If your fall is anything like mine, you are looking for fast & delicious dinners and if it involves a crockpot, even better. I actually searched on my own blog for inspiration for meal planning and found this delicious Balsamic Pulled Chicken that I totally forgot all about! So it needs a replay here on THO.
I love the ease of cooking pulled pork or chicken for a crowd. Cook, shredded, mix with sauce, add some coleslaw. Done. And for the record, six kids including 2 football players + 2 field hockey players is a crowd.
When I saw this recipe for Balsamic Pulled Chicken, I instantly craved it. And as I put together the sauce, I realized it is actually very similar to the ingredient list for BBQ sauce, just with balsamic vinegar’s depth of flavor and richness, and without BBQs sticky sweetness.
Which makes it amazing.
It is a major plus that this whole thing comes together in less than 30 minutes. I made it for a family get together and it was so easy, the chicken baked away in the oven while I made the sauce. When I shredded it, it was super tasty on its own (go garlic power, salt and pepper for making baked chicken breast super yummy). If I made this for a party I would probably make it according to these directions and then keep it warm in a crock pot.
It’s good to have options.
I served it on Ciabatta rolls but for low carb romaine lettuce or Bibb lettuce slices work or even topping a salad with the shredded sauced chicken and some blue cheese crumbles would be perfect.
Ok, lets talk cole slaw! The recipe calls for a slaw made with aioli and canned pineapple. I don’t love canned pineapple, and so I made my favorite cole slaw recipe which is mayo, milk, celery salt, celery seed, a splash of white or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sugar. This coleslaw recipe from Bon Appetit is really close to how I make it, though I add some milk to thin it.
And I think it is fine to sub mayonnaise for the greek yogurt and aioli. But maybe unlike me you do have some aioli nearby.
I loved it with this coleslaw but maybe your crew would like the sweet version so it is listed below with some tweaks.
This one is definitely a keeper when you need to cook for a crowd. I tripled the recipe for leftovers and easily fed 10.
(FYI, my little kids liked it in a hotdog roll with American cheese and no slaw.)
Happy Eating! xoxo Katie
Balsamic Pulled Chicken
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
SAUCE
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce/ketchup
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 tsp garlic powder
SLAW
- 14 oz slaw mix
- 8 oz. can pineapple pieces in juice
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened yoghurt (or mayo)
- 1/3 cup aioli (or mayo)
- 2 Tbsp juice from canned pineapple
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
TO SERVE
- 4-8 rolls or burger buns
- 4-8 slices cheese, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
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COOK CHICKEN
Preheat oven to 375ºF fan bake. Place a large piece of foil on an oven tray. Place chicken on top. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle garlic powder over the top and season well with salt and pepper. Wrap up in the foil to enclose. Bake for 25 minutes, until chicken is completely cooked through.
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MAKE SAUCE
While chicken cooks, place oil, vinegar, water, tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, crumbled stock cube and garlic powder in a small non-stick saucepan. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until thickened (should be about the same consistency as tomato sauce/ketchup). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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MAKE SLAW
Combine slaw and pineapple (reserve the pineapple juice!) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together yoghurt, aioli, pineapple juice and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add approximately two thirds of the dressing to the slaw and toss to combine.
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ASSEMBLE AND SERVE
If you prefer the rolls warm, place in the oven for a few minutes. Remove chicken from foil, place in a shallow dish and use two forks to roughly shred. Pour balsamic sauce over the top (adjust quantity to suit your tastes) and toss to combine.
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Cut rolls in half, spread with remaining slaw dressing, add slices of cheese and top with slaw and chicken. Sandwich together. Serve with extra slaw on the side (the slaw is nice topped with any extra chicken too).
Recipe adapted from yourultimatemenu.com
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