Switch Up Your Bourbon Chicken Sandwich With Pulled Pork

A unique fusion of Cajun and Chinese cooking, bourbon chicken is so named for the street in New Orleans where it is said to have originated. The disputed origins of bourbon chicken still leave some confusion as to the exact birthplace of this now classic dish; however, that certainly doesn't stop people from consuming and enjoying it. The sticky and sweet combination of comforting flavors typically includes tender pieces of chicken cooked in a bourbon BBQ sauce. The result is a delicious dish and a perfect sandwich filling that's bursting with flavor. One way to amp up this style of sandwich is to switch out your proteins. Swap in pulled pork that's been cooked in a bourbon BBQ sauce to replace the classic chicken and taste the flavorful difference.

BBQ pulled pork is easy to make and tasty. For budget-conscious kitchens –- or simply those who want to change things up –- preparing an easy pulled pork recipe and infusing it with the signature flavors of bourbon chicken is an excellent choice. Colloquially known as "the other white meat", pork works well in place of chicken because of their similarities in taste and texture, with pork having a bit more natural sweetness. It is also often found in a number of Cajun dishes, which speaks to the New Orleans roots of the original meal. It's as simple as preparing your pulled pork in a manner similar to a bourbon chicken, piling it atop bread, and enjoying.

Mixing together the flavors of a bourbon chicken sandwich with the simplicity in preparation of pulled pork yields a most fabulous result. Starting off with a basic sticky Chinese bourbon chicken recipe, you can easily substitute in cooked pulled pork and dress it with the bourbon BBQ sauce. You might be wondering whether or not New Orleans' bourbon chicken contains actual booze; however, if you wish to use something other than bourbon, there are several bourbon substitutes for cooking, a number of which include non-alcoholic options like vanilla extract, a combination of peach nectar and apple cider vinegar, and coffee to name a few. You can easily make a hearty bourbon pulled pork with all the flavors you love that is best suited to your tastes.

Choosing the right bread is the next variable to consider. Soft buns are key to delicious pulled pork sandwiches and you'll definitely want the proper combination of fluffy bread on which to pile tenderly sweet and savory pulled pork. With plenty of ideas for toppings to elevate your pulled pork sandwich, the sky's the limit to how extravagant you'd like to be. Remember that the original bourbon chicken dish came from a fusion of two very different flavors and, as such, you are free to explore and experiment as much as you want.