These sweet and tangy oven pulled chicken thighs are full of delicious flavor and melt right in your mouth. They’re made with a homemade spice rub of Hungarian paprika, ground chipotle pepper and chili powder seasoning. To finish, the baked thighs are tossed in a delicious tomato, onion, apple cider vinegar and honey sauce.
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Why make this recipe?
This recipe is a delicious meal that requires time in the oven but otherwise not much work at all. It uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are rubbed with a mix of spices and then slow-baked in the oven until they are fall-apart tender. The sauce is made in minutes with tomato, honey, onion and a healthy helping of apple cider vinegar for a great sweet and tangy flavor. The sauce mellows out the spiciness of the chicken and balances the flavors perfectly.
What do I need to make the pulled chicken thighs?
What do I need to make the sauce?
How to make it:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim the excess fat off of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Mix spices and salt together and rub on the chicken. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, set a wire rack on it and place the chicken thighs on the rack.
Step 2. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and tightly seal the foil around the edges so the meat doesn’t dry out in the oven.
Step 3. Bake the chicken for 2 hours, then take it out and let it cool a bit. Carefully remove the cover foil (there will be a lot of hot steam underneath). Pull the chicken with two forks.
Step 4. Heat oil in a pan, then sauté the minced onion until soft. Stir in tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, canned crushed tomatoes, honey and salt. Bring to a boil, then toss the chicken with the sauce and serve.
Recipe notes & tips:
- As always, I recommend to buy the paprika, chipotle and chili powder seasoning for this recipe from a dedicated spice shop. High quality spices make a huge difference in a recipe and that is definitely true here. If you want to make your own chili powder seasoning, I have a great recipe in this chunky chili post.
- You will need only 4 teaspoons of tomato paste for this recipe and a standard can of tomato paste contains about 10 tablespoons. For tips on how to store and/or use the remaining paste, check out these delicious recipes that use tomato paste.
Frequently asked questions:
Pulled chicken generally refers to spice-rubbed chicken that has been cooked on low heat for several hours and then been pulled apart into small bites.
I like to stuff the pulled chicken into a burger bun along with a pickle or two and eat it as a sandwich. (For a great pickle recipe, I recommend these refrigerator pickles.)
This dish is mildly spicy from the Hungarian paprika and the chipotle powder.
More delicious spiced chicken recipes:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Oven Pulled Chicken
Equipment:
- knife and cutting board
- measuring spoons and cups
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- rimmed baking sheet and wire rack
- aluminum foil
- pan
- wooden spoon
- 2 forks
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder seasoning*
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 4 teaspoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
For the chicken:
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Trim excess fat off the chicken. Mix Hungarian paprika, chipotle pepper, chili powder and salt together in a bowl, then rub evenly on the chicken.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on it. Set the meat on the wire rack and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Make sure to seal the foil well around the edges of the baking sheet.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours.
- Take the meat out of the oven and let cool a bit.
- Carefully remove the cover foil from the chicken (there will be a lot of hot steam underneath).
For the sauce:
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the onion and saute until starting to soften.
- Stir in tomato paste, cider vinegar, crushed tomatoes, honey and salt.
- Bring to a quick boil, then turn the heat off.
- Pull the chicken with 2 forks and toss with the sauce.
- Serve with pickles in a bun.
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
Nagi@RecipeTinEats
I’m shooting a burger today. Came here to get inspiration! This is the one I’m “copying” :) Obviously will end up nothing alike!! PS Have to make this. Bet it works just as well in slow cooker or even on stove :) With right water amounts!