Okay we are BBQ lovers, but this recipe is by far our favorite... and it's actually really easy to make. Thank you Half Baked Harvest, one of my favorite food blogs, for bringing this to life and sharing your recipe- it is now a staple in our home.
Below is how I make this, it looks like a lot of ingredients, but once you drop everything into your slow-cooker you are done. Let it sit for anywhere between 4-8 hours and you have yourself a meal.
Because tonight was one of our last glutenous gluten meals before my cleanse, I made sides of cornbread and mac and cheese that I'll also provide the recipes for. The mac and cheese is from Chrissy Teigen's first cookbook, Cravings, another one of my favorite places to find food ideas. This one is a JC favorite and because of that we add a little bacon on the top. Also, did you know I love Chrissy Teigen? Ugh, she's like my favorite, so there will probably be numerous recipes on here from her.
OOO! I love me some southern-inspired meals. YUM!
All serving ware and dinnerware is from Crate and Barrel. The placemats were from Home Goods. Crockpot is from Target, I believe.
BBQ Chicken
1. Make your bbq sauce. Combine all the BBQ Sauce ingredients listed below in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Just FYI if you have extra sauce, it can be stored in your fridge for up to two months for later use.
2. For the chicken, place it in the slow cooker and add the honey, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Make sure to coat the chicken so toss it a few times just to coat each of the pieces. Next, pour half of the BBQ sauce into the bowl of the crockpot and toss to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (high 4-6 hours).
3. After the allotted time, shred the chicken and remove from the crock pot. Take your remaining sauce and drizzle it onto the chicken. In my case tonight, I served it on the side in ramekins. Serve with any side you choose!
BBQ Sauce
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and pepper
Chicken
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
Chrissy Teigen's Mac and Cheese
Okay, if you own Chrissy Teigen's Cravings cookbook, see page 90. Otherwise here's the recipe. I don't do the cheesy garlic breadcrumbs, but instead substitute with bacon. (like that's any better lol)
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta a minute less than called for. Drain, rinse and toss with oil to prevent sticking.
3. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with a little butter.
4. In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat 1 stick of butter over medium-high heat until melted, but not browning. Add the flour and whisk, until it turns a light and toasty brown color, 5 to 6 minutes. Gradually add the milk while whisking, then increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking until it thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cheeses a few handfuls at a time, reserving a handful of the cheese, and whisk the sauce until smooth. Whisk in 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the cayenne. (I do a full teaspoon of cayenne, we like things with a little heat here.)
5. Stir in the cooked pasta, season to taste with more salt and pepper, and cook until the pasta is hot again.
6. Pour the mixture into the buttered baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Bake until the topping is browned and crisp, about 8 minutes.
Optional. At this point in time I throw about 3 pieces of bacon in my skillet and cook them through. Once I take out the mac and cheese from the oven, I chop the bacon into bits and sprinkle them on the top of the mac and cheese.
Mac and Cheese
Kosher salt
1 pound pasta shells (I've also used elbow macaroni)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
3/4 pound orange American cheese (about 16 slices)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Cheesy garlic breadcrumbs
I always cheat for cornbread and use the Jiffy mix because I love it, but one day I will tackle making cornbread from scratch. This one's super easy: buy the box of Jiffy, eggs, and milk and you mix everything together, drop into muffin tins and bake for like 15-20 minutes. You could drizzle a little honey on top if you like sweet cornbread.