then there’s the sweet and spicy pulled chicken with a golden crust that is incredibly scrumptious, complimented by the crunch and freshness of the lettuce and the sweetly enveloping sauce that makes the whole sandwich come together beautifully. It is just glorious! Also, the different textures coming through are a real treat.

I loved this sandwich and it sure is part of my rather long list of go-to comfort foods. And what do I like about it best, you may ask? Well, I don’t have to feel a single bit guilty if I do happen to binge on these! (Yayyy me!) Now that you know how to eat healthy without giving up on all the food you love, I trust you’re going to treat yourself with these absolutely YUMMM Pulled Chicken Sandwiches! Go on, get cooking! 🙂

PS. For those of you who live alone and don’t have much time to put something elaborate together for a meal, this is the recipe for you! Quick, easy and delicious! 😀

Check out my column in the April issue of The Woman magazine, Oman! 🙂

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