I love the kinds of meals that are made with reinvented leftovers. Such was the case with these chicken sandwiches. I had made Huli-Huli chicken on Monday night, then on Tuesday Jon took the day off due to an unexpected issue with the hot water heater. I like doing something special when we’re all home for lunch on the weekends, so I figured I’d whip up something different with the leftover chicken in the fridge. Whenever I’m grilling chicken, I always like to toss an extra couple of pieces on the grill. Leftovers can always easily be turned into another dinner!
I’d seen a similar sandwich at my favorite local BBQ joint before, so I figured I’d go with it. I just shredded the chicken down, then added a little bit of additional bbq sauce for moisture’s sake. Tossed some fresh pineapple slices on the grill pan while I was making up the cole slaw – looooove grilled pineapple. Then piled everything high on a toasted whole wheat bun. I ran out to the store to look for King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns, but alas, my plans were thwarted. It would have been a nice touch, but eh – they were great without them! A great sandwich to enjoy during these last few days of summer.
Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwich
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
4 1/2″-thick slices of pineapple
4 King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns
coleslaw, optional (recipe below)
Combine barbeque sauce and pineapple juice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the shredded chicken, tossing to coat, and cover. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over high heat. Place the pineapple slices in the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, to slightly soften the pineapple and obtain grill marks. Remove from pan and set aside.
Split the burger buns in half, and lightly toast them in the grill pan.
Pile the barbequed chicken on the bun, topping with the grilled pineapple, and coleslaw if desired.
Source: adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy
Coleslaw
2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, vinegar, and honey. Add in shredded cabbage, carrots, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover and refirgerate for and hour to let flavors meld before serving.
