Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Chicken

Helloooooo weekend!

It feels like ages since I’ve posted a slow cooker recipe for you guys! I hope this root beer pulled chicken makes up for it. I have always been curious about the idea of adding soda {typically coke} to pulled pork, so I finally decided to try it myself! Wow, is it ever good. I don’t know why it took me this long. Spicy and slightly sweet…just the way I like it. Reason number 2309230 why I love my crock pot so much is that you really can’t go wrong. I mean…if all the things you are throwing in there are delicious, the end result is bound to be delicious as well.

I think we’ve discussed this, but when someone says barbecue, I immediately think of pulled pork…or pulled chicken. It’s the Carolina bit in me coming out I guess, whereas Adam, my Texan, automatically thinks brisket. Now I know some of you really love your Texas barbecue and while I’d never turn down Rudy’s or Stubb’s, forgive me when I say I would rather eat pulled pork barbecue any day over brisket. Oh man. If you’re a pulled pork lover like I am, you’re going to go crazy over this root beer pulled chicken!

I decided to make this the other day when I was cruising the aisles of World Market, shopping for necessary things like, you know, grey sea salt and nutella. I love to buy the tiny glass bottles of Pellegrino at World Market, which is the only place I can find them {I’m a sparking water fiend}, and this Bulldog root beer was conveniently located right next to my Pellgrino. Meant to be.

Now, I am constantly thinking of new recipes wherever I go. I’ve come up with recipes at church, at yoga, in the shower or in the shoe store. Food takes over my brain on a daily basis. So when I saw this root beer, this barbecue recipe just developed in my head. I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out.

Be sure to use chicken thighs for this recipe, not chicken breasts, which will dry out and become stringy. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have their place and it’s not in your crock pot today. Embrace the thigh.

Just look how yummy it looks all shredded up after a seven hour jacuzzi in barbecue sauce and root beer!

Serve pulled chicken in sandwich form or {my favorite} as a stuffing for sweet potatoes. Just slice the baked sweet potato open, stuff in your pulled chicken and top with extra hot sauce.

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Chicken

serves 4-6

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup root beer

1/2 tsp salt

about 5 big splashes of Tabasco

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the chicken thighs and brown quickly on both sides — this should take about 4 minutes per side.

Place the browned chicken thighs in your slow cooker. Top with the diced onions, barbecue sauce and root beer. Turn heat to HIGH and cook for 1 hour. After an hour, turn down heat to LOW and cook for 6 more hours.

After 6 hours, remove chicken thighs from slow cooker. Place in a bowl and pull chicken apart with two forks. It should be incredibly tender at this point! Once shredded, place chicken back in slow cooker and mix well with sauce. Season with salt and Tabasco to taste.

Time:

active time ~ 10 minutes

total time ~ 7 hours