Garlicky Chicken Sandwiches With Red Cabbage Slaw
Published June 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes, plus 1 hour’s chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:8 sandwiches
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½tablespoons honey
- 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1¼teaspoons celery salt
- ¾teaspoon black pepper
- ½small red cabbage, shredded on a box grater (3 to 4 cups)
- 2large carrots, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½teaspoons garlic powder
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾teaspoon black pepper
- ½teaspoon onion powder
- ½teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste
- 8boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 20garlic cloves
- ½lemon
- 8potato rolls
For the Slaw
For the Sandwiches
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
355 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 589 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Make the slaw: Add oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, celery salt and pepper to a Mason jar and shake until combined. (Alternatively, briskly whisk together in a bowl.)
- Step 2
Add cabbage and carrots to a bowl big enough to toss them in. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss until well coated. (You should have about 4 cups of slaw.) Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Step 3
Prepare the sandwiches: Mix together the salt, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, onion powder and cayenne in a small bowl, and use the mix to season chicken liberally on all sides.
- Step 4
To a large skillet over medium, add the oil. When hot, add garlic and cook cloves on both sides, taking care not to burn them, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer garlic to a small bowl.
- Step 5
Add chicken to the garlicky oil, then set a heavy pot on top to press the thighs flat. Sear for 8 minutes on one side, working in batches, if necessary, to prevent crowding.
- Step 6
Remove the pot, flip the chicken (returning all chicken to the skillet if you seared in batches) and insert garlic under the unseared side of each thigh. Squeeze lemon over the chicken and add ¼ cup water. Cover skillet with aluminum foil and cook until garlic is smashable, 15 minutes. As the chicken cooks, heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 7
When garlic is smashable and chicken is cooked through, transfer the garlic back to the small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon chicken juices from the skillet, and smash the cloves into a paste, adding more chicken juices if necessary.
- Step 8
Toast the rolls in the oven until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Spread both sides of each roll with a thin coating of smashed garlic. Top the bottom halves with slaw, then chicken and then more slaw. Finish with the top bun. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Elana
This was delicious and will be added to my summer rotation! The slaw was a perfect touch. Next time will be adding a fat when I construct the sandwich, I think avocado or spicy mayo would be great.
JH
Do you think I could use chicken breast??
Chris
I think there are easier, tastier ways to make this. Grill/sear the chicken thighs on their own, and make a garlic confit separately. It felt like some flavor and texture were lost in the final step with the water.
alix
This recipe was more complicated than needed. We warmed buns in a toaster oven and didn’t stress placing garlic cloves under the chicken. My teenage son made us an awesome dinner!
Kentfield Barbara
I added slices of Monterrey Jack cheese melted on the chicken and spread mayonnaise on the rolls. This added calories but was delicious.
ScrarchCook
I really like this No Mayonnaise Coleslaw Dressing made here. The slaw recipe alone is a keeper!
Alan
Ugh! Chicken and garlic were burnt to a crisp long before the 15 minutes, though the garlic were still not "smashable" by then. Was I supposed to lower the heat for that step?
Fidelis1
Halved the recipe and really enjoyed.
skylar
Reading the instructions back I accidentally skipped adding water and covering but regardless, this recipe was delicious. The slaw balances the garlicky chicken perfect. Something that could be good, a touch of sweetness like brown sugar in the spice mixture.
Gina
Do you cook the garlic in its skin? I think so but want to confirm. Introduction refers to heads of garlic but recipe says 20 cloves and instructions call for putting cloves under chicken. So separate cloves, right?
Peony123
Made this and the chicken is so flavorful! The slaw is also fantastic. I didn't make these as a sandwich, but a bowl, and this will be on rotation throughout the summer!
Martha in Louisville
Kind of bland for all that work. My husband loved it. Maybe my tastebuds are off from pollen/allergies. REALLY wanted to love it.
Dave W
This was just okay. Flavor was good, but braising the chicken in water and lemon juice, after having them on the stove with a griddle press to crisp them up, kind of defeats the purpose. Made the chicken tender but squishy and texturally odd. Same with placing 20(?!?) garlic cloves under each chicken piece. There are easier ways to make a garlic paste that are less silly. For the last step, just toast your bread in a toaster oven. No need to heat an entire oven to warm bread for 3 minutes.
Babs
Put the chicken in the oven topped in foil. Aren’t those the instructions? We used breasts (what we had) and it Kept the chicken quite juicy and tender.
LARS
Any thoughts on cooking the chicken / garlic on an outdoor griddle ?
Stephanie
I used some leftover roasted chicken breast and it was great! Made for a great summer meal and something to use leftovers for.
buck
Ok but nothing exciting.
Lynn
Why do I need to turn on the oven? It never calls for it to be used, as far as I can tell, and I've re-read the recipe at least 5 times, trying to figure it out.
NeedMoreCats
It’s to toast the rolls/buns. You can just user your toaster instead of the oven.
VC
Perhaps to toast the rolls? but at that temp, seems like overkill. good luck!
Jeff B
Lynn, in step 8, you are supposed to use the oven to toast the rolls. This seems very excessive and wasteful to simply toast a roll - especially in the summer!
Penny
Oh, and the garlic will be roasted in oven also...then smashed with a wee bit of mayo and spread on toasted bun
Penny
I'll use rice vinegar. Sear the thighs then roast in oven instead
Brian
Going to try this but will marinate the chicken and then grill. I’ll roast the garlic separately and combine when assembling the sandwich and slaw.
Judith
The oven is used for toasting the buns in step 8. You could use a toaster oven, but I don’t think a regular toaster would have the same effect - buns warmed through and slightly crunchy on the outside.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
