Created by Judy Beaudin | Photo by Judy Beaudin |

Pulled Chicken Sliders with Blackberry BBQ Sauce and Apple Blackberry Slaw

As spring approaches and we ease back into gathering with friends, individual servings are the perfect way to feed guests.

Enjoy these easy sliders featuring a tangy-meets-fruity blackberry BBQ sauce and apple blackberry slaw. These tasty bites will score a homerun with family and friends, whether you’re rooting for your home team, watching a movie, or enjoying a family game night. Be forewarned: One slider will not be enough!

This creative dish honors baseball legend Dusty Baker and incorporates The Jelly Queens’s custom jam made for him in a collaborative effort with WakWay Farm. Blackberries are one of Baker’s favorite fruits, and the cinnamon-kissed “Baker’s Blackberry Jam” brings a subtle fruity sweetness to these juicy, saucy sliders.

Top your mini slider buns with a crisp apple coleslaw that incorporates the jam into the dressing. You can bet you’ll find the Houston Astros manager perched in the dugout with his trademark toothpick between his teeth, so it seems fitting to finish off the slider made in his honor with a toothpick. Hang onto those… you may need one after eating a few!

Prep Time: 45 minutes • Cook Time: 5 hours • Total Time: 5.75 hours • Yield: 6 Servings

Pulled Chicken Sliders

Ingredients:

Slider buns
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

BBQ Sauce:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons WakWay Farm Baker’s Blackberry Jam
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil and butter to pan, swirling to coat.
3. Sauté the shallot over medium heat for one minute, then add the garlic. Stir constantly for one minute. Immediately transfer the shallot and garlic to the base of a 5-quart slow cooker.
4. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the chicken pieces to the pan (add more olive oil if needed). Sear the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes per side then transfer to the slow cooker.
5. Combine BBQ sauce ingredients in a small saucepot, reserving ½ cup for serving, and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken.
6. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to the low setting and cook 4 more hours.
7. Thirty minutes before serving, simmer the ½ cup of reserved sauce over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove and shred the chicken with a fork. Stir the chicken back into the sauce in the slow cooker.
9. Set the slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting until ready to serve.
10. Spoon pulled chicken onto bottom halves of slider rolls, spoon a little of the reserved sauce over the chicken, top with Apple Blackberry Slaw, and add the tops of the buns. Spear with a cocktail pick and serve.

Apple Blackberry Slaw

Ingredients:

1 bag coleslaw mix (red & green cabbage, carrots)
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into matchstick strips
½ cup fresh blackberries, halved (*add only if serving slaw as a side dish)

Dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons WakWay Farm Baker’s Blackberry Jam
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine coleslaw mix, scallions, and apples in a large bowl.
2. Add dressing ingredients in a separate small bowl and whisk until combined.
3. Pour dressing over slaw mixture and toss together. If serving as a side dish, mix in blackberry halves and toss lightly. Omit the blackberries if serving the slaw on the sliders.
4. Serve with Dusty’s Opening Day Pulled Chicken Sliders with Blackberry BBQ Sauce.