Clean Pulled BBQ Chicken

Barbecue! One of the things I’ve missed with clean eating. I was a huge fan of Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce, but those calories and sugars quickly add up. And really who goes by the serving size? I always use much more than the bottle says!

I made my own barbecue sauce and from there decided to make a pulled chicken recipe with it. It will last for the week and will be a different taste instead of regular chicken breast!

I used my slow cooker again. It is so convenient! Just pop things in overnight or in the morning and you wake up to breakfast or come home to dinner. Wonderful! My meal was all ready for me when I came home from the gym.

For this recipe you will need:

-4 large chicken breasts
-1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
-1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
-1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
-1 1/2 cup of ORGANIC ketchup (look at ingredients to make sure it’s clean, most organic ketchups are)
-3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
-2 Tablespoons of natural honey
-1/2 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce
-3 Tablespoons of paprika
-1 teaspoon of chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon of ground cayenne red pepper
-1/4 teaspoon of salt
-pepper to taste

Start by cooking your onions in olive oil

I really need new pans, no judging!
I really need new pans, no judging!

Once the onions have browned, add the garlic

Mom, that wasn't a clue to buy me new pans...
Mom and Dad, that wasn’t a clue to buy me new pans…

Add the ketchup and honey, stir (medium heat)

Making a lovely BBQ sauce!
Making a lovely BBQ sauce!

Now add the spices

Mix it in!
Mix it in!

Add the soy sauce and vinegar

This will thicken, no worries
This will thicken, no worries

Reduce the heat to low and let this simmer for 25 minutes

It will thicken and look like this:

Clean BBQ Sauce
Clean BBQ Sauce

Next place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker

I can't believe I didn't eat chicken this past year!
I can’t believe I didn’t eat chicken this past year!

Pour the sauce on top

Saucy!
Saucy!

Cover with the lid and turn on low for 6 hours.

When you come back….

Did it work?
Did it work?

After playing around with my wooden spatula… why yes it did!

Falls apart!
Falls apart!

I used a fork too and shredded right in the crock pot. Falls right apart, hardly any effort!

Up close :)
Up close šŸ™‚

I placed this baby on an ezekiel bun (find me at Whole Foods in the freezer aisle)

Clean Pulled BBQ Chicken
Clean Pulled BBQ Chicken
What's inside?
What’s inside?

Clean, healthy, and delectable! A nice clean change I’d say! Guilt free and incredibly filling

Happy eating…

XOXO With a Cherry On Top,

-Minnie

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33 Comments

  1. Potatoes and Pilates

    YUM. The pictures of that shredded chicken made my mouth water and it is not even 10am here!

    1. Katie

      I’m glad! It is really good and I will be putting it in my lunches all week! šŸ™‚

  2. Transformations and New Perspectives | Skinny Minnie Moves

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  3. Courtney Menard

    I mad this last night for dinner and my boyfriend ate TWO! They were SOOO GOOOD! keep up the good work girl.. and thank you for helping all of us out here who are trying to follow in your path!

    1. Katie

      I’m so glad! This is the second time I’ve been boyfriend approved with this dish! šŸ™‚ I’m glad you are enjoying my blog!

  4. dev

    i tried this recipe and it was pretty good, except it had a bit of a bitter taste and was kind of dry.
    any idea what i did wrong or what i should do different?

    1. Katie

      You may have slow cooked too long. Every slow cooker is different. As far as the bitterness goes, you’re probably used to all the sugar from ketchup that is normally in BBQ sauce. You could either add a little more honey or add some stevia to sweeten it up a bit!

  5. Donna

    This recipe is very delicious! Great healthy barbeque! I read your story and can really relate. I finished pharmacy school a couple pounds more than when I started ha ha ha! I just started 3 weeks ago making big changes because health is really important! Thanks!

    1. Katie

      thanks Donna! congrats on finishing pharm school! Smart women ROCK!

  6. T Jordan

    This looks great! How many people does it serve?

    1. Katie

      Should make about 8 servings! Or 6 LARGE ones šŸ™‚

  7. Emily

    This recipe is AMAZING . I have made it three times already and will be making it again soon.

  8. Audrey

    Hey! Do you know the macros for this?

    1. Katie

      Without the ezekiel bun: 212 calories, 5.5 grams of fat, 2.3 grams of carbs, 35 grams of protein. Makes around 8 servings!

      1. Audrey

        Thanks!! I just wanna say I love your site-I’m doing my first NPC bikini competition in April. I don’t have a lot of weight to lose and I started dieting 16 weeks out, but I’m nervous about meal variety and you give so many options. I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!

        1. Katie

          YES! Thanks so much. That’s a big goal of my blog. I know SO many people who compete and are into eating clean and they do the SAME boring things over and over. And then in the off season they gain it all back. Huh! Wonder why? You need variety baby šŸ™‚ Are you on Instagram? I’d love to follow your journey to the show!

          1. Audrey

            Yeah I am! I haven’t posted much of anything yet, but I plan to once I see a little progress! My username is @abruick, and my workout buddy is doing men’s physique; he updates his quite a bit! He is @lantzkulp. I know I follow you on Pinterest, I will have to double check Instagram. Thanks for the motivation! That is huge!

  9. Shirley

    What is serving size? For example, 6oz or 1 cup.

    1. Katie

      4-6oz!! If you eat smaller more frequent meals 4. Larger meals, 6!

  10. Sarah Gaines

    Looks fantastic! Good call with the ezekiel bun!

  11. Brittany

    it made my house smell very strongly of vinegar. Did anyone else have this happen?

  12. Autumn Harjani

    WOW! My husband had no idea he wasn’t eating pork! Lol he said it was some of the best BBQ he’s had! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes! I just had my twins 6 months ago and am already back to my desired weight thanks to these yummy, healthy meals!

    1. Katie

      This is AWESOME to hear!!! So glad your family enjoyed šŸ™‚

  13. Zuzu Wood

    This looks delicious but what did you put your chicken in while cooked in slow cooker? Is it some kind of a bag or something?xx

    1. Katie

      It is a slow cooker bag. You can get them in the same aisle as the sandwich bags!

      1. Zuzu Wood

        Thanks Katie, I’ll be doing this very soon.

    2. Katie

      It’s a slow cooker bag, in the aisle with the sandwich bags and tin foil!

  14. Virginia is for Lovers | Skinny Minnie Moves

    […] also made my clean pulled BBQ chicken again. Seriously, I forgot how good it was. Check it […]

  15. Vanessa

    Put this in the crockpot a couple of hours ago. Needless to say, I tasted the sauce and I can’t wait for the finished product! And so low cal. Imported the recipe into MYFITPAL and it is crazy healthy. Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
    Thanks for sharing!!

    1. Katie

      Great to hear! Enjoy šŸ™‚

  16. Shaelyn

    What kind of ketchup do you use?

    1. Katie

      Simply Heinz. No preservatives.

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