Deep South Eats: Crock Pot Barbecue Beer Chicken

You all know by now that I thoroughly enjoy a crock pot meal. There are just so many days in life where the ability to throw food in a big pot and have a delicious meal at the end of the day is sanity-saving. Living in the South, we love barbecue. I have always used a tried-and-true recipe for beef barbecue but was really interested in making some pulled chicken barbecue. I came across a fantastic recipe awhile back and knew it was the perfect recipe to try for a healthier leaner barbecue.


I think when it comes to chicken barbecue you can definitely go wrong in many places...too dry...too much sauce, etc. This chicken barbecue was so perfect it almost deceived itself as pork barbecue. It was completely tender after cooking all day and had the perfect balance of spices and sauce. My mom came over to eat with us and declared it "the best meal she had in a long time". Almost a week later and we are still enjoying the leftovers. They taste just as good, if not better than they did last week. We served our barbecue sandwiches with a side of Broccoli Salad and fresh fruit salad. I think this barbecue would also be fantastic atop a leafy green salad with roasted corn, black beans, Tortilla Strips and Chipotle Ranch Dressing.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup (8 ounces) of beer - I used a Sweetwater 420
• 32 ounces barbecue sauce - use a thinner sauce such as Williamson Brothers

Directions:

• Season chicken breasts with onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
• Add chicken to crock pot and pour beer over the chicken. Pour in 24 ounces of barbecue sauce.
• Cook on low 8 hours, tossing once or twice, if you are able to.
• After 8 hours, shred the chicken (using my tried and true method) and toss in the remaining 8 ounces of barbecue sauce. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Original Recipe from How Sweet It Is.

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