Low-Carb Sweet & Smoky Pulled Chicken

I only recently got my first pressure cooker. I was super hesitant at first, but once I realized that I could make a perfect healthy bone broth in an hour and a half, I was hooked.

This is a recipe that I cook in my slow cooker a lot, so I tweaked it slightly to work with both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Moist and tender threads of chicken breast enveloped in a rich, sweet, smokey low-carb sauce.

Eat it in lettuce cups, over baby spinach, with cauli-rice or shirataki rice. I like to top mine with a hefty dollop of sour cream for added healthy fats and to offset the richness of the sauce. Enjoy!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Quick & Easy: Minimal prep, ready in no time.
• Versatile: Perfect to serve with lettuce cups, cauli-rice, or veggies.
• Low-Carb: Just 4.3g net carbs per serving.
• Sweet & Smoky: Full of flavor without extra carbs.
• Tender & Juicy: Stays moist and shreds perfectly.
• Diet-Friendly: Great for keto, paleo, and grain-free diets.

Ingredients and Swaps

These simple ingredients come together to create a flavorful, low-carb pulled chicken that's sweet, smoky, and perfectly tender. Here’s a breakdown of the key ingredients and a few easy swaps to fit your preferences or what you have on hand.

• Chicken Breasts: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for easy shredding. You can swap with boneless chicken thighs instead. They are juicier and also more budget-friendly.
• Unsweetened Tomato Passata: Provides the sauce base. Swap with crushed tomatoes if needed, but adjust the consistency.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds tanginess. White vinegar or lemon juice can be used instead.
• Low-Carb Sweetener: You can use your preferred low-carb sweetener such as allulose, erythritol or brown sugar substitute.
• Molasses (optional): Adds depth and a touch of sweetness. You can skip this to keep the carbs lower or use a bit of sugar-free syrup. A tablespoon of molasses will add about 2 grams of net carbs per serving. If you want to achieve similar results but don't want to add extra carbs to your meal, you can use brown sugar substitute instead instead of the erythritol.
• Coconut Aminos: A low-carb soy sauce alternative. Soy sauce or tamari can be used if not strictly paleo.
• Smoked Paprika & Cayenne Pepper: For a smoky, mildly spicy kick. Adjust cayenne to taste or omit for less heat.
• Olive Oil: for healthy fats. Make sure to use extra virgin. Avocado oil or melted ghee works too.
• Sour Cream (optional): For serving; you can swap with full-fat yogurt or crème fraîche.

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Alternative Cooking Methods

No Instant Pot? No problem! You can easily adapt this recipe using a slow cooker or a Dutch oven. Here’s how to get the same tender, flavorful pulled chicken with these methods.

Slow Cooker

• Prep: Add the chicken and sauce ingredients to your slow cooker.
• Cook: Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2.5-3 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily shredded.
• Finish: Shred the chicken, mix it with the sauce, and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Dutch Oven (Oven Baking)

• Prep: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) fan-assisted, or 170°C (340°F) for a conventional oven. Place the chicken and sauce in a Dutch oven.
• Cook: Cover with a lid and bake for 1.5-2 hours, checking occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and easy to shred.
• Finish: Shred the chicken, coat with the sauce, and add olive oil before serving.

Tips for Making the Perfect Pulled Chicken

For the best pulled chicken, keep these simple tips in mind to ensure it turns out tender, flavorful, and just right.

• Use Fresh Chicken: Fresh chicken breasts cook more evenly and shred better than frozen. If using frozen, make sure it's completely thawed in the fridge before using.
• Natural Pressure Release: If using a pressure cooker, let the pressure release naturally for the juiciest results.
• Adjust the Sweetness: Taste the sauce before cooking and adjust the sweetener to your liking.
• Don’t Skip the Olive Oil: Drizzling olive oil at the end keeps the chicken moist and adds flavor.
• Thicken the Sauce: If the sauce is too thin, mix in a tiny bit of xanthan gum to thicken. You can find a full list of low-carb thickeners you can use here.
• Shred While Warm: Shred the chicken while it's still warm for the best texture.

Storage and Reheating

To store your pulled chicken, let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you want to store it for longer, freeze the chicken in individual portions, and it will last for up to 3 months.

When it’s time to reheat, you have a few options. On the stovetop, warm the chicken in a skillet over medium heat, adding a bit of water or broth to keep it moist, and stir occasionally until it’s fully heated through. If you prefer the microwave, place the chicken in a microwave-safe dish, cover it, and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between until it’s warmed. For larger portions, use the oven by placing the chicken in an oven-safe dish, covering it with foil, and warming it at 350°F (175°C) for about 15-20 minutes.

