Last Updated on January 8th, 2020

This tangy and spicy pulled chicken is delicious and easy to make. You dry rub boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a mix of Hungarian paprika, ground chipotle and chili powder, then bake the chicken in a low-temperature oven until tender. To finish, you toss the meat with a tangy tomato, apple cider vinegar and honey sauce.

This post was originally published on May 02, 2015.

What does pulled chicken mean?

Pulled chicken is chicken that is cooked in such a way that it becomes so tender that it can easily be pulled apart into small bites with two forks.

For the recipe here I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I rubbed with a mix of spices and then baked in the oven until they were fall apart tender.

I made the sauce for the pulled chicken with tomato, honey, diced onion and a healthy helping of apple cider vinegar for a great sweet and sour flavor. The sauce mellows out the spiciness of the chicken a little bit for a well-balanced flavor.

It’s a great make-ahead meal and requires time in the oven but otherwise not much work at all.

How to make spicy pulled chicken:

Trim the excess fat off of 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together:

• 1/2 teaspoon half-sharp Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

RECIPE NOTE: As always, I recommend that you buy the paprika, chipotle and chili powder 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, I have a great recipe in this post: Chunky Chili.

Rub the mix evenly on the chicken, cover and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F., then line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, set a wire rack on it and place the chicken thighs on the rack.

Cover with aluminum foil and make sure you tightly seal the foil around the edges of the baking sheet so the meat doesn’t dry out in the oven.

Place the chicken in the oven for two hours, take it out, let it cool a bit and then shred it with two forks. The meat will come apart very easily.

While the chicken is cooling, make a quick sauce: heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a pan, then sauté 2 tablespoons minced onion in it until soft.

Stir in:

• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons honey

Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off and season to taste with salt and pepper.

What goes well with spicy pulled chicken?

I like to stuff the pulled chicken into a burger bun along with a pickle or two and eat it by itself as a sandwich. For a good pickle recipe, I can recommend these refrigerator pickles.

More light chicken dishes:

• Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Mediterranean Chicken Salad
• Sumac Chicken with Broccolini and Brown Butter Almonds
• Marinated Chicken Caesar Salad

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Spicy Pulled Chicken (Oven Baked)

This tangy and spicy pulled chicken is delicious and easy to make. You dry rub boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a mix of Hungarian paprika, ground chipotle and chili powder, then bake the chicken in a low-temperature oven until tender. To finish, you toss the meat with a tangy tomato, apple cider vinegar and honey sauce.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 20 mins

Marinating Time4 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pulled chicken, pulled chicken sandwich, spicy pulled chicken

Servings: 2

Calories: 763kcal

Author: Nicole Branan

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 teaspoon half-sharp Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions:

For the chicken:

• 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.
• Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
• Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on it. Put 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.
• Put the meat in the oven for 2 hours.
• Take the meat out of the oven and set aside.

For the sauce:

• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add the onion and saute until slightly soft.
• Stir in the tomato paste, the cider vinegar, the crushed tomatoes and the honey.
• Bring to a quick boil then turn the heat off. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pull the chicken with 2 forks and add to the sauce.
• Serve with pickles in a bun.

Notes:

*If you want to make your own chili powder, check out my recipe here: Chunky Chili.

Nutrition

Calories: 763kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.9g | Protein: 111.4g | Fat: 25.1g | Saturated Fat: 5.5g | Cholesterol: 475mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 20.3g | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 6.5mg

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