Black Pepper and Molasses Pulled Chicken

This is about the easiest weeknight dinner you could possibly throw together. I was a little bit nervous about the sauce because I am not too crazy about mustard. Then as I was adding the molasses some was dripping down the side or the jar. My husband took it from me and tasted it and said "Well that is gross". So I told him that we would see how it turned out once I was done adding everything together and if it was really bad, we would just order out. So after I was done mixing everything together...I made Billy try it......I think his exact words were "Now THAT is good!" The sauce has a great barbecue taste. The chili powder and cumin add a nice smokiness while the ketchup and molasses provide sweetness. The cole slaw and dill pickles are a must...the sandwiches just don't taste the same without them!



Black Pepper and Molasses Pulled Chicken

3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2" pieces
4 sandwich rolls, cut in half horizontally
Dill pickle chips
Cole Slaw

Combine first 10 ingredients in a bowl. Spray a deep skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook for about 8 minutes and add the molasses mixture and toss to cover all the chicken pieces. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until chicken is done and tender.

Remove from heat; shred with 2 forks. Place 1/2 cup chicken on bottom half of each roll. Top with cole slaw and pickles and the top half of roll.



Footnote - You can easily double and even triple the amount of sauce. I usually double it. If the sauce is a little too thin, you can add some Wondra and it thickens right up. Instead of rolls, I use ShopRite Italian bread...so good!!