Spicy Sweet Shredded Cranberry Chicken

Give me a hearty “Heck, yeah!” if you love to be inside cooking dinner while it’s 80 and sunny outside.

<crickets chirping>

Yup, that’s what I thought.

The thing is, we ‘rents are obligated to feed the ‘dents if we want to keep those pesky social workers off our doorstep. However, there are no rules saying you can’t take the easy way out. Enter this redunkulously easy slow cooker recipe for Spicy Sweet Shredded Cranberry Chicken. Five ingredients, ten minutes of prep, and you walk away until it’s done. Listen, I don’t need to know what you’ll do with all that free time. Just do it with gusto! But if you need some ideas…

Tie-dye your granny underwear.
Re-read your favorite of the Harry Potter series.
Write the memoirs of your alter-ego.

I don’t care if you take a nap, even! But nap LIKE A BOSS.

When you come back to your slow cooker, all you have to do is shred the chicken, then return it to the cooker where it will be bathed tenderly in a spicy sweet sauce. Lay that spicy sweet cranberry chicken atop rice, on a soft bun, or wrapped in a whole grain tortilla with slaw. Free time never tasted so good!

But, Jules, isn’t there a good bit of added sugar here? Sure, of course, ’cause cranberries are way too tart without added sugar. But there’s also a hefty dose of proanthocyanidins, a butt-kicking flavonoid that prevents bacteria from sticking to your cell wells. Trust me that this is a good thing, and enjoy this spicy sweet dish.

Just skip the ice cream for dessert.

Spicy Sweet Shredded Cranberry Chicken
Serves 6

Prep time:  10 minutes     Cook time: 4-5 hours in slow cooker (high)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1 14-ounce jar jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce, or less, to taste (I used sriracha)

Place chicken and chopped onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board, and shred the meat with two forks. Return the meat to the sauce in the slow cooker. Stir in a tablespoon of hot sauce, and taste. Add more as desired. Serve warm on soft buns, in a tortilla, or on top of rice.

Disclosure: I am a Cranberry Bog Blogger. Every few months, I receive a box of tips, tricks and science bites, and sometimes ingredients, related to cranberries.  I am not required to review these items or write a post about it. I used the jellied cranberry sauce they sent me as inspiration for this recipe. This recipe and all opinions stated within this post are my own. If you’re interested in learning more about cranberries and their role in a healthy diet, click on the Cranberry Bog Blogger badge on my site!