Indoor Barbecue Chicken & Sweet Potato Risotto

I’ve been craving barbecue lately. I’ve also had a pack of chicken breasts sitting in my freezer, cold and neglected, awaiting the chance to be transformed into something delicious. So I figured this weekend would be the perfect time to prepare my indoor barbecue.

OK, so I know that genuine barbecue aficionados will scoff at my humble little crock pot recipe. I get it – it’s not “real” barbecue. Fine. I can accept that. However, I don’t have a smoker, and my grill is… shall we say… not exactly top-notch. But I promise you, my indoor barbecue chicken is actually very good, and the addition of cumin and Liquid Smoke allows it to possess that savory, smoky flavor, even having been prepared in a crock pot.

As for the sweet potato risotto, I bought several Mississippi-grown sweet potatoes last week, as they were on sale. I used most of them in a fantastic vegetarian curry, but I had one left, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Now, I adore risotto – it’s one of my favorite dishes – and I’ve made butternut squash risotto countless times. However, I thought I would give it a shot with sweet potato, and lo and behold, it’s out of this world.

I did toy around with the recipe a bit, and instead of using white wine (which is what is typically used in risotto), I used beer. Risotto purists, hear me out: while the incorporation of beer isn’t exactly “kosher,” the beer adds a whole new dimension of flavor, making the final product rich and earthy. However, if you prefer white wine, feel free to use it instead of the beer. 

Tyler’s Indoor Barbecue Chicken

4 split chicken breasts, skinless*

1 cup of your preferred barbecue sauce*

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. cumin

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs. hot sauce*

2 tsp. Liquid Smoke

*For the chicken, you really can use whatever cuts you like. I prefer white meat, so I always purchase chicken breasts. You can use boneless if you like, but bone-in chicken is usually more moist and flavorful.

*You can use homemade or your favorite store brand. I prefer Bull’s Eye, as tomato is the first ingredient, and it doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup.

*You can leave this out if you are intimidated by heat, but truthfully, it adds more flavor than it does heat. My preferred brand is Crystal.

Mix together the dry seasonings and rub the chicken portions with the spice mix. Place the chicken in a crock pot, then add the barbecue sauce and other liquid ingredients. Set the crock pot to high and cook for 3-4 hours.

You can serve the chicken as-is, but I really enjoy “pulled” barbecue chicken – so if you want to try it this way, here’s what to do: If you used bone-in chicken, carefully remove the chicken portions from the crock pot, and remove all bones. Then, place the meat back into the crock pot. If you use boneless chicken, then obviously, skip this step. Then with two forks, shred the chicken until it resembles traditional barbecue pulled pork. Allow it to cook inside the sauce for a few minutes to absorb the flavor, and then serve. 

Sweet Potato Risotto

1 large sweet potato

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

¾ stick of butter (and by that, I mean REAL butter!)

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

6 cups chicken stock or broth

½ cup beer*

1 cup grated parmesan cheese*

*For my beer selection, I went with Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat, because it has a light, citrusy flavor that pairs well with the richness of the sweet potato. Also, it was on sale… I could also see this risotto being equally delicious with something like Blue Moon or Southern Pecan.

*Please don’t use the stuff in the “shaky tube.” Please.

You can cook the sweet potato using whatever method you prefer. I always do mine the way my mother does. I baked mine at 350 until it was tender, allowed it to cool, removed the peel, and mashed it in a bowl with a fork.

For the risotto, in a saucepan, heat the chicken stock, and maintain the heat level at medium.

In a large pot (something like an enamel-coated Dutch oven or a large boiler), melt the butter at medium heat, and then add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the melted butter. Add the beer, and then cook until it is absorbed. Add two ladlefuls of warm stock to the pot, stir, and cook until it is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, two ladlefuls at a time, repeating this process until all the stock has been added. The rice should be cooked through, but if it is isn’t, or if the mixture seems a little dry, add more stock, and cook for a few minutes longer.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the parmesan cheese and mashed sweet potato, and stir the mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Serve.

Serving Suggestions: If you’d rather have whole chunks of sweet potato, simply peel the sweet potato and cut into evenly-sized cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until tender. Then top the risotto with the chunks of sweet potato.

This would also be fantastic topped with blue cheese and crumbled bacon. If you’d like to dazzle your guests, add 1 tsp. of saffron threads to the mixture once you begin adding the stock.