Slowcooker Pulled Chicken
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I have big news to share. I used my crockpot twice within TWO days last week. I know, right? Amazing. And SO nice! The day prior to making this, I made an absolutely huge pot of beef stew (I could barely jam the lid on). My goal has been to start working on some meals that I can double up so we eat them for dinner and then I have leftovers to freeze for when the baby comes (which is supposed to be in like 3 weeks, eeek!).
I had this recipe saved in my Reader when I first caught it in Apple a Day because I loved the ingredient list and especially liked that it was a homemade barbecue sauce without the use of refined sugar. Call me crazy, but I actually prefer pulled chicken to pulled pork and the fact that this was made with chicken and healthy to boot sealed the deal.
I liked that Kelsey used chipotles in adobo (one of my favorite ingredients, as you know) in the sauce, rather than a can of diced green chiles and chipotle powder. The chipotles give this sauce a nice smokiness and add some more heat. I also added some aleppo chili powder, which is slightly fruity, to complement the honey, and some cayenne for a little more spice, too. The sauce does has a little kick (which we love) from the chipotles and the cayenne, but I wouldn’t say it’s overly spicy. Just use your judgment and use less chipotles or cayenne if you don’t like a lot of spice.
We both really liked this and I especially loved how easy it was. I made the sauce the night before, as well as slicing the onion. Neither takes particularly long, but I figure why not get some prep done ahead if you can, especially if you are making this on a workday (which I was). It took me less than 5 minutes to press some garlic and throw everything all together in the slowcooker before work.
Slowcooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken
1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 chipotles in adobo, finely minced, and 2 tsp. adobo sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 to 4 Tbsp. honey
1.5 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. aleppo chili powder
3 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken thighs and breasts (I used mostly breasts, plus 2 bone-in thighs I had & skinned)
1 large onion, thinly sliced in half circles
4 cloves garlic, minced
Whisk together the first 9 ingredients (through aleppo chili powder). Spray your slowcooker lightly with oil and then place the chicken inside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Scatter the onions and garlic evenly over the top, and then pour the barbecue sauce over the top. Cook on low for 5 hours (I just let mine go all day while I was at work, so closer to 10). Shred the chicken with two forks and, if desired, continue to cook for a little bit on high, with the lid off, to allow mixture to thicken.
Heavily adapted from EatingWell / much less heavily adapted from Apple a Day
Looks delicious, Elly. I’m so glad you guys liked it!
oh yum! looks delicious! i want to try this!
I just made this for dinner on Saturday. I cheated and used a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce :o) I will have to try your recipe it sounds great!
Ooh this looks great. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t post this since I haven’t actually made it. ; P
The slowcooker makes the best pulled pork ever!!!
What is aleppo chili powder? Would regular chili powder be fine?
You can really use any kind of chili powder you want or have on hand. Aleppo is just a type of pepper, and it’s pretty mild and a little fruity.
When you say “any kind of chili powder,” do you mean powder from a single kind of chili (like habanero or cayenne) or the more common chile powder blend? Sorry to get so picky but, well, I guess I’m getting picky! 🙂
Well, technically it can be either but I wouldn’t use something like habanero or cayenne unless you want it really spicy. I’d stick with a commercial chili powder blend or a single, milder chile like ancho or alleppo.
Was the chicken frozen when you put it in the slow cooker?
The chicken I used wasn’t frozen – well, it may have been a little in the center because I had taken it out to thaw the day before.
Aleppo pepper is my new favorite ingredient in everything!
I went to a cooking demo last month by a chef from a four-star restaurant and he used aleppo. I could not get home fast enough to get to the Spice House website to order it. Theirs is crushed, not powdered and I love it. I have used it on salads, pizza, pasta….anything.
Here is what the website says about this spice:
“Aleppo chili pepper comes to us from northern Syria, near the town of Aleppo, which is considered one of the culinary meccas of the Mediterranean. It has a moderate heat level with some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones, with a hint of a vinegar, salty taste.”
I get mine from Spice House, too. Actually I get pretty much everything from there because it’s great quality and cheaper than the grocery store!
Yep, Spice House is a great place to shop! I love to look at the website. Of course when I got the Aleppo, I had to get other things too, to justify the shipping. So I got some of their tomato powder, which I have had in the paste. It really ramps up tomato flavor in cooked recipes.
I am lucky to have an organic store near me that sells loose spices, so I can buy a really small quantity of something I only need a teaspoon of…like the ground cloves that I needed for some recipe.
You have the yummiest recipes! Just wanted to let you know I nominated your for the One Lovely Blog award 🙂
http://mamajanskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-sweet-it-is-to-be-loved-by-you.html
Elly, I will definitely try this chicken dish, honestly I do not use my slow cooker as often as I should, great for a mid week dinner 🙂
Wow! Those look really yummy! Will definitely have to try this recipe after Easter … or I may just make it for some guests on Saturday regardless of whether I can eat it or not!
Just wanted to let you know I made these Elly and they came out great! I only added a little twist to the barbecue sauce … unfortunately, that’s the only thing I got to taste as I’m not eating meat for Lent. But everyone else said the pulled chicken as a whole was great. Thanks for the idea!
So glad you liked them, Maria!
This looks great! I usually make it with pork shoulder, but chicken breast/thigh meat is so much healthier and less fatty, so I am going to try this recipe next time we have a craving for BBQ sandwiches. Thanks for posting!
Excellent, didn’t have honey but improvised. Excellent, can’t wait to try with the honey so its sweet, spicy, and sticky.
Thanks,
T
I with you, I prefer pulled chicken over pork, and mostly for the health reasons. This looks delicious. Thanks!