Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Is there anyone who doesn’t love good barbecue? I know I do. There's something about a finger lickin' good rack of ribs or perfectly spiced pulled pork. But I struggle with wanting it to be healthy as well. Here's a pulled chicken recipe that is both delicious and healthy.

I know that original pulled meat sandwiches include Coleslaw. I will post separately about the coleslaw that I tried, along with a couple of recipes for you to try with your pulled chicken.

Ingredients:

3 Small or 2 Large Whole Chickens

1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce

1 (18 oz) bottle Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce

1 (18 oz) Bottle Bills Johnson's Hot & Spice  Sauce

1 Sweet Red or Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp Garlic

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 Tbsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 Cup Honey or Agave

Technique:

Boil chickens until tender. (Boiling chickens are never pretty, are they?)

Cool and remove meat from bones, discarding skin and fat. (Just boiled chickens are not pretty either!!) On this day I boiled 3 large chickens and used 2 for pulled chicken and 1 for a pot of chicken soup.

"Pull" chicken with two forks or your fingers.

While the chicken is cooling enough to handle it, put the sauce together.

Turn  the crock pot on high.

Mix all sauce ingredients together in crock pot.

Add pulled chicken to sauce.

Cook on high 2-3 hours or turn the crock pot to low and let simmer 4-6 hours.

(Simma down now, simma down! Sorry, I digress...) 

Serve with buns...

Add coleslaw if you like...

And accidentally figure out that the pulled chicken is fabulous on spicy nacho chips!! 

Okay, I think this was my favorite way to eat it. On the bun was great. But I'm a fan of spicy and the chips added a little spice and a little crunch...perfect! This recipe as I've written it has really great flavor, but is not spicy. You could add a little heat by increasing the crushed red pepper flakes. 

Printable Recipe

What favorite food would you like to find a healthier version of?

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Crock Pot Lasagna

Love lasagna? Hate the time it takes to cook the pasta and prepare it?

I promised one more fabulous recipe for Super Bowl Sunday this week.

Crock Pot Lasagna! You don't even have to cook the pasta first...so simple.

Like Almost Better Than Sex Cake and The Most Incredible Super Bowl Mac-N-Cheese, this is a recipe that never fails to please the crowd. I love that it is super easy to create and inexpensive as well. Because it’s in a crock pot it is also very portable. So go where the party is! I have to credit my friend Garrett Miller for this recipe. I may tweak it a little (I've been known to use ground turkey. Also, see tips below) but the idea and recipe originally came from him.

I don't have a picture to share because, well, last time I made it I didn't even think to take  a picture (and I'm not making it until Super Bowl Sunday). So...this is a generic picture of lasagna from google images. ('Cause my lasagna is never this low in the crock pot...I layer it right to the top!)

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 lb Lean Ground Beef, cooked and drained

32 oz jar of your favorite Red Pasta Sauce

16 oz Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups (8 oz) Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1/2 box (4.5 oz) No Boil Lasagna Noodles (yes I said NO BOIL; they're so cool)

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp Dried Oregano + 1/8 tsp

1/4 tsp Dried Basil + 1/8 tsp

1/2 Cup Onion, minced

Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated (not out of a can), to taste

Olive Oil or Cooking Spray

Instructions:

Grease the inside of your slow cooker with olive oil or cooking spray.

Combine cooked beef, onion, garlic, 1/4 tsp basil & oregano and sauce in a medium sized bowl and mix well.

Combine cheese, except for Parmesan, with 1/8 tsp oregano & basil in a separate medium sized bowl.

In the slow cooker, start with the beef mixture (about 1/5 depending on the size of your cooker).

Top with a layer of no boil noodles, breaking as needed to fit.

Crumble on a thin layer of the cheese mixture (about 1/5).

Repeat layers, ending with the beef layer on top.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Tip: I often add mushrooms or saute some green peppers with the onions.

Tip 2: For a vegetarian version, substitute one package of soy crumbles for the lean ground beef.
Tip 3: If you have a large crock pot you can easily double this recipe to serve a crowd.

Question: Do you have a traditional dish that you prepare in a non-traditional way?