Slow Cooker NC Pulled Chicken
With all the tang of delicious North Carolina Barbecue, this Slow Cooker NC Pulled Chicken will calm any craving you have for their notorious, vinegar based barbecue.
I wanted barbecue. No. Scratch that. I wanted NORTH CAROLINA barbecue. Don’t ask me why. I just did. All that vinegary, spicy goodness. YUM!! So, I thought I’d poke around and see what goes into making the sauce for NC BBQ. Granted, this isn’t a smoker recipe. It’s a slow cooker recipe. And it was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!
I think it was a little sweeter than I was anticipating, and I probably could have cut the vinegar a little for the amount of chicken I had in there. However, I still thought it tasted delicious! I’m not sure how S like it. He’s not a huge vinegar fan. Sometimes I’m not either, but when it comes to NC barbecue, you can’t shy away from the vinegar.
This truly did hit the spot! Honestly. Since I can’t jaunt off to NC for dinner – yes I did say jaunt – I decided to make some at home. And since we can’t really smoke meat , barbecue or even GRILL, it was a slow cooker for me.
I love my slow cooker, don’t you? I use it one night a week and it’s such an easy way to throw a delicious meal together. Now, I have a HUGE, no, GYNORMOUS slow cooker. It’s great for a family of 6, but that’s not us. There’s 2 and a dog.
I really don’t want to purchase a new slow cooker. There’s nothing wrong with this one. I do have to seriously adjust my time when we’re using it. Those 8 to 10 hour cooking times are more like 5 to 8 hours for us.
My solution? Vacation timer. Seriously. Like, that $10 thing that has a clock face on it and you set the time when it turns on and off. So, there’s no need for a fancy schmancy slow cooker that’s programmable. That old, 90’s vacation timer is the answer to your prayers. Trust me on this one.
And trust me on this recipe. It’s tangy with just enough sweet and it’s spicy with the perfect flavor. So, take a trip in your kitchen to North Carolina and chow down on some barbecue.
Slow Cooker NC Pulled Chicken
With all the tang of delicious North Carolina Barbecue, this Slow Cooker NC Pulled Chicken will calm any craving you have for their notorious, vinegar based barbecue.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 8 whole wheat hamburger buns
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the liner of a slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
- Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken breasts. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or until the chicken is fork tender and shreds.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Divide the meat evenly between 8 hamburger buns.
- Serve with green chile & cheddar cornbread baked doughnuts and mixed greens.
PEP Counts – Yields 8 servings:
| Milk | Veg | Fruit | Bread | Meat | Fat |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.25 | 4 | 0 |
This looks incredible! Pinned.It's always a pleasure to have you be a part of our party. Please take a minute tonight at 7 pm, to party with us! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com/
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Slow cookers are truly a gift from God, they are so easy to cook in, and everything turns out wonderful. Your recipe sounds fantastic.
Thanks, Heidi!! I totally agree. I LOVE cooking in ours. Thanks for the compliment!
Lol I dont eat meat so is it bad that I'm more interested in those green chile and cheddar cornbread baked doughnuts on your plate!? I NEED that recipe! So excited to be a co-host with ya this month on the Wake Up Wednesday Linky party!
Shaina, it's in July recipe just after this one. http://bit.ly/1khFpF5 They were delicious! I'm so glad you joined us!! I LOVE your recipes! They always inspire me for our #MeatlessMonday
Hi I'm a cohost from Wake Up Wednesday. I wanted to swing by and show you some love. TY for sharing. I pinned it to my Pinterest page.
Thanks, Jay, for showing some love!
Since I no longer own a barbecue, slow cook barbecue has to be it. Frankly I am finding I am loving the slow cooker better in some ways. It really emphasizes the sauce. And there is actually extra sauce that you have the option of using. I had to pin this.
Thanks, Carol! I watched a show about barbecue one weekend and one place did a barbecue that wasn't smoked. It looked fabulous! Thanks for pinning.