I'm still on this reimagined barbeque kick. I can't just do it normally.
On one hand, I'm fascinated with barbecue -- the regional differences, the passionate fans, the high-stakes contests. And yet, I stay away. I don't have a professional smoker. I don't have time to cook by the barbeque mantra, low and slow. And sorry to be a buzzkill, but barbeque isn't the healthiest thing to eat.
So enter my slow-cooker pulled chicken. Despite the somewhat exotic name, this is classic barbeque. It's smoky, sweet, and the mustard gives it a vinegary pop. Plus, it's healthy, it's fast, and it lets me have barbeque whenever I want.
RECIPE: De-fat and de-skin 6 chicken legs and thighs. Mix 1/2 cup canned chipotle, 1 1/2 tablespoons honey, 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Massage marinade onto chicken and refrigerate for an hour. Season and sear the chicken and place with remaining marinade into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
When the chicken is done, it will look like this, with a nice crackly lacquer from the sugar:
Keep it like this if you like. Otherwise, remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Skim the fat off the remaining liquid, which is part chicken jus, part marinade. Pull the chicken with your fingers or, if you must, a fork. Pour the liquid over the chicken and serve.