Bite-sized BBQ Pulled Chicken Sopes! Great appetizer for backyard parties. Topped with BBQ pulled chicken, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, avocado and BBQ sour cream.
This post is brought to you in partnership with Stubb’s Bar-B-Que
On a sweltering summer day, few things beat a good barbecue — especially when you add chipotle, cumin, and tequila to the flavor mix.
These sopes are the perfect appetizer to serve at a garden party while the grill is heating up. They’re like the Mexican version of sliders!
You can find pre-made sopes for this recipe at any Mexican grocery store, or you can make your own using masa harina (cornmeal).
To make your own sopes, first prepare the masa batter just like you would for corn tortillas. Then shape the sopes by pinching off walnut-sized pieces of dough and shaping into a thick, flat, light-rimmed patty. Fry them as instructed in the recipe.
When it comes to this frying step, be careful not to overcrowd the pan or the sopes won’t crisp properly. Working in batches, drain the fried sopes on kitchen paper to soak up excess cooking oil. Keep them warm in a low oven until ready to pile them high with toppings.
Spike some barbecue sauce with spices and tequila, add your chicken breasts and cook until tender. Shred the chicken with two forks, then return the chicken to the pan and toss with the sauce. Simply!
Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts work best for this recipe. This adds flavor to both the meat and the sauce and helps keep the meat juicy. Of course, you can also prepare this dish with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts if you prefer.
As you assemble these sopes, heap them with whatever additional toppings you like — shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and avocado. Just don’t skimp on the sour cream! It’s a key component that enhances the grilled flavor of meat.
Serve these Pulled Chicken Sopes with a pitcher of margaritas or lemonade nearby. Don’t expect leftovers either – this is a crowd favorite at its finest!
BBQ Pulled Chicken Sopes
Look for pre-made sopes at any Mexican grocery store or make your own Masa Harina.
To make your own sopes, first prepare the masa batter as you would for corn tortillas. Then shape the sopes by pinching off walnut-sized pieces of dough and shaping into a thick, flat, light-rimmed patty. Fry them as instructed in the recipe.
ingredients
- For the chicken:
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3/4 cup Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Bar-BQ sauce
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1 tablespoon of tequila
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1 chipotle en adobo, finely chopped
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2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned Chipotle en Adobo)
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1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
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1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
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2 tablespoons of water
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2 large bone-in skinless chicken breasts (3/4 to 1 pound total)
- For the soups:
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2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional as needed
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8 sopes (see recipe note)
- For the toppings:
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1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
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1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
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1 large ripe tomato, finely chopped
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2 pitted avocados, flesh removed and diced
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1/2 cup sour cream
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1 teaspoon Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Bar BQ sauce
method
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Make the cooking sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine barbecue sauce, tequila, chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, cumin, lime juice, and water. Stir thoroughly to combine.
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Cook chicken:
Add the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
Turn the heat to low, cover the pot and continue cooking 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender, no longer pink and registers 165F at the thickest point.
Remove the pan from the heat.
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Shred Chicken:
Remove chicken from poaching liquid and place on cutting board. Reserve the discounted barbecue sauce. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes.
Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the chicken with your fingers or two forks.
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Toss Chicken with Gravy:
Return the meat to the pan and toss with the sauce to evenly coat. Return to low heat and simmer to meld and warm through flavors.
At this point the chicken can be chilled and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Heat on the stovetop over low heat before proceeding, adding a little water to the bottom of the pot if needed to prevent sticking.
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When ready to serve, fry the sopes:
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 225 F degrees. Set a plate lined with paper towels by the stove.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the sopes in a single layer, leaving some space between each layer. Work in batches to avoid overfilling if necessary.
Fry for 2 minutes or until the underside is golden, then flip. Fry another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to the plate lined with kitchen paper to drain for a minute or two, then pop into the oven.
Continue frying the remaining sopes. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
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Assemble and serve the sopes:
Arrange the sopes on a platter and top each with a generous pile of pulled chicken. Add lettuce, cheese, tomato and avocado.
Whisk together the sour cream and barbecue sauce in a small bowl, then drizzle a spoonful over each sope.
Serve warm immediately.
