Pulled Chicken with Tomatoes, Vinegar, and Brown Sugar
Texas and Kansas City barbecue mavens are going to have to sit down. We love the sweet and tangy pulled chicken from this Florida chain.
To make it in the pot, we must use LOW pressure to keep the liquid as minimal as possible; otherwise, the chicken becomes soupy with sauce before it’s ready to be served. Don’t go too far when shredding the chicken: Leave it in somewhat bigger chunks, the way the restaurant does. We actually find cooling the meat and hand-tearing it (with clean hands, of course) yields the best texture.
Sonny’s BBQ also offers a side with each sandwich: potato salad, corn, green beans, or coleslaw, among others. You should consider doing the same, although none are included as part of this main recipe — which produces really flavorful but fairly straightforward pulled chicken. At home, we deviate from the original and add pickle relish as well as pickled jalapeño rings to the sandwiches.