Yummy sandwich

In the last year or so, I’ve found myself open to adding more of a variety of flavors into my meal planning.

A lot of that has happened because of a new passion for grilling at my house. My husband and l especially love experimenting with marinades and rubs for chicken and beef.

Today’s recipe for Carolina pulled chicken is a good example of our new flavor experiments. There was a time when I would have never considering using a prepackaged spice mix for my food. I’d be afraid I wouldn’t like one of the ingredients, so I wouldn’t even try it. But this delicious chicken recipe gets the bulk of its flavor from an envelope of McCormick Grill Mates Carolina Country marinade.

This is a very easy recipe to make and involves mixing and simmering a tangy and delicious sauce and grilling a package of chicken breasts. When the breasts are cooked, all you do is shred the meat and mix it with the sauce and it’s ready for the sandwich rolls.

It was the weekend and I had the time, so I made the sandwich rolls for this recipe, but any roll, lightly toasted, would work well. If you lightly toast the sandwich rolls, they won’t get soggy as quickly when you add the sauce-covered meat.

The McCormick recipe suggested this sandwich be served with pickles, so we tried it with our favorite Trader Joe’s bread and butter pickles. My husband and I both agreed the pickles added a nice crunch and cooled down the mildly spicy sauce. When we make our own microwave pickles again this summer, we will use them, I’m sure, for this sandwich.

I look forward to making this recipe again, but I might not always grill the chicken. The grilled chicken added a wonderful flavor to this recipe, but shredded chicken or turkey cooked by another method work be delicious, too, I’m sure, and would be easier for a weeknight at my house.


Carolina Pulled Chicken

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 package McCormick Grill Mates Carolina Country marinade
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• Vegetable oil
• Sandwich rolls

Mix ketchup, vinegar, onion, sugar and marinade mix in medium saucepan until well blended. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Set aside. Brush chicken lightly with oil.

Grill chicken over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes per side or until cooked through, turning occasionally.

Shred chicken using 2 forks. Add to saucepan; toss to coat well. Spoon shredded chicken mixture on rolls.

McCormick