Name: Pulled Chicken with Cherry-Chile Barbecue Sauce
Cook time: Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: Slow cooker time: 4 to 6 hours
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots (about 1 large); 1 tablespoon peeled chopped fresh ginger (about one 1 1/2-inch piece); 1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño (seeds and membranes removed); Scant 4 cups dark sweet fresh cherries, pitted and de-stemmed (3 cups afterwards); Two 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes, no salt added (you'll only use 1 1/2 cans; save the rest for another use); 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses; 1/4 cup cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon chipotle chile from a can of chipotle chiles en adobo; 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided; 1 1/4 teaspoons chile powder, divided; 2 teaspoons coarse salt, divided; 15 grinds black pepper, divided; 2 teaspoons light brown sugar; 3 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed if necessary (about 8); 4 to 6 warmed burger buns, for serving

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Photo by Andrew Purcell

This fresh seasonal sauce—so good you'll be glad to have leftovers—features less sugar than traditional barbecue sauces. Serve the moist, flavorful chicken on warmed burger buns.

Wear rubber gloves when mincing the jalapeño so you don't burn your hands. When prepping the fresh cherries, wear a dark shirt, use a good cherry pitter, and work over two bowls: one for the pits and stems and the other for the usable flesh. Feel into the center of each cherry after pitting and de-stemming to make sure that no pit remains.

Recipe notes

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