My grandfather was born and raised in southern Indiana, and going over to his house for dinner was always exciting because it meant a respite from our typical diet of Greek food and trying something “exotic”—like a pulled barbecue sandwich. I don’t think I had barbecue sauce until I was about eight years old, and as soon as it touched my lips, I knew we’d be lifelong friends. Here I slow-cook chicken thighs in a Southern-style barbecue sauce I make by doctoring store-bought sauce with ketchup, honey, onion, and jalapeño, along with club soda, which adds a little sweetness. I top it all off with a tangy, creamy, and crunchy homemade blue cheese slaw that rounds out the heat and sweet tang of the barbecue perfectly and makes for a meal worthy of a satisfied deep sigh. • serves 6
Blue Cheese Slaw
Pulled Barbecue Chicken
For the blue cheese slaw, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream, mustard, and paprika until smooth. Whisk in the crumbled blue cheese and stir until combined. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise mixture with the cabbage and carrots and toss until the vegetables are coated in the mixture. Makes about 4 cups of slaw. Cover and place in the refrigerator. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For the barbecue chicken, in a large Dutch oven, mix together the barbecue sauce, stock, club soda, ketchup, and honey over medium heat until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add the chicken, onion, jalapeño, and garlic and stir to combine. Cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through and the onion and jalapeño are very soft, about 50 minutes.
Remove from the heat and shred the chicken with two forks. Stir well, making sure that all of the pieces of chicken are coated in the sauce.
Evenly distribute the BBQ chicken between the buns and top with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the blue cheese slaw. Serve immediately alongside the remaining slaw.