Taste Life Blog

I am always on the lookout for a new BBQ Chicken recipe. When the Cranberry  Institute sent me a can of jellied cranberry sauce I jumped at the chance to prepare this recipe. And, I was surprised I loved it. I loved the sweet of the cranberries with the savory of the mustard. And best was the crunch of the coleslaw paired with the tender chicken all tucked into a scrumptious pretzel roll. This could be a great sandwich idea to bring to your summer get together.  And, everyone will ask for the recipe. My mother in law did!

Ingredients 

Cranberry BBQ Sauce* (makes 1 cup)

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onions
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 ½ Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups cranberry sauce
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. dark molasses
• ¼-½ cup water, if needed

Sandwich

• 10 oz. cooked white chicken meat, diced or shredded
• 1 cup Cranberry BBQ Sauce*
• 6 whole-grain buns split
• 1 ½ cups prepared creamy coleslaw

Directions 

For Cranberry BBQ Sauce*

1. In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onions and sauté 2 minutes. Mix in garlic, mustard and chili powder and continue cooking 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 more minute.

2. Add cranberry sauce, vinegar and molasses and bring to a simmer, whisking often until mixture becomes smooth. Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until mixture reduces and thickens. Add water to mixture if it gets too thick. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Place in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. Reheat before using.

For Sandwich Filling

3. Heat prepared Cranberry BBQ Sauce*. Add chicken and bring to a simmer. Keep warm.

To Assemble Sandwich

4. For each sandwich, scoop ½ cup BBQ chicken onto a bun and top with ¼ cup coleslaw. Replace bun top on sandwich and serve accompanied by cut raw vegetables and/or fresh apple wedges.

Yield: 6 sandwiches

Recipe courtesy of the Cranberry Marketing Committee.

Four Things You  Probably Did Not Know About Cranberries

ï         Cranberry products, including cranberry juice cocktail, dried cranberries, cranberry sauce and fresh/frozen cranberries, contain proanthocyanidins or PACs.

ï         PACs are flavonoids that are unique to cranberries because they have a different structure than the PACs found in other fruits.

ï         PACs prevent bacteria from sticking to the cell walls – for example, they prevent E. coli from sticking to the walls of the bladder which is associated with urinary tract infections.

ï         Cranberry products are usually sweetened because, unlike other berries, cranberries are naturally low in sugar and high in acidity so they require sweetening to be palatable. In fact, fresh cranberries have similar sugar content to a lemon.