Categories: Party time
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 4 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup cherry jam
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp. molasses
- 2 canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp. sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Directions
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Whisk the paprika, chili powder and cumin in a bowl. Season the chicken with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and all but 1 tsp of the spice mixture. Heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, two at a time, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker. Reserve the skillet.
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Whisk the ketchup, cherry jam, 1/3 cup vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, chipotles and sauce, and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Pour 3/4 cup of the mixture over the chicken; set aside the rest for the barbecue sauce. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and easy to shred, 7 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.
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Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce: Add the onion, garlic and remaining 1 tbsp. vegetable oil to the reserved skillet and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved 1 tsp spice mixture and toast, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the remaining ketchup mixture and 1/2 cup water and simmer gently until the sauce is thickened but still pourable, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp. vinegar. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula. Set aside until ready to serve.
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Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, leaving the juices behind. Shred the meat, discarding the bones. Return the meat to the slow cooker and toss with the juices; season with salt and pepper. Keep on warm.
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Serve the reserved cherry-chipotle barbecue sauce on the side.