Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 onion *See Notes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic *See Notes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1-3 tablespoons of Sriracha depending on your heat tolerance
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Chicken:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of visible fat
• salt and pepper to taste but don't add until the sauce has been reduced.

For the Sandwiches:

• 1 English cucumber cut in quarters lengthwise then into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• fresh cilantro leaves to taste
• 1 fried egg per sandwich (optional)
• 1 whole wheat sandwich bun per sandwich

Preparation

1. Cut the chicken breast into three strips lengthwise, then cut once crosswise. This will reduce each chicken breast into 6 pieces for faster cooking and shredding when it is done. Lay all of these in the bottom of a slow-cooker crock.
2. Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender, fix the lid in place, and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour this over the chicken in the slow-cooker. Put the slow-cooker lid in place and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. At that time, reduce the heat to LOW and cook for another 2 hours or until you can pick up a large piece of chicken with the tongs and break it in half easily by pressing it against the side of the slow-cooker crock.
3. Use tongs to transfer all of the chicken to a cutting board. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and place it over medium high heat to reduce, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. While it reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken and return the shredded chicken to the slow-cooker on the Keep Warm setting or off, but either way, put the lid on to keep the chicken warm and prevent it from drying out.
4. When the sauce is reduced, pour it over the chicken and use the tongs to toss to coat it with sauce. Taste the chicken and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve hot on a toasted whole wheat sandwich bun topped with cucumber ribbons, cilantro leaves and a fried egg, cold on salads, tucked into tacos or baked on pizzas.
6. Leftovers can be frozen in individual meal-sized portions in airtight containers.

Notes

• If you do not have a blender, finely chop the onions and garlic and whisk them into the liquid sauce ingredients before pouring over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

Foodie With Family