Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Last Friday, I invited a few friends over. And I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. Here's a photo.

But before I talk anymore about the Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, I'm going to talk about something else.

Pom-poms and great friends.

I'm a DIY freak. So when it came to planning our wedding (less than two months away - eek), the ultimate in Do-It-Yourselfishness, I leaped at every DIY opportunity.

I realized about a month ago, though, that I was in a little bit of trouble. Our smallish, somewhat low-key wedding was becoming a little DIY much. So I invited some close friends over to help make a few things.

Not the least of which was tissue paper flower pom-poms. Put my friends to work, and they deliver, I tell ya.

Well, Brian protested a teensy bit, but deep down I know he was enjoying the creative opportunity.

See? It's obvious. (Plus I think he was behaving because he said he wanted to appear in my blog. Gotta love guy with such lofty aspirations.)

Vix and Brian and some other wonderful family members and friends created pom-poms, a cake topper, banners, return address labels, favors... oh, and they even tasted some wine to help us pick what to serve on our big day.

I've got the best friends. 

They smile even when they are under threat of drowning in pom-poms, even when they know they're taking part in yet another harebrained scheme of mine.

I'm a lucky gal, and I love 'em.

So... anyway... I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken. It's tangy, tasty, and so easy to whip up for a crowd - virtually no maintenance. And folks love it. It even gets a coveted grunt from my guy - he says, "One grunt! They go great with friends, beer, and potato chips."

Here, finally, is the recipe!

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken

Adapted from this recipe on southernfood.about.com

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 32 ounces (4 cups) ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Liberal pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic.
2. Place chicken breasts in a Crock Pot.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give 'em a toss to coat.
4. Cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.
5. When the chicken is cooked through, remove the meat from the Crock Pot and put on a platter to let cool for a bit.
6. And then shred those suckers with a fork or with your fingers (they should be pretty much falling apart at that point).
7. Put the shredded chicken back into the Crock Pot with the sauce. 
8. Give it a stir and cook on low for another hour or so.
9. Serve in big crusty sandwich rolls (extra delish with sliced sweet pickles), or you can even serve it on top of rice.
10. Enjoy!