Ingredients:
3-4 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 medium tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped onion (we use Vidalia/Sweet)
3 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
Dry Ingredients/Spices:
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp bay leaves
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients (not including the chicken breasts) together in a blender/food processor (must hold at least 5 cups) and blend for about 30 seconds until ingredients are mixed well.
2. Place blended pasta sauce in sauce pan and simmer on low/medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until sauce takes on a thicker consistency and a dark shade of red.
3. Mix chicken breasts and pasta sauce in crock pot and cook on low heat for at least 7 hours.
4. After 7 hours, you will notice the sauce looks very runny, this is normal. Remove crock pot from heating base, shred chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula and as it cools, the shredded chicken will absorb the juices from the pasta sauce.
Macros (based on a 6 oz serving):
Calories: 160
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 36g
He & She Tips:
- I like to make my own pasta sauce at home so that I can avoid the added sugars and other unwanted ingredients. You can use the store-bought pasta sauce but try to avoid the brands with a lot of added sugar, preservatives, etc. Muir Glen is usually a pretty good choice if your store carries it.
- This recipe is very versatile so we sometimes add chopped zucchini, celery, red bell pepper, and sliced onion.
- We haven't tried it yet, but you can add some red wine to the sauce.
- You can simplify this recipe by adding 3-4 Tbsp of Italian seasoning rather most of the individual spices listed above...I just like to experiment with different ingredient amounts.
Enjoy and keep it clean!
- Scott
I bet this would be amazing with zucchini noodles! (zucchini sliced with a potato peeler then steamed)
ReplyDeleteGood call...that sounds awesome! We will have to try that variation sometime. Let us know how it tastes.
Deletesounds yummy!!!!
ReplyDeleteLet us know how you like it once you try it!
DeleteA quick easy way to shred chicken is in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment - 45 secs and pillowy soft, perfectly shredded chicken, while its still hot!
ReplyDeleteJulia, that is an awesome tip! Thank you for sharing with us and our readers!
DeleteAny idea what the macros are for this? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteApril, we will work on that and get it updated soon!
DeleteHey April. The macros I calculated are below. This is for one serving (6 ounces). Hope this helps!
DeleteCalories: 160
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 36g
Thanks so much! This is one of my new favorite meals!
DeleteJust tried this recipe and it is FANTASTIC!!!!!! My teenage boys are going to eat it all up before I get any...lol.
ReplyDeleteHAHA Pam! We are glad ALL of you enjoyed the recipe!
Deletemaking this now!!
ReplyDeleteWe hope you enjoyed it!
DeleteMaking this tonight. The sauce is amazing and really easy to make.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
DeleteHas anyone ever tried this recipe with ground turkey breast? I was thinking maybe it could be an easy clean spaghetti sauce?
ReplyDeleteYou could definitely do this with ground turkey or ground chicken. You could also make meatballs and do this! Be sure to watch your times with the crock pot, as it will most likely take less time to make.
DeleteI bet it would be good on spagetti squash too! We love ss in place of noodles!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Traci!
DeleteI made it with squash tonight! It was awesome!!!
DeleteDid you find out what the macros are for this?
ReplyDeleteHey Todd. The macros I calculated are below. This is for one serving (6 ounces). Hope this helps!
DeleteCalories: 160
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 36g
for the spices are you using fresh or dried?
ReplyDeleteWe use dried spices.
DeleteI pureed bell peppers into the sauce to trick my kids! It was delicious!
DeleteI might have missed it, how many servings does this make? Thanks
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and it was amazing! Even better, my husband LOVED it:) Quick question about the serving size...is the 6 ounces based on weight or volume?
ReplyDeleteI made this yesterday and was very excited about it, but my husband and I thought the chicken was chewy and dry. What did i do wrong? I used 3 lbs of chicken breast. It was in for just under 7 hours, but i feel like longer and it would have been even more dry. I am disappointed because it was a lot of chicken and would have been several meals for our family.
ReplyDeleteI use my Kitchen Aid mixer as well to shred chicken. It is so awesome and saves so much time!!!
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe and we (my husband and I) enjoyed this for a week and a half! I sent him to work with a portion to put over mixed greens and sometimes we chopped up vegetables and wrapped the meat up with the vegies in a warm tortilla! I always added a dollop of greek yogurt on top and that made it a bit creamy!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any trouble shredding! I pulled the chicken up out of the crock pot and onto a plate...I shredded using two forks, it was virtually effortless, the chicken was so tender!
When I cooked the food I also added bell peppers (yellow, red and orange), onion and zucchini! This turned out great! Even the kids liked it!
This was one of the best dishes I have made in a longtime!! I ate 1 portion and my fiancee ate 3! I packed the last 2 for lunch tomorrow for him. Keep the awesome recipes coming!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great super quick easy healthy recipe. I've made it about 10 times by now!
ReplyDeleteI always have little variations here and there- works well with fresh onion and garlic. I also buy an Italian Seasoning mix (no sugar, no salt) from the shops that is great too. Can use canned chopped tomatoes too instead of fresh, check your labels though and opt for salt and sugar free.
I made this for my family yesterday and it was amazing! I think next time I will omit the red paper flakes so our 20 month old can enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks for a great and quick recipe!
ReplyDelete