Crockpot BBQ Root Beer Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

 

Today's Secret Recipe Club recipe comes from Lynne's blog, 365 Days of Baking. Lynne was on a quest to bake every day for 365 days, and on March 9th of this year she accomplished her goal. Congratulations!

As you can probably imagine, 365 days (plus) of baking leads to pages of pages of blog posts and amazing recipes. I made it through almost all of them, but instantly settled on this crockpot recipe. After coming back from our two-week honeymoon, it has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things, so an easy crockpot meal was more than up my alley.

Using chicken instead of pork was a delicious substitution and the flavors of the bbq sauce and root beer really took over. I highly recommend topping these with caramelized onions and cheese, as Lynne suggests, because it takes these sandwiches to a whole new level of delicous-ness. Since I usually top my pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, the carmelized onions were an unexpected but very welcome sweet twist that really complimented the bbq flavor. I definitely think I'll start using them on these types of sandwiches more often. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 16 oz. Root Beer
• 32 oz. barbecue sauce
• 2 cups Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Caramelized onions (recipe below)
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, combine onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Spread seasoning mix generously on each chicken breast and place in crockpot. Pour in Root Beer. Add barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring a few times during the day.

After 8 hours, remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Return chicken to crockpot. Mix it thoroughly with the barbecue sauce, and cook for another

15-30 minutes until sauce is absorbed.

Place chicken on rolls. Top with about 1/4 cup of cheese, caramelized onions and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Caramelized Onions:

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 large onions, sliced and separated into rings

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onions. Saute until translucent.  Reduce heat to low and cook for up to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Source: 365 Days of Baking