Alabama Chopped Chicken Sandwiches
These Alabama Chopped Chicken Sandwiches are a Southern classic, combining smoky pulled chicken with creamy, tangy white BBQ sauce, crisp dill pickles, and buttery toasted buns, perfect for cookouts or a flavorful family dinner!
Servings: 4 servings, 2 sandwiches per serving
Cost: $2.50 per serving
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken shredded and chopped coarsely
- 1 cup Alabama White Sauce plus, more for serving; find my recipe
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 large Brioche buns
- 32 slices pickle half sour or dill
Instructions
- Shred the cooked chicken, then roughly chop it on a cutting board using a cleaver to shorten any long pieces. It should be bite-sized and easy to pile onto buns.8 cups chicken
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped chicken with 1 cup of the Alabama white sauce and toss until fully coated. Set aside.1 cup Alabama White Sauce
- Generously butter both the top and bottom halves of the buns. Using nylon tongs to avoid scratching your griddle surface, toast them on a griddle until they’re golden brown and slightly crisp on the edges. This adds flavor and helps the bun stand up to the saucy filling.1/4 cup unsalted butter, 8 large Brioche buns
- Arrange the buns open-faced on a serving platter or two per individual plate. Alternatively, I sometimes load into double-open sandwich sleeves once assembled because it makes them instantly manageable for parties. I have linked these above so you can see what I am referring to.
- Spoon a heaping 1-cup portion of the chicken mixture onto the bottom half of each bun, making sure to pile it high but not so much it topples over. Drizzle liberally with additional white bbq sauce. Add 4 pickle slices on top of the chicken, then crown it with the top bun. Take whatever sauce remains and add it to a gravy boat or squeeze bottle to pass tableside.32 slices pickle
- Plan on serving two sandwiches per person—these go quick, and no one ever eats just one.
Video
Notes
Need 8 cups of chicken? Two 3–3.5 lb cooked whole chickens (or two store-bought rotisserie chickens) will get you there—about 3 to 4 cups each. Round up if you're feeding a crowd or hoping for leftovers!
Want to level it up? Crisp the chicken skin and mix it in! After cooking, peel off the skin and either bake it between parchment at 350°F for 30–45 mins or pan-fry it in a dry skillet until crisp. Chop and stir into your chicken for extra flavor and bragging rights.
Store leftover pulled chicken - in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze the unsauced pulled chicken - in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating or adding white sauce.
Reheat the chicken gently - on a griddle over medium heat until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, 2 sandwiches | Calories: 1466kcal | Carbohydrates: 109g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 94g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 418mg | Sodium: 11387mg | Potassium: 1597mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 4215IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 781mg | Iron: 6mg