If your chicken is frozen, make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

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Serving Suggestions

This sweet and smoky pulled chicken is incredibly versatile! Here are some tasty ways to enjoy it:

• Lettuce Cups: Scoop the chicken into crispy lettuce leaves for a light, low-carb wrap.
• Cauliflower Rice: Serve over cauli-rice for a satisfying, grain-free meal. Here's how to make it.
• Palmini Rice: A low-carb, heart of palm alternative that works great with this chicken.
• Shirataki Rice: A great low-carb alternative to regular rice that pairs perfectly with the sauce.
• Zucchini Noodles: Toss with zucchini noodles for a veggie-packed meal. Here's how to prep them.
• Cauliflower Mash: Serve the pulled chicken on top of creamy cauliflower mash for a comforting meal.
• Over Spinach or Salad Greens: Top a fresh salad for an easy, protein-rich lunch.
• Stuffed Peppers: Fill roasted bell peppers with the pulled chicken for a hearty dish.
• Tacos: Use low-carb tortillas or keto taco shells for a fun, handheld option.
• Loaded Bowl: Top with sour cream, avocado slices, shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs for an all-in-one meal. You could even use these Chaffle Bowls!

Step-by-step

1. Place the chicken breasts into the base of your Instant Pot. Combine all other ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

   

2. Pour sauce over chicken breasts and place lid on pot.

3. Lock off and set to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes (or slow cook on low for 6 hours). Once finished, release the steam if applicable and remove the chicken (natural release works best in this case).

   

4. Place the chicken in a dish and shred with two forks. If the sauce is too runny, you could thicken it with about ¹/₂ teaspoon of xanthan gum, but I’ve never had to. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

   

5. Combine well until the chicken is coated from all sides. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and combine.

6. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 7 days. Best served with non-starchy veggies such as zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, shirataki rice or in crispy lettuce leaves.

   

7. Optionally, serve with sour cream, full-fat yogurt or creme fraiche.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Sweet & Smoky Pulled Chicken

★★★★★4.6 (246 ratings)

Perfectly tender, juicy shredded chicken breasts cooked in sweet and smoky low-carb sauce. Best served with ...

Hands on

10m

Overall

30m

Servings

6

4.3 g

Net carbs

29.2 g

Protein

12.7 g

Fat

259

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings18 servings24 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 6 servings

• 750 g chicken breasts, skinless and boneless (1.65 lb)
• 400 ml unsweetened tomato passata (sauce) (13.5 fl oz)
• 100 ml apple cider vinegar (3.5 fl oz)
• 3 tbsp low-carb sweetener such as Allulose, Swerve or Erythritol (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• Optional: 1 tbsp molasses (20 g/ 0.7 oz) - see note above
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¹/₄ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos (45 ml)
• ¹/₄ cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)
• Optional: 1 cup sour cream, full-fat yogurt or creme fraiche to serve

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breasts into the base of your Instant Pot. Combine all other ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Pour sauce over chicken breasts and place lid on pot.

3. Lock off and set to pressure cook on high for 15 minutes (or slow cook on low for 6 hours). Once finished, release the steam if applicable and remove the chicken (natural release works best in this case).

4. Place the chicken in a dish and shred with two forks. If the sauce is too runny, you could thicken it with about ¹/₂ teaspoon of xanthan gum, but I’ve never had to. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

5. Combine well until the chicken is coated from all sides. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and combine.

6. Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 7 days. Best served with non-starchy veggies such as zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, shirataki rice or in crispy lettuce leaves.

7. Optionally, serve with sour cream, full-fat yogurt or creme fraiche.

Nutrition per serving, about 170 g/ 6 oz

Carbs 7%Protein 47%Fat 46% of calories

Net carbs

4.3 g

Total carbs

10.6 g

Fiber

1.6 g

Sugars

2.9 g

Protein

29.2 g

Fat

12.7 g

Saturated fat

2 g

Calories

259 kcal

Sodium

824 mg · 35.8% RDA

Magnesium

49 mg · 12.3% RDA

Potassium

674 mg · 33.7% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 170 g/ 6 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Chicken, breast (without skin, raw)	0 g	28.1 g	3.3 g	150
Tomato sauce (passata), unsweetened	2.6 g	0.8 g	0.2 g	17
Apple cider vinegar	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	4
Swerve, natural sweetener (Erythritol and chicory inulin based)	0.3 g	0 g	0 g	1
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Garlic powder, spices	0.3 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Pepper, cayenne, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Paprika, smoked (spices)	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	3
Coconut aminos (substitute to soy sauce)	0.5 g	0 g	0 g	2
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	9 g	80
Total	4.3 g	29.2 g	12.7 g	259

Serving size about 170 g/ 6 oz

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Fish free
• Beef free