Baked pulled chicken sliders ( with homemade brioche slider buns )

Let's take a break from baking cupcakes , shall we ?!

I've made these sliders few days ago and everytime the recipe works really well , okay , with some tweaks , I ask myself , why didn't I make this before ?!

The recipe is quiet straightforward except for a long list of spices , which if you like to cook , can be found lurking in your pantry . I never had this kind of spice rub before and the flavor and smell of the grilled chicken reminds me of some Indian-style dishes , it's the cumin , I think . Or nearly like a simple Mexican-style spice rub . For the sauce , I didn't go overboard with chillies as one of my test tasters doesn't like too spicy food . Though the grilled chicken was a bit spicy , the spiciness is muted when you add it to the sauce . 

The grilled chicken on its own tastes so delicious that I've eaten nearly a whole piece of it before adding the rest into the sauce ! If only I had some leftover rice at that time ! If you don't like to shred the chicken , you just can cut it into 4 slices ( depending on the size ) and toss it with the sauce or brush the sauce all over the chicken . 

For the slider buns , you can use hamburger buns as stated at Cooking Light magazine but I opted to make a brioche . Initially , I was keen to try Bouchon's Bakery's Nanterre brioche but I returned the book at the library few days ago without copying the recipe *sigh* So , I used Rachel Khoo's brioche ( really , really good ! ) recipe which is a slider buns . I kneaded the very sticky dough manually because as of now , I still don't have a standmixer . Paging donors , anyone ?! lol 

Don't forget to make the simple cabbage slaw as it adds a delightful crunch to these pretty awesome sliders ! 

Recipe adapted from Cooking light Magazine , October 2013 , page 92 or check original recipe here

Chicken :

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
925 grams / 4 pieces skinless , boneless whole chicken legs

Sweet-and not-so spicy sauce :

2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 clove garlic , minced
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon allspice powder
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

* To prepare chicken  : Combine the first 6 ingredients and rub evenly over chicken , set aside .

* Line the roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil ( to catch the chicken drippings ) and preheat oven to 400°C . Place chicken on the highest wire rack ( I'm using a tabletop oven ) and grill chicken for 20 minutes , 10 minutes on each side . Let stand for 5 minutes then shred with 2 forks .

* While chicken is grilling , prepare the sauce . Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat , add onion , cook for 5 minutes , stirring from time to time . Stir in the sugar , garlic , mustard , chilli flakes and allspice powder , cook for 30 seconds . Stir in ketchup and vinegar , bring to a boil . Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened , stirring occasionally . Stir in the shredded chicken and cook for another 2 minutes , take pan off heat .

* This pulled chicken is more than enough for the brioche recipe below .

Brioche , recipe adapted from Rachel Khoo , with minor tweaks

Makes 9 ( 2-inch slider buns ) and 2 (  3-inch ) buns

260 grams bread flour
25 grams caster sugar
5 grams salt
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
70 ml UHT whole milk , warm
3 medium eggs
100 grams unsalted butter , cubed , at room temperature

Egg wash :  Beat 1 egg then add in 2 tablespoon milk , stir well , set aside  

Mix together 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon black sesame for topping

* In a mixing bowl , whisk together the flour , sugar and salt then add in the yeast and give it a good stir . Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture , pour in the milk and the eggs . Mix together using a wooden spatula until it forms a very wet dough . Transfer to a clean work surface and knead for 5 minutes , the dough will be very wet . Add in the butter and continue to knead or slap ( onto the surface ) the dough for 20 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic or do a window pane test . The dough is still tacky so , sprinkle some cake flour onto the work surface and on top of the dough and form into a ball . Transfer dough into a lightly-oiled bowl cover with plastic wrap and proof for an hour at room temperature . Put dough into the fridge and let it rise overnight . You can still proceed to divide the dough after it doubled in size and bake it on the same day but it is easier to handle a well-chilled brioche dough especially if the weather is warm . 

* Take out brioche dough from the fridge , dust work surface and your hands with cake flour and weigh dough ( my final dough is 582 grams )  , 9 pieces at 50 grams and 2 pieces at 66 grams and form into small balls . Lay each dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment . Cover dough and let proof for about an hour , depending on the warmth of your kitchen , or until doubled in size . 

* Meanwhile , preheat oven to 180°C . 

* Brush top of the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds . Bake for 20 minutes , take out buns and let cool on the wire rack . 

Simple cabbage slaw : 

* Whisk together 3 tablespoons mayo , 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar , 1 teaspoon sugar , 1 teaspoon light brown sugar , a dash of ground white pepper and a generous pinch of salt . Pour dressing into 2 cups of shredded cabbage ( green and purple ) and carrot , toss to coat , chill in the fridge before using . 

To assemble the pulled chicken sliders : 

* Cut several pieces of brioche buns into half , toast , cut side down , into a heated pan until it turns lightly brown . 

* Place some pulled chicken on the bottom half of the buns , add in the slaw then close the sliders . Serve with chips or fries and juice or soda .