This is an easy way to prepare a make-ahead meal for a family that is tasty and easy.  I simply placed all the ingredients for the chicken in the slow cooker and let it simmer all day.  The chicken tasted great with a hearty salad.  I chose a creamy mustard for a dressing but you could opt for simple oil and vinegar if you prefer.  The pickled red onions were a perfect garnish with the chicken.  They can be made relatively quickly and easily stored as an addition to a sandwich or another salad.  You can always serve the chicken on a brioche bun if you need a heartier meal.  If you don’t have time to make your own bbq sauce, you could always select your favorite store-bought brand and use that, but making your own is not so complicated and allows you to add additional spices as desired.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

for barbecue chicken:

  • 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons honey mustard
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used white balsamic)
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

for salad:

  • 12 ounces of salad greens
  • 2 carrots, shaved in ribbons
  • 1 small bell pepper, sliced in strips
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans drained,
  • 2 cups frozen corn, thawed and (sautéed slightly if desired)
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 4 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup bread and butter pickles, sliced in strips
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup tortilla strips (optional)
  • Fresh cilantro, optional garnish

for pickled onion:

  • medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/ teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 smashed garlic clove

for dressing:

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions:

for chicken:

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and put them in your crockpot.  Mix the remaining ingredients for the bbq sauce in a large mixing cup and stir to combine and then pot into crockpot to coat.  Place your crockpot on lowest setting and cook for 8 hours or medium setting for about 4.

for pickled onions:

Combine vinegar and sugar in a measuring cup and stir to dissolve.  Add the other ingredients and pour over thinly sliced onions.  Allow mixture to marinate for about an hour.  Drain liquid and store refrigerated.

for dressing:

Whisk together all ingredients for dressing until smooth and creamy.  Adjust seasonings to taste and set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

assemble salad:

In chicken is ready, remove from crockpot.  Once cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your fingers or with two forks.  It should pull apart very easily.  Use remaining sauce to pour over chicken to moisten and flavor.  Place your greens in a large bowl, topping with remaining ingredients.  Serve with some bbq chicken on top and prepared pickled red onion, and drizzle with honey mustard dressing, tossing to combine.  Enjoy!