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 a rich, savoury flavour, perfect in this dish.  

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.

Why this recipe works

It's super simple, low in sugar, made using natural ingredients and above all, bursting with flavour! 

Healthy oven pulled chicken ingredients

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.

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.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

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

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

3. Stir until smooth.

4. Coat the chicken in the marinade evenly all over and leave to marinate for at least an hour (up to overnight).

5. Cover loosely with foil and cook slowly in a preheated oven at 170 C/gas mark 3 for 2 hours.

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.

7.Combine with the juices and enjoy!

Serving suggestions 

You can enjoy shredded chicken in burritos, burger buns, in lettuce wraps,  with rice, mango avocado salsa, coleslaw, homemade bbq sauce or a dollop of healthy ranch dip.

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

Expert tips and FAQs

• Add more chilli flakes for extra heat if you prefer.
• 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.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

You might also like

• Moroccan Spiced Crispy Chicken Legs Recipe
• Yogurt Marinated Spiced Chicken Breast
• Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs

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

Keep in touch!

How has this oven pulled chicken recipe turned out for you? What is your favourite way of serving pulled chicken? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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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.  

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Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Low fat

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 351kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken leg quarters skinless
• ▢ 4 tbsp tomato puree
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves crushed
• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable/olive oil
• ▢ 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp miso paste
• ▢ 1.5 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp each: cumin powder and chilli flakes
• ▢ ⅔ tsp granulated onion a little less than a teaspoon
• ▢ ½ tsp each: ginger and allspice powders
• ▢ ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ▢ 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 at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325F/ 170 C/ gas mark 3.
• Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in the centre 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.
• Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 518mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 451IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg

*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

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