Oven-Baked Pulled Chicken

Name: Oven-Baked Pulled Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs; ¾ cup tomato paste; ¾ cup balsamic vinegar; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite

User Reviews

5.0

111 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Additional Time
5 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 20 mins
Servings
4 servings
Calories
306 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American

Oven-Baked Pulled Chicken

Winston Campbell

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This succulent pulled chicken is smothered in a delicious homemade barbecue sauce and baked in the oven until wonderfully tender.

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Ingredients

Servings

1.5 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

Barbecue sauce:

¾ cup tomato paste 7-ounce jar
¾ cup balsamic vinegar aged (see notes)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon stevia glycerite

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the chicken thighs in a square 8-inch baking dish. Make a few slits in the chicken with a sharp knife.
To make the barbecue sauce, mix the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sweetener in a medium bowl.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, coating it evenly. Use your hands to ensure the sauce not just covers the chicken but also gets inside the slits.
Cover the baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil and place it in the oven. It will start to smell amazing after about 2 hours, but you should cook it for 3 hours, until very tender.
Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully remove the foil - hot steam will escape - and allow the dish to cool for about 5 minutes until easier to handle.
Using a knife and fork or a rubber spatula, shred the chicken while still in the baking dish and toss it with the sauce.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Sweetener: You can replace the stevia with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Each serving of this version has about 332 calories, 22 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar.
Vinegar: Please use aged balsamic vinegar. A young vinegar will be too acidic.
How long to bake: I usually bake this dish for three hours. Baking for four hours works well to make the chicken exceptionally tender. But if you bake for so long, the barbecue sauce sometimes reduces too much despite the foil. In fact, pressed for time one afternoon, with only two hours until dinner, I baked the chicken at 400°F, covered, for 2 hours. The result was delicious and moist, so this is an option if you're in a rush.
Cleanup tips: The barbecue sauce gets beautifully caramelized as the dish slowly bakes, which makes for a delicious dinner - and a tough cleanup job later on. So, you should line the baking dish with foil. If you prefer not to use foil, allow the baking dish to cool a little (so it doesn't explode), then fill it with hot, soapy water. Let it soak overnight on a dishtowel on the counter (never put a hot Pyrex dish directly on a cold counter!). The following day, cleanup is a breeze.
Storing leftovers: You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months.

Nutrition Information

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Serving 0.25recipe Calories 306kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Sodium 802mg (33%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 4g (8%)