Slow Cooker Root Beer Barbecued Chicken

From Eat What You Love by Marlene Koch

If you love the great taste of sweet, tangy barbeque sauce slathered on chicken (or anything else), you’ll love this amazing recipe, which offers all of the traditional barbeque flavor with 75 percent less sugar and a fraction of the sodium of commercially prepared brands that can easily derail an otherwise healthy meal.

Makes 6 servings

Sauce
1 cup sugar-free root beer*
1 cup reduced-sugar ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika

2 1/2 to 3 pounds skinless chicken breasts and thighs

*Sweetened with sucralose

To make the sauce, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (through the paprika) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Place the chicken in a slow cooker and pour 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce on top. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 7 to 8 hours on low. Heat the remaining barbecue sauce for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve with cooked chicken.

Or try this: For Oven Root Beer Barbequed Chicken, brown the chicken piece in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and coat with 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 350˚F, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, simmer the remaining sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Baste chicken with sauce before serving.

Marlene Says: Most barbecue sauces average 12 to 16 grams of carbohydrate (with 9 to 12 of them coming from sugar) per typical 2-tablespoon serving. To reduce the amount of sugar, make your own, or look for a reduced-sugar brand like KC Masterpiece Classic Blend.

Nutrition information per serving (1/6 recipe): Calories: 210; Carbohydrate: 6 g (Sugars: 3 g); Total Fat: 7 g (Sat Fat: 2 g); Protein: 29 g; Fiber: 1 g; Cholesterol: 90 mg; Sodium: 420 mg

Food Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat
Carbohydrate Choice: 1/2
Weight Watcher Point Comparison: 4