Gameday Appetisers Recipe

Ingredients

Smoked Pulled Chicken

1.4 kg chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
1 tablespoon BBQ seasoning
apple juice or chicken stock, for spritzing
¼ cup chicken stock
¼ cup unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation

1. Make the chicken injection. Heat and stir the injection ingredients in a small pot over medium heat until the butter is melted. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
2. Inject the chicken. Once the butter mix has cooled down, use a meat syringe to inject the mixture into the breasts in several areas.
3. Season the chicken on top and bottom.
4. Build your fire. Carefully 6 stack small wood splits, alternating directions two at a time. Pour half a chimney of hot charcoal on top of the wood. Leave your firebox door (not just the vent/damper) all the way open until the smoker hits 95°C. Shut the firebox door. When the temperature at the grate level reaches 120°C shut the vent/damper to half-way open. Keep nudging the vent closed until you coast up to a cooking temp of 135-145°C.
5. Smoke the chicken. Add the chicken to the smoker and cook the chicken, spraying it with stock or apple juice every 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the smoker when it reaches an internal temperature of 70°C – about 75 to 90 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes.
6. Pull the chicken. Remove the skin (optional). Tear the chicken into chunks or shreds using Oklahoma Joe’s® Meat Shredders and use in your favourite recipes.

Appetizer Suggestions

• Mini Tostada Stacks – These flavourful and colour-rich stacks are a big hit at parties and tailgates. Mix 3 cups of smoked chicken with 1 ounce of fajita seasoning. Build the stacks using round tortilla chips. Top them with chicken and your favourite ingredients, such as; tomatoes, onion, black olives, jalapeños, cilantro, and shredded cheese. Double stack these, top with one more tostada and more cheese. Cook them on a quarter sheet pan on a 170°C just until the cheese is melted. Top them with some more fresh ingredients and crema.
• Smoked Chicken Sliders – Pulse 3 cups of smoked chicken in a food processor. Mix ½ cup of mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon BBQ seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of celery seed. Stir into the chicken until combined. Add more mayo until you have the consistency that you want. Taste for seasoning and add salt as desired. Serve on slider buns or dinner rolls. A tray of these will never disappoint.
• Jalapeño Chicken Poppers – Chop up some smoked chicken and mix it with whipped cream cheese and shredded cheese until you have a gooey mixture. Stuff this into halved & seeded jalapeños. Wrap with a strip of thin bacon and smoke at 135°C until bacon is crispy, about 90 minutes.