Shredded Mexican Chicken

I’m very into versatile shredded meats lately. That’s probably a weird statement, but I live by myself so I’m constantly eating leftovers, and it’s so nice to make a batch of something and then be able to use it creatively in new ways for a few days. When I was on my family vacation in North Carolina last week my cousin Dan made this recipe and served it for tacos and I absolutely loved it. The chicken is juicy and flavorful and can be used in endless ways: to top a salad (pictured below), in taco shells, in a burrito bowl, in lettuce wraps, on a Mexican pizza, etc. My favorite way to eat this is actually straight-up (pictured above) because it’s full of flavor on its own. Add a few sides and you’re good to go.

For other versatile shredded meats (still a weird statement, but I’m rolling with it), see: Slow Cooked Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken, or Slow Cooked Barbecue Beef.

Shredded Mexican Chicken
Source: adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 t white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
2 t oregano
½ t sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
1.    In a medium bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
2.    In a large skillet or sauté pan, bring the oil to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for a couple minutes until they start to soften and become fragrant. Add the chicken breasts in a single layer and cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip them over, and then continue to cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Add the tomato sauce mixture to the pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through.
3.    Remove the lid from the pan and transfer each breast to a cutting board, shredding it using two forks and then returning it to the sauce. When all the breasts are shredded, stir them into the sauce until thoroughly combined. Continue to cook for about 5 more minutes until the sauce thickens and soaks into the chicken.

Yields 6 (1/2 cup) servings. WW P+: 4 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com: 184 calories, 9 g carbs, 4 g fat, 26 g protein, 2 g fiber