Diet Coke Chicken (a.k.a Cola Chicken / Crockpot BBQ chicken)
This Diet Coke Chicken (a.k.a Cola Chicken / Crockpot BBQ chicken) is slimming friendly, mega tasty and so easy to prepare in your slow cooker, Instant Pot or the stove. And what’s more, no one will ever suspect this pulled chicken is ‘diet food’ - that’s our little secret ;)
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time2 hourshrs
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Crockpot BBQ chicken, Diet Coke Chicken, Diet Cola Chicken, Slimming Diet Coke Chicken, Slow Cooker Cola Chicken
6large chicken breasts or 8 skinless chicken thighs
120ml| ½ cup Diet Coke or Diet Pepsisee notes
1Large onion, finely grated or whizzed in a food processor until pulpy
2large garlic cloves, minced
4tbsptomato purée(or paste)
2tbspWorcestershire sauce
2tbspsoy sauce
3tbspapple cider vinegar
3tbspgranulated sweetener Sukrin Gold
1tspsalt
1tspgarlic powder
1tsponion granules
1tspsmoked paprika
1tspchilli powder
1green bell pepper roughy chopped
120ml½ cup Passata
Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method
Add the diet coke, minced onion, garlic, sweetener, cider vinegar, salt and spices, tomato purée, Worcestershire and soy sauce in the slow cooker. Mix together to combine.
Add the chicken breasts nestling them in the sauce.
Add a diced green pepper and passata and turn the chicken over to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours.
Open the slow cooker and remove the chicken breasts into a bowl.
Use two forks to shred the chicken breasts.
Mix the shredded chicken back into the sauce to coat. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve over rice with plenty of vegetables, in tacos or wraps, with salad or in lettuce boats.
Stovetop Method
Used diced chicken for the stovetop version, do not shred.
Add the diet coke, minced onion, garlic, sweetener, cider vinegar, salt and spices, tomato purée, passata, Worcestershire and soy sauce to a deep pan and stir together to combine.
Add the diced chicken and bring to a rolling simmer.
Reduce the heat and cook on a low simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan gets a bit dry then add a little hot water.
Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with your choice of sides.
Instant Pot Method
Add the diet coke, minced onion, garlic, sweetener, cider vinegar, salt and spices, tomato purée, Worcestershire and soy sauce in the Instant Pot.
Mix together to combine.
Add the chicken breasts and diced pepper nestling them in the sauce.
Pour in the passata, do not stir.
Cook for 15 minutes on High Pressure, allow for 5 minutes natural release then release steam manually.
Remove and shred the chicken then add back in the sauce.
If the sauce needs reducing then cook on Sauté until it has thickened to your liking.
Video
Notes
The best way to check chicken is cooked properly is to test internal temperature with a digital thermometer. Cook until the chicken reaches 75C/165F on a digital thermometer.
Can I use frozen chicken breasts? This diet coke chicken can be made with frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and pressure cooker. In a slow cooker, add the chicken in the sauce and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4. You don’t have to make any adjustments to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, it will simply take longer for the machine to come to pressure.
You can make a diet coke pork version by using pork shoulder steaks trimmed of all visible fat. Pork is not as lean as chicken, even with fat removed. If you really want to remove most of the fat, cool the pork and then chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Any fat will solidify and you can skim it off.
––––––
Please note I am not affiliated in any way with Slimming World. Syn values are based on the Slimming World online calculator.
––––––
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.