- 5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 24 ounces orange juice
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1/2 tablespoon Mexican Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Kulp's smoked salt
- 1 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Chipotle Chili Pepper
- 1 teaspoon McCormick@ Ancho Chili Pepper
- 1 teaspoon McCormick@ Peppercorn Medley
- 2 large dollops Gourmet Gardens® Minced Garlic
- 1 red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Directions:
Wedge and then split into layers the onion and set aside. Mix together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
Line the bottom of a cast iron pan with the onions. Lay the chicken breasts atop. Smear the garlic atop the chicken breasts. Then rub in the dry ingredients. Cover with plastic and let sit for an hour in the refrigerator.
Remove the cast iron pot from the refrigerator and gently pour in the orange juice atop the chicken breasts. Allow to sit for a few minutes and gently stir the orange juice.
Cover and cook two and a half hours. Turn the chicken after the first hour and then the second hour.
Remove from the oven and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Carefully move the chicken breasts to a bowl. Then, put the cast iron pot on the stove and boil the sauce until it is reduced by half, stirring frequently and scraping the spices off the side of the pot.
While the mixture is reducing, use two forks to pull apart the chicken breasts. If you taste the sauce before it reduces and then while it is reducing, you can taste the flavors concentrating. Once the sauce is reduced, pour it over the pulled chicken using a strainer to catch any bits of meat that would have been overcooked during the reduction process. Stir thoroughly and enjoy!
Myrtle's Note: The first time I tried pulled chicken, it just didn't turn out the way I wanted. I ate it several different ways, the best being as a chalupa topping. The second best was to simply eat it on a bun with some barbecue sauce. It has flavor, but not stand alone flavor, not enhancing a dish flavor. I wanted chicken that could compete with the most lovely Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork, so I radically bumped up my choices of spices and herbs. Also, by reducing the sauce, I got back a hint of the orange juice, the spices, and concentrated the heat a bit.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Source: Myrtle Bernice Adams
