The Ultimate Go-To: Spicy BBQ Pulled Chicken with Broccoli Slaw

When I started this blog, I wanted a way to quickly catalog those recipes that were home runs, ones that I could turn to over and over again every time I started thinking “I have no idea what to make tonight.”  In other words, I wanted to catalog our “go-tos.”

The following is THE go-to in our house.  Cooking for a crowd?  Need a lot of leftovers?  Don’t have more than 10 minutes to cook? Going to happy hour and you’re not sure if you’ll be eating there or at home?  This is the answer, every time.  It’s not elevated cooking, but it’s delicious, it’s plentiful, and it’s oh-so-easy.

Spicy BBQ Pulled Chicken

• 3/4 of 1 can cola (not diet!)
• 1 jar spicy BBQ sauce – our favorite is Stubb’s
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1-2 lbs chicken breasts (can obviously also make with pork)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• freshly cracked black pepper, crushed red peppers
• good buns
• optional: chips, pepper jack cheese

1. Add onions and garlic to a slow cooker.  Season the chicken breasts with black pepper and the crushed reds and then layer them on top of the onions and garlic.  Cover the chicken (just barely) with the cola and BBQ sauce.  Set heat on low and cook 8-9 hours.
2. At the end of the cook time, use forks to shred the chicken (if there’s too much liquid, mix in a teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken up the sauce).  Serve with warmed buns; top with coleslaw.

Broccoli Slaw with Homemade Dressing

• 1 package broccoli slaw (Trader Joe’s carries this, but I’ve recently seen in Harris Teeter and in Safeway, as well!)
• For the dressing:
  • 1/2 -1 cup light mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4-5 tablespoons cider vinegar, depending on how tart you like your dressing
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • dash salt
  • one heaping tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • optional: dash celery seed

1. Prepare the dressing by whisking all of your ingredients, minus broccoli, together in a bowl.  Stir thoroughly, until the sugar dissolves.  Do a bit of taste-testing along the way to make sure it has the right amount of tang for you.
2. Toss thoroughly with the broccoli slaw.  If you like, refrigerate a bit before serving.