Thai Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pulled chicken sandwiches get a delicious twist with Thai curry flavors and a creamy coconut slaw. You’ve got to try it!

Sometimes making Thai food can be time-consuming, with a lot of steps and a lot of ingredients. I’ve married all of those favorite Thai flavors into an easy-to-make pulled chicken with a coconut slaw, piled high on a Kaiser roll.

What Is Red Curry Paste?

Red curry paste is a mixture of red chili peppers, garlic, cloves, lemongrass, turmeric, and shrimp paste. It’s used to flavor a variety of Thai dishes.

It can range from mild to spicy and is often combined with coconut milk. Curry paste can be found in most grocery stores in the ethnic aisle where Asian foods are sold and can also be purchased online. 

Making Coconut Slaw

You probably already know how much I love coconut and chicken together from this recipe for Creamy Coconut Chicken Breasts. I just had to include that flavor profile here. So, for the slaw, the flavor comes from using coconut cream in place of mayonnaise. It’s might sound unusual, but trust me here, it’s delicious. Coconut cream is not very sweet, but is rich and creamy. Just want you want as a dressing for coleslaw.

You can purchase a can of coconut cream and refrigerate any unused amounts, or purchase a can of coconut milk and skim the thick layer of coconut cream from the top. If there isn’t a thick layer on the top, the can has probably been shaken recently. Refrigerate the opened or unopened can. Once chilled, the thick cream layer will be on top.

Note: Make sure to purchase the unsweetened coconut cream or milk. You don’t want sweetness here. Also, don’t get cream of coconut, which is a mixture of coconut milk and sugar syrup, and is too sweet for our purposes here.

I often use the bagged slaw, either traditional cabbage or broccoli slaw. You can also make your own by shredding your favorite type of cabbage and adding shredded carrot or other vegetables as well.

Make your slaw while the chicken is cooking. In a medium bowl stir together the coconut cream, green onions, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and sugar. This should be about as thick as regular mayonnaise. If it’s too thick, add a little bit more of coconut milk, water, or lime juice. Once that’s all mixed and ready, add the vegetable slaw and toss to combine.

Note: If you’re not sure about the coconut slaw and want to make a more traditional coleslaw, I have just the recipe for you! This Coleslaw For Pulled Pork Recipe was created to pair with pulled pork, but I tried it on these sandwiches and it’s great on there too!

How To Make Thai Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

To make the Thai Curry Pulled Chicken, first preheat the oven to 425°F.  Then, in a large bowl whisk together the red curry paste, olive oil, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt until well combined. Add the chicken and toss it all around to coat every part.

Transfer the chicken and any extra red curry mixture to a small baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and bake this for about 25 minutes or until chicken registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. You can make your slaw and prep any other dishes while the chicken is in the oven.

Remove the chicken from oven, and shred it directly in the pan, combining it with any pan juices. The easiest way I’ve found to shred chicken is by using two forks: one to hold the chicken in place, and the other to gently scrape the chicken into shreds.

To build the sandwiches, place one-quarter of the shredded chicken on the bottom half of a Kaiser roll. Top with some of the slaw and some fresh cilantro. Then add the top of the bun to the sandwich. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

For another delicious kind of chicken sandwich, try my Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich recipe.

Podcast Episode: Making Thai Pulled Chicken Sandwiches