Semi-Finalist Pulled Chicken Sliders with Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
I’ll end the suspense. I didn’t win. I had a great time and the competition was fierce. Well, they were actually really nice, lovely people, but people who had run themselves around this recipe circuit quite a bit. One woman, Roxanne, Has over 800 winning recipes to her name! Pascal owns a restaurant, Jennifer and Jamie have both made names for themselves winning dozens of recipe contests all over the country. Me? This was the 4th recipe contest I’ve ever entered. I was the rookie for sure. It was a fantastic experience for, I met some great people, had a wonderful trip to San Diego, I have such a better understating of what the judges are looking for and I am ready for the next contest, bring it on.
They even put me up in a fabulous hotel the night before the event. Here is Tater and I, enjoying the room:
For those of you want to try out my Semi Finalist Chicken Sliders, I am now able to post the recipe:
Pulled Chicken Sliders with Hoisin BBQ Sauce & Pickled Slaw
Serves 4 – 6
4 Foster Farms chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1 ½ cups red onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
2 cups cucumber, peeled and cut into matchstick sized pieces
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, plus ¼ cup, divided
2 tbsp sugar
8 whole dried allspice berries
1 tsp whole cloves
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp chili powder
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
20 mini Hawaiian bread rolls
In medium bowl, combine onion, cucumbers, salt and lemon juice. Let stand and room temperature 30 minutes.
In small saucepan over medium high heat, combine ¾ cup apple cider vinegar, sugar, allspice, cloves and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain the liquid to remove the cloves and allspice then pour over the onions and cucumbers and refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place chicken in large pot or Dutch oven. Fill with water to completely cover chicken. Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to a slow boil. Cover and cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.
While chicken is cooking, prepare barbeque sauce by warming olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; add remaining vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili powder and soy sauce. Cook for 3 minutes or until thickened, remove from heat and add sesame oil and stir well to combine.
When chicken is cooked, remove from water and allow to cool. Using two forks, shred chicken to as thin slices as possible, then add to hoisin barbeque sauce pan, tossing well to coat.
Split rolls in half across the middle to resemble small sandwich buns. Fill each bun with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken and top with pickled slaw.
Cookin in the fancy kitchen:
*The slider pictures, as well as the above picture of me cooking were taken by a photographer for Foster Farms, Charlie. Here is his website for more information: http://www.charliegesellphotography.com/#
*The picture of Tater was taken by my husband.
*I didn’t get a chance to take picture =(
Comments
Brooke September 8, 2011 um 6:24 pm
I’m sorry you didn’t win, but it looks like a great recipe to me!
Alisa September 22, 2011 um 9:12 am
I love these photos,Tater is such a sweetheart! What a fun experience this must have been,to get in the semi-finals is not so bad considering this was still your 4th contest.And I’m sooo glad I can get to try this chicken sliders,thanks for sharing this recipe.