Crockpot BBQ Bourbon Bacon Shredded Chicken

It’s Food n’ Flix time! In this club, those who want to watch the selected movie, whip up something delicious and blog (or Instagram) it!  This month’s movie is hosted by my IRL friend Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm and the chose The Biggest Little Farm.

The Biggest Little Farm follows a couple who leave their successful LA jobs on a promise to their dog.  Yep, you read that right.  They adopted a dog and promised him that they’d be their forever home.  Then the dog barked incessantly when they weren’t home.  Facing eviction, they decided to buy and start a farm, rather than give up Toby (the dog).  To each his own I guess (I am not a pet owner, so I admittedly do not understand).

Anyhow, they ended up buying a failed farm and starting from scratch (and since he was a film-maker, documenting it the whole time).  Through years of work, they built a flourishing farm, growing many varieties of fruit trees, other produce, and various livestock. 

In the beginning, I really didn’t think I’d care for this documentary, but I have to say, it grew on me!  By the end I was invested.  I wanted them to succeed and frankly, I was amazed at what they were able to accomplish.  The before and after of the farm was stunning.

The foodie inspiration for this film was endless.  I mean, anything grown on a farm was fair game.

But I took my inspiration from Greasy the rooster and Emma the pig (you can blame Hubs for this one.  Sorry (not sorry)). 

So we learn at one point that Greasy the rooster was ostracized from the hen house and Emma the pig was sad because all her piglets got sold to be bacon.  So Greasy started hanging out with Emma and they became BFFs.

Here’s a picture from the documentary website.

Then, one day, Greasy met a tragic end.  He was…ummm...shredded.  Not by coyotes as originally suspected, but by one of the farm dogs.

And that’s our macabre inspiration.  Yep, we have shredded chicken (sorry Greasy) with bacon (Emma) with a homemade BBQ.  I’ll tell you that they were delicious.  And this kids (so sick of being quarantined) enjoyed the story of Greasy and Emma (and Greasy’s tragic end).

This recipe is all about building layers of flavor.  It starts with a smoky dry rub.  Then next layer is a homemade BBQ sauce.  If desired, you could use a prepared BBQ sauce, but I wanted to be able to control the spice and sweetness a bit more (plus I love a challenge). 

So whether you watch the documentary or not – enjoy this chicken!

Crockpot BBQ Bourbon Bacon Shredded Chicken

Adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Dry rub

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

½ teaspoon dry mustard

2 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

Sauce

1 (oz) can tomato sauce

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup bourbon (whisky)

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of cayenne

Salt & pepper

To finish

½ pound bacon, cooked crisp and diced

Mix together the dry rub spices.  Run all over the chicken and place in the crockpot.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook on Low for 4-6 hours. 

Just before serving, shred the chicken.  Return to the crockpot and stir in the bacon.  Serve on buns or on top of potatoes.