Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken
Slowly cooked chicken in a light tomato sauce, served over brown rice with crispy bread crumbs and asparagus.
Servings: 4 with leftovers
Calories: 553kcal
Ingredients
- 2+ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine optional
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2-3 lbs assorted pieces of chicken (breast, thighs, etc. – some bone in skin on)
- salt to taste
- 1 cup brown rice optional
- 1 bunch asparagus, sliced at an angle into one-inch pieces optional
- 1 cups panko optional
- ½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped optional
Instructions
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven at medium heat. Add the onion and sauté stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the white wine (if using, otherwise skip to the next step) and allow it to cook until you can no longer smell the wine, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, plum tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add the chicken. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until the chicken begins to fall off the bone.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Using two forks or a knife and two forks take the chicken off the bone and shred it into pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Discard the bones and skin. Be sure to remove all small bones and not add them back to the pot with the shredded chicken.
- Prepare the brown rice (optional): Add 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups of water to a small pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer. Remove from heat when the rice has absorbed all the water and is light and fluffy.
- To Toast the Panko (optional): Bring a sauté pan to medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and allow to warm through. Add the panko breadcrumbs. Stirring occasionally and watch carefully until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown. Set aside.
- Steam the Asparagus (optional): Add a small amount of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Place the asparagus in a fine mesh strainer over the pot of boiling water and cover for 5 minutes to steam. Do not overcook. For thinner asparagus, you may only need 3 minutes, for thicker asparagus you may need up to 7 minutes.
- To Serve: Serve the chicken and sauce over brown rice in bowls, add the asparagus, and sprinkle with parsley and breadcrumbs.
Notes
Chicken: You can use a whole chicken quarter, or any combination of chicken breasts, thighs, wings, etc. Just be sure to choose roughly anywhere between 2-4 lbs with some pieces that are bone-in and skin-on.
Optional For Serving: The brown rice, asparagus, and toasted panko bread crumbs are all optional, but suggested for serving. If you just want the shredded chicken in the sauce then you can skip the optional serving steps.
Cooking on Low: A Dutch Oven will retain heat really well. So when you turn the heat down to cook at a simmer for over an hour, make sure that the pot is really at a simmer and not at a boil. This may mean turning the temperature all the way down to low. Keep an eye on it until you are sure that it is a steady simmer.
Nutrition
Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 520mg | Potassium: 1194mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2488IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 8mg
