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🍖 American BBQ
Pulled Chicken Sliders
⏱ 15 min prep + 4 hr slow cook
🍞 ~14g (kid-default: 2 sliders on Hawaiian rolls with low-sugar BBQ)
🍽 8 (about 16 sliders) servings
⭐ 5/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Sliders are the official food of birthday parties, game-day potlucks, and "I need something that disappears off the platter." Tiny enough that picky kids feel like they're getting a treat, and the portion math is way friendlier than a full sandwich.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Pulled chicken is lean, high-protein, and zero-carb on its own — all the bolus math lives in the bun and sauce, which gives you real control.
- Slider buns make portion control easier than full-sized sandwiches — you can serve 1, 2, or 3 to match the carb budget without anyone feeling shorted.
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (0g)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika (1g)
- 2 tsp kosher salt (0g)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (1g)
- 1 tsp onion powder (1g)
- 1 tsp black pepper (1g)
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard (0g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth (1g)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (0g)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (1g — check label)
- 3/4 cup low-sugar BBQ sauce (G Hughes Sugar-Free or homemade glaze) (~9g for the whole batch)
- 16 King's Hawaiian sweet rolls — see portion options below (12g each)
- Dill pickle chips (0g)
Directions
- Pat chicken thighs dry. In a small bowl, mix paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and mustard.
- Toss thighs with the rub until evenly coated.
- Place in slow cooker. Pour in broth, vinegar, and Worcestershire.
- Cover. Cook on LOW for 4 hours, or HIGH for 2-2.5 hours, until thighs shred easily.
- Transfer chicken to a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Shred thighs with two forks. They should fall apart with almost no effort.
- Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Add reserved liquid + BBQ sauce. Stir to coat.
- Let it sit on WARM for 10 minutes so the sauce soaks in.
- Slice slider buns horizontally. Toast lightly if you like the crunch.
- Pile 2-3 tbsp chicken on each bottom bun. Top with a pickle. Cap with top bun.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Dash the cheetah chef says: "Set up a slider bar — buns, chicken, pickles, slaw, sauce — and let kids build their own. Makes counting carbs feel like a game."
- For party portions, label a small tent card with carbs per slider so other T1D parents can dose at a glance.