Pulled Chicken Sliders with Apple-Jicama Relish

Pulled Chicken Sliders with Apple-Jicama Relish

 

1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lb. (1.75 kg)

1/2 lemon

2 dried bay leaves

2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste

1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) tomato puree

1 cup (8 oz./250 g) Dijon mustard

3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./375 ml) apple cider vinegar

3 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 shakes of hot-pepper sauce

 

For the apple-jicama relish:

1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced

3/4 cup (4 oz./125 g) finely diced jicama

1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) finely diced red onion

2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

12 small soft rolls

 

Place the chicken in a large saucepan with the lemon, bay leaves, 1 tsp. of the salt and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper. Fill the saucepan with water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Carefully remove the chicken from the water and, when cool enough to handle, remove the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Using your hands, shred the meat into a large bowl.

 

In a saucepan over high heat, combine the tomato puree, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, hot-pepper sauce, the remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the flavors come together and the color deepens, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce cool slightly, then pour over the shredded chicken and stir to combine.

 

To make the relish, in a bowl, stir together the apple, jicama, onion, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Spoon the chicken onto the rolls, top each with about 1 Tbs. of the relish and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

 

Find more wholesome recipes for every day of the year in our new cookbook, Healthy Dish of the Day, by Kate McMillan.