With summer and all of its glorious heat practically here, it’s time to embrace the flavor of the season with this *amazing* Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Chicken.

Slow cookers are the only way I get anything cooked during the dog days of summer. One can only eat so many salads before they start to feel like a bunny rabbit, but I’ll be damned before I turn on my oven or stove and add to the climbing temperatures that are already making my house miserable to hang out in. So, slow cookers are my right hand man during the summer (and the rest of the year, as we all know). 

Not only do I love love love that this delicious, easy, and family friendly meal is cooked to perfection in my handy-dandy slow cooker, but I also love that it is NATURALLY sweetened with dates. BBQ sauce typically has some sort of sugar added to it to help cut the acidity of the vinegar and tomatoes, however I was able to balance that lovely zang with the natural sweetness of a few pureed dates. 

Prep time for this recipe is minimal. Literally just minutes.

  • Throw the sauce ingredients into a blender.
  • Puree
  • Pour over chicken in the slow cooker.
  • Turn on slow cooker.
  • Walk away and enjoy life.

See! Nearly effortless. So this slow cooker pulled BBQ chicken is absolutely ideal to serve for dinner after a busy day of enjoying the season with your family or as a lovely “welcome home” offering to yourself after a long day at work. 

This recipe makes a hefty batch, so it is great to feed to a crowd or simply enjoy for leftovers.  

Ingredients:

3 pounds organic chicken breast

2 cups diced tomatoes

2-4 pitted dates

3 cloves garlic 

1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered or 1/2 a large yellow onion

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

6 oz tomato paste 

1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil

Directions:

  1. In a large slow cooker (I use a 6-quart slow cooker), arrange the chicken breasts and drizzle with the avocado oil.
  2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until all of the ingredients are well chopped. Pour over the chicken, spooning the sauce over all exposed chicken.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
  4. After the chicken is done cooking, remove the breasts. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
  5. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker with the remaining sauce, stirring it together to combine.
  6. Enjoy warm over a salad, in large leaves of lettuce, as filling for baked potatoes, or simply on its own. 
  7. Store leftovers in fridge for about 5 days.

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