Slow-Cooked Dr. Pepper Chicken Tacos

Just FYI, I hate, and I mean I really LOATHE Dr. Pepper. My husband loves it but I prefer Pepsi, diet of course. So when we buy sodas, which we’ve cut back on by the way, there’s Diet Pepsi for Mommy while Daddy and the son (occasional soda drinker) have Dr. Pepper. My husband loves to mess with me with when we order drinks at the drive-thru by giving me his cup of Dr. Pepper after swearing his life it’s my cup of Diet Pepsi. [Always] Oblivious ME, falls for it then I end up coughing the disgusting taste of Dr. Pepper in my mouth.

So I’m pretty sure you’re asking what the hell am I doing cooking with Dr. Pepper then?

Well, I’ve stumbled upon some recipes online with assurances and promises that Dr. Pepper is delicious as part of a dish. I hate it but I just had to challenge or punish myself, I guess. Just because I abhor this beverage doesn’t mean I can’t experiment with it in my kitchen. If it turned out bad, the family could eat canned raviolis or peanut butter sandwiches AND, I get the pleasure in telling my husband how Dr. Pepper sucks big time.

I can’t stand it when I’m wrong. This Dr. Pepper Chicken cooked in the crock-pot for 6 hours was great.

Put 3 pieces of chicken quarters in a crock-pot. Add quartered onions, ketchup, garlic, salt and pepper, and 3 cups of Dr. Pepper. Set the crock-pot in low and cook for 6 hours.

After the chicken cooks for 6 hours, transfer the chicken in a platter to cool for a bit. Pull the meat out of the bones and shred using a fork. Discard the chicken bones. You don’t want those. Meanwhile, transfer the sauce from the crock-pot into a pot. Simmer that to reduce in half.

Once the sauce has reduced, turn the stove off. Add the shredded chicken in the sauce. Stir. You can serve it like this with corn on the cob and veggies on the side. Or put it in buns ala shredded pork bbq sandwiches, or whatever bread you’ve got. I decided to use the chicken for tacos.

Shredded meat in the middle of the tortilla, use flour or corn (warm up the corn tortillas in a lightly oiled nonstick pan for a few seconds on each side), Add a slice of avocado, chopped cilantro, chopped jalapeno, sour cream, a little bit of salsa, and shredded cheese.

I would never drink Dr. Pepper but I would definitely cook with it again. I plan on using the same recipe with a pork roast sometime. I hate to say anything nice about Dr. Pepper but I’m actually excited about a slow-cooked Dr. Pepper pork roast.

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