Smoked Pulled Chicken White BBQ (Printer-friendly)

Tender smoked pulled chicken on soft buns, drizzled with tangy Alabama-style white BBQ sauce and optional crunchy coleslaw.

# What You’ll Need:

→ For the Chicken

01 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 2 tbsp BBQ dry rub (paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne)
04 - 1 cup chicken broth or apple juice (for smoking moisture)

→ For the White BBQ Sauce

05 - 1 cup mayonnaise
06 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
07 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
08 - 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
09 - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
10 - 1 tsp sugar
11 - 1 tsp black pepper
12 - 1/2 tsp salt
13 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
14 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

→ For Serving

15 - 6 sandwich buns
16 - 1 cup coleslaw (optional, for crunch)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat your smoker to 250°F (120°C).
02 - Pat chicken dry, drizzle with olive oil, and coat evenly with BBQ dry rub.
03 - Place chicken on smoker grate. Add chicken broth or apple juice to a pan inside the smoker to keep the meat moist.
04 - Smoke chicken for 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and meat is easy to pull apart.
05 - Remove chicken, rest for 10 minutes, then shred using two forks.
06 - Meanwhile, combine all white BBQ sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
07 - Toss pulled chicken with some of the white BBQ sauce (reserve extra for serving).
08 - Toast buns if desired.
09 - Pile smoked pulled chicken on the bottom half of each bun. Top with coleslaw (optional), drizzle with more white BBQ sauce, and cap with bun tops.
10 - Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Piling smoky, shredded chicken on a bun with a zesty white sauce feels like uncovering your own Southern backyard feast.
  • I keep coming back for the mess and the magic: the tangy, peppery sauce with tender meat is impossible to tire of.
02 -
  • One time I forgot to rest the chicken before shredding and it lost so much juice—I never skip that step now.
  • Using apple juice instead of broth for smoking made the meat surprisingly sweet and rounded out the smoky flavor in a whole new way.
03 -
  • Always let your chicken rest before shredding to lock in juices—it makes all the difference for tenderness.
  • Stirring in sauce while the chicken is still a little warm helps it soak up all the tangy flavors perfectly.
Go Back