Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (Leftover Weeknight Meal)

So I'm sure we all have "leftover night" one day a week or so.  On Sunday we came home from grandmas with a rotisserie chicken, a tray full of Spanish rice, and I had some corn and grilled chicken left over from a previous BBQ of my own.  Some people say they are bad when it comes to opening the fridge, seeing what's there and making a meal- for me this is a welcomed challenge.  This one was not as difficult because of the similar flavor profiles of these separate dishes.

Any leftover chicken is an awesome thing to have, it can become so many things.  The rice was obviously a side and so was the grilled corn on its own. Starch, veggie, done.

I had three leftover kaiser rolls (but tortillas or really any hearty bread would have worked here too), chicken and a pantry/fridge door.  Hand shred the left over chicken, obviously removing the skin and bones.  Set that aside while you make your sauce.  Everything else gets microwaved to just reheat!

I have to say I don't have a set BBQ sauce recipe, it changes I think every time I make it, but this was the one I made last night.  I used an immersion blender to make the sauce thicker, quicker, and to make it smooth- but if you don't have one you can always carefully transfer to a regular blender, food processor or just leave chunky and simmer longer to thicken.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of worchestire sauce
• 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of salt
• freshly cracked pepper
• about 2-3 cups of shredded cooked chicken (or pork!)

Directions

1. In a sauce pot add about a tbsp of oil and then saute the onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened.  About 5-7 minutes- careful not to burn it.  Then add the roasted red pepper.
2. Then add the lime juice, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Try to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan- if there are any.
3. Add the sugar, vinegar, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. This would be the time to blend.  After blending keep at a simmer until sauce like consistency then add in your chicken and heat through.
6. If not blending, keep at a low boil until thickened to your liking (ALWAYS taste the sauce before adding the meat or serving) and then add the chicken.
7. Pile the chicken on toasted buns with pickled jalapenos, tomatoes and lettuce.

There are so many other ways to make this- other usual ingredients are ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, cumin, paprika, beer, chipolte etc.  If you want you can add a squirt of ketchup or tomato paste to heighten the tomato flavor more.  Taste the sauce before adding the chicken and adjust to your preference.

Now if you don't have already cooked chicken, don't worry- just poach your chicken first then use the poaching liquid as your chicken stock. Add chicken to pot, cover with water until almost fully submerged.  Bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a low simmer.  Cook until done.  Remove chicken and the water it cooked in is now essentially chicken broth- use for your sauce!