I don't drink soda, like, ever. Okay, maybe once a month I'll break down and have one, but it just doesn't taste as good as it used to. Back in the day, I was that big girl you saw walking around with her refillable quadruple Big Gulp sautered to her hand. When Coke Zero came out, that became my drug of choice. Unless you've been living under a rock, you already have an idea about why artificial sweeteners are not any better for you than honest to goodness high fructose corn syrup. And don't think that soda containing "real sugar" is any better. It isn't. There's just nothing good about drinking soda. If you must drink it - do so in moderation and make sure you're getting plenty of water. I understand vices. You can pry my coffee with cream and sugar out of my cold, dead hand. Just don't overdo it. I'm not recommending you drink soda ever - I would recommend that any more than I'd recommend you drink a bottle of rat poison, but I get that people are going to do what they're going to do. Just be reasonable about it.
I digress. I was piddling around the internet looking for something to make for dinner. I wanted something simple, but different enough from what we normally eat. When I'm not finding anything on my usual sites I'll occasionally jump on over to Spark People. The problem with Spark People is that they're all user entries. This fact in and of itself is not a bad thing. The problem is twofold: you can't count on the recipes to be healthy, and there are countless recipes for any given ingredient or cuisine. You really have to dig to find what you're looking for. Not ideal when you're just browsing.
Anyway, I came across this recipe someone posted that used three ingredients: a can of Coke