Alright, I don’t know about you but there have been countless times that we have suddenly had to pull together a dinner for a crowd. A family gathering, neighborhood cookout, or hosting a kid’s team for a celebratory dinner. When this happens, we love to fire up our Traeger smoker! And when we are short on time… it is smoked pulled chicken to the rescue! In about an hour you can have this juicy and delicious main dish on the table to be enjoyed so many different ways. That’s a win-win in our book!
Looking for More Ways to Cook Shredded Chicken?
If you don’t have a smoker, then you definitely need to try our Crock Pot BBQ Chicken!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- chicken thighs – we picked up some boneless skinless chicken thighs from our grocery store, but if you prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs check out our Smoked Chicken Thighs!
- dry rub – highly recommend our smoked chicken dry rub in the recipe card below – it takes less than 5 minutes to make! Option to use a store-bought version, if you want.
- buns – any variety of buns will work, including gluten-free hamburger buns.
- barbecue sauce – our super simple homemade bbq sauce is worth it, but use any sauce you want!
How To Make Smoked Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
How to Keep Chicken Warm for Serving a Crowd?
If you need to keep your smoked pulled chicken warm for your guests to enjoy, simply place it in a slow cooker on warm with a cover on top. To keep it from drying out, we suggest adding a little bit of sauce to the chicken and toss to coat.
Side Dishes to Serve with a Smoked Pulled Chicken Sandwich
After building this epic pulled chicken sandwich, we love serving it up with some smoked potatoes and smoked broccoli. Since we already have the smoker going, they just make sense! And if you prefer something off the smoker, try our dill pickle potato salad and a house salad.
Prep Ahead of Time
These chicken sandwiches are a great option for making ahead of time. Simply prep the smoked pulled chicken and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. It can also be kept in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months! Just thaw and/or reheat before serving. The creamy coleslaw can also be prepped the night before serving to make your dinner super simple!
Made this recipe and loved it?!
We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Follow Us on Social
Smoked Pulled Chicken Sandwich Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our creamy and saucy Smoked Pulled Chicken Sandwiches are full of amazing flavor and perfect for feeding a crowd!
Ingredients
Smoked Pulled Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
Creamy Coleslaw:
- 14oz classic coleslaw mix
- 1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
Other Sandwich Ingredients:
- 12 hamburger buns of your choice
- BBQ Sauce
- optional: chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prep Smoker + Chicken: Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F. Put the chicken thighs on a large plate and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Season Chicken: Put 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, & 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger in a small bowl; mix to combine. Rub this dry rub on the outside of the chicken thighs.
- Smoke Chicken: Place the seasoned thighs directly on the smoker grates and let them smoke for 50-65 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). Brush the chicken with some avocado oil or olive oil halfway through the cooking process. Once it is fully cooked, let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
- Make Coleslaw: While the chicken is smoking, put all of the Creamy Coleslaw ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Assemble Sandwiches: Put some of the smoked pulled chicken on a bottom bun, add BBQ sauce, a big scoop of creamy coleslaw, and then the top bun. Continue this process with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve: Enjoy right away with some optional chopped cilantro!
Notes
- BBQ Sauce: highly recommend making our homemade bbq sauce, but store-bought sauce works too!
- Gluten-Free: simply use your favorite gluten-free buns.
- Storage: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Be sure to keep the pulled chicken separate from the coleslaw to make reheating easier.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 398
- Sugar: 13.2 g
- Sodium: 809.4 mg
- Fat: 14.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.7 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 20.6 g
- Cholesterol: 97.8 mg
Leave a Rating & Comment