Thank you to Kitchen PLAY and The US Apple Association for hosting this autumn recipe contest! I was particularly drawn to the entree recipe, since as the summer draws to a close, this dish bridges the gap between warm weather barbeque and fall apple season.

The inspiration recipe was submitted by Savour Fare — an Apple Cider Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Apple Slaw. But since I cannot eat anything with gluten, I was determined to turn this sandwich into a dish that I could eat. So my solution was to replace the bun with a gluten-free focaccia bread (recipe below). I also bumped up the spiciness of the barbeque sauce for my husband’s taste. The result was this favor-complex open-face sandwich consisting of a soft and chewy bread element, spicy and tangy barbeque chicken topped with a fresh, sweet slaw.

BBQ Pulled Chicken

  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 c. apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
  • 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c. ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp mustard
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp steak seasoning blend
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried chile flakes
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Put onion and olive oil into dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 cup apple cider, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, salt and spices into pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken breasts and additional apple cider to cover, cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan, shred with 2 forks, and return chicken to the sauce in the pan.

Apple Slaw

  • 1  medium Granny Smith apple
  • 2 cups bagged coleslaw blend (red & green cabbage with carrots)
  • 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 c. mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp granulated onion
  • Salt to taste (be mild since the Old Bay already has salt in it)

Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and seasoning in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Then chop the apple into small matchstick pieces, and combine with cabbage in the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.

Gluten-free Focaccia

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and instant yeast.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the egg and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together, then add the salt and seasoning.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until thoroughly combined. (You can use a stand mixer for this, though I just used a large meat fork that worked well.)
  4. Spray a 9×9 pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread the dough into the pan.
  5. With your knuckles, gently push small divots in the dough (do not go all the way through the dough) and then brush the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the dough, and sprinkle the surface with a dash of crushed sea salt and a bit of the seasoning blend.
  6. Cover with a clean towel, set in a warm location, and let rise for 20 minutes, or until the dough roughly doubles in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan.
  8. Cool the bread in the pan, then slice and serve.