Oven Pulled Chicken the Healthy Way

My easy, healthy oven pulled chicken is a quick, gluten free, lower sugar version of this popular dish.  It contains a handful of spices and a little miso paste, which not only adds goodness but also rich, savoury flavour, perfect in this dish.  

You will love this healthy oven pulled chicken recipe! It’s super simple, low in sugar, made using natural ingredients and above all, bursting with flavour!

Pulled meats have gained in popularity in recent years and there is a perfectly good reason for that.  They are simply delicious!  Slow cooked meat is tender and succulent and the rich sauce it is marinated and cooked in makes this already delicious meat even more delicious.  It is probably one of the tastiest ways of serving meat.

Healthy oven pulled chicken recipe with miso

I decided to add a small amount of miso paste to my pulled chicken marinade for extra savouriness and depth of flavour (although you can’t taste the miso itself).  Miso has a very intense, salty, super savoury flavour, which was ideal to combine with tangy tomato paste, sweet honey and sharp vinegar I used in this recipe.

Miso paste is a nutritious ingredient which has many uses far beyond the Japanese cuisine.  It is a natural product high in protein and fibre, low in sugar, vegan and gluten free. (Though not always so check the label carefully).  In short, most qualities that readymade barbecue sauces which we tend to add to pulled meats are lacking.

If you’ve never bought miso paste before and are worried you’ll use it once, stick in the fridge and end up forgetting about it I assure you that won’t happen.

Miso is super versatile and you can add it to sauces, soups (not just miso soup!), gravies as well as these easy honey roasted carrots for extra savouriness.  Just experiment with it a little, try adding a small amount to your dish and taste it to see how you like it.

What you will need

Small bowl for marinade

Garlic crusher, knife, spoon and fork

Measuring spoons

Large casserole dish

How to make easy oven pulled chicken: step-by-step

This recipe contains only 2 tablespoons of honey so it’s a lot lower in sugar than pulled chicken recipes which call for bbq sauce or ketchup.  And most of them do.  I used skinless chicken legs and only 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil so the fat content is also quite low.

1.Place the chicken legs with the bay leaves inside your oven dish.

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2. To make the marinade simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

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3. Stir until smooth.

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4. Coat the chicken in the marinade evenly all over and leave to marinate for about an hour if possible.

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5. Cover loosely with foil and cook slowly in a preheated oven at gas mark 3 for 2 hours.

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6. Remove from the oven and separate the meat form the bone.  This will be very easy to do as the meat will be super tender.  Shred the meat, breaking up the larger pieces and place back into the casserole dish.

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7.Thoroughly combine with the juices and enjoy!

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Serving suggestions for healthy shredded chicken

You can enjoy shredded chicken in burritos, burger buns, in lettuce wraps,  with rice, coleslaw or a dollop of guacamole.

This dish tastes delicious served alongside black bean stew and grilled corn salsa.

Top tips

Add more chilli flakes for an extra bit of heat if you like.

Preparation time includes the minimum recommended time (1 hour) needed to marinate the chicken. The chicken can be left in the marinade overnight.

The sauce may thicken as it cools so you may want to add a drop of water and give a good stir before serving.

More chicken leg recipes

If like me you are a fan of delicious chicken dishes that require very little effort then you might also like this Moroccan spiced crispy chicken leg quarters.  Just coat the chicken in the spice mixture and bake!  How easy is that!

You may also like this collection of 13 healthy easy one pot chicken recipes.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

What is your favourite way of serving pulled chicken? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Print Recipe

Oven Pulled Chicken Recipe the Healthy Way

Healthy oven pulled chicken is a quick, gluten free, lower sugar version of this popular dish - it is made using a handful of spices and a little miso paste, which not only adds goodness but also rich, savoury flavour, perfect in this dish.  

Prep Time1 hr 10 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 10 mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4 people

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 4 chicken leg quarters skinless
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable/olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1.5 tablespoons miso paste check the label to ensure it's gluten free
• 1.5 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon each: cumin powder and chilli flakes
• 2/3 teaspoon granulated onion a little less than a teaspoon
• ½ teaspoon each sea salt, ginger and allspice powders
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

• Place the bay leaves and the chicken in a large casserole dish.
• Combine the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture over the chicken, stir to ensure even distribution and leave to marinate for 1 hour, if possible.
• Preheat the oven to 325F/ 170 C/ gas mark 3.
• Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven, place the chicken pieces on top of a large plate/cutting board and separate the meat from the bone. Shred the meat, put back into the dish, stir to combine with the sauce and serve.

Notes

Add more chilli flakes for an extra bit of heat if you like.

Preparation time includes the minimum recommended time (1 hour) needed to marinate the chicken. The chicken can be left in the marinade overnight.

The sauce may thicken as it cools so you may want to add a drop of water and give a good stir before serving.

Serve with nachos, rice, burger buns, burritos, pita, with coleslaw or a dollop of guacamole.

Recipe Link Parties

I am sharing this easy pulled chicken recipe with #CookBlogShare. and Recipe of the Week.