BBQ Pulled Chicken and a Good Southern Love Story to Boot!

I think crock pots are one of the best inventions ever. I was so excited to throw all of my ingredients into my crock pot before work yesterday morning, knowing that I'd come home to a delicious dinner, ready at my arrival. 

I browned my chicken breasts in a large skillet with olive oil.

I mixed up all of the ingredients for an amazing BBQ sauce and added it to the crock pot.

I thought about my pulled chicken during the day. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and I couldn't wait to go home and eat it.

As I left work, I got a call from Pat. "Bad news," he said "I think your chicken burned." Burned?! My chicken?! I was so disappointed. I told him to turn off the crock pot and leave it there for me until I got home. Let me tell you, the sight I came home to wasn't pretty.

If I just worked an eight hour day, the crock pot would be a miracle chef. Unfortunately, I work at least eight hours a day, and drive at least an hour each way (depending on traffic). So 10+ hours is a little bit too long to leave a meal unattended.

I figured that I should at least try to salvage the chicken. I stuck a fork into a piece of chicken and instantly it shredded, revealing tender meat.

I shredded all of the chicken, removing a couple pieces that looked dry (but only a handful - for the color of the crock pot you would have thought the meat was scorched, but it wasn't!), sampling as I went. Tangy, spicy, delicious!

My meal was not ruined, not in the slightest. I steamed some broccoli and had a down-home BBQ pulled chicken dinner, accompanied by some light lemonade from Trader Joe's (seemed fitting).

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken

Based on Jenna's recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and trim fat. Brown for four minutes on each side in hot olive oil in a large skillet heated to medium-high. Remove from pan and place in crock pot.
2. Combine all ingredients (besides chicken and olive oil). Whisk together and pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional five to six hours (not eight!).
4. Shred chicken with fork(s), then mix into sauce so sauce is evenly distributed. Serve on fresh rolls, with cornbread and beans, on pizza - whatever you like!

After dinner I relaxed on the couch and delved deeper into my new book: The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.

I don't normally enjoy romance novels. Okay, that's a lie. Every now and then I like some romance, although the over-the-top gushy ones don't appeal to me. I like this book because its not over-the-top, its a true story, and I think that genuine love can be felt in Ree's words. I've also always thought that I belonged on a ranch in the Midwest, so that aspect of the book hooked me, too.

I have a confession. Both my meal and this book were inspired by Jenna. I love reading her blog because she's constantly posting incredible creations from her kitchen, all of which are photographed beautifully. If you're using one of her recipes, chances are that it'll be a big success. A couple weeks ago she wrote about some of the books she's loving now, and this was one of them.

While we're on the subject of love - take a look at my roses! Pat bought them for me on Valentine's Day (2 weeks ago!) and they still look perfect!