The Briny Lemon: Slow-Cooker Chipotle Barbecue Chicken

Slow-cooker meat is wonderfully juicy and tender, and chicken is no exception. Bone-in chicken thighs become fall-off-the bone tender—literally. You’ll need a slotted spoon.

And when you’re going to give the chicken so much time (and love) to become this mouthwatering, give it a delicious homemade sauce for company. It’s easy, and so worth it: Sauté the chiles, garlic, and onion, add everything else, and cook five minutes. Now it’s ready to pour over the chicken and let time do the rest.

Note: The sauce will become thin in the slow-cooker as the chicken renders its fat. No problem. Remove the chicken (with that slotted spoon mentioned above) and let it rest until it’s cool enough to shred. During that time, transfer the sauce from the slow-cooker to a saucepan on the stovetop and simmer it until it’s reduced and thickened. Add the shredded chicken and dinner is ready.

Also note: The barbecue chicken can be served in various ways: on sandwich rolls, on top of a toasted bread slice for an open-faced sandwich, in tortillas (think barbecue tacos), on top of mashed potatoes, or all by itself as a main-course meat. I went southern style: mounded on a bun with coleslaw on top.

Makes 8 sandwiches

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 medium bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2-1/2 lbs)
coleslaw, for serving (optional)

Skinless, Bone-In Chicken Thighs

Preparation

Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the chipotle chiles, garlic, and onion and sauté 3 minutes.
Add the next 9 ingredients (through cumin) and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring well to combine, 5 minutes.

Chipotle, Garlic, and Onion

Sauce Beginning to Cook

Cooked Sauce

Place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker and pour the sauce overtop. Nestle the thighs down into the sauce, cover, and cook on high until very tender, 4 hours.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken thighs to a large plate (be sure to get any pieces of meat that have fallen off the bone). Let rest until cool enough to handle, then shred the meat, discarding fat and bones.
Meanwhile, transfer the barbecue sauce to a saucepan and bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently until slightly thickened and reduced by about 2/3, 15-20 minutes, depending on the amount of starting liquid.
Remove from the heat and add the shredded chicken to the sauce, stirring well to combine.