Slowcooker BBQ Chicken

It depends on what city you come from, but a lot of people would say BBQ is in the sauce. This sauce is tangy, sweet, and just a touch spicy, as it should be. We used it over chicken to make a week's worth of meals in the slow cooker, but you could just as easily take the sauce and baste it over drumettes for the SuperBowl next week. My husband finally agreed to do a Whole30 with me, so I've been trying to make some more Man Meals. This one defintely won his hearty appetite seal of approval.

What You’ll Need:

• 6-10 dates

• 1-14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained of all liquid

• 1 cup apple sauce (no sugar added)

• ½ cup balsamic vinegar

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 TBSP Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp salt and pepper

• 2 shallots

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 dash olive oil

• 1 cup chicken stock (no sugar added)

• 1-6oz can of tomato paste

What I Did:

1. Pit your dates and place them in boiling water until softened, 5-10 minutes. Drain the liquid.

2. Open your diced tomatoes and squeeze out the liquid. If you like a runnier sauce, leave more sauce in. If you like a thicker sauce, get as much moisture out as you can.

3. Combine drained tomatoes, applesauce, dates, vinegars, mustard, spices, shallots and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.

4. Put olive oil in a saucepan and heat to medium high. Add sauce from your blender to the saucepan and heat until it begins to bubble a bit.

5. Stir in tomato paste. Once combined, add chicken stock.

6. Add chicken stock and continue to stir.

7. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Put 2 lbs chicken in the slowcooker. Cover with sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Use two forks to shred it apart when finished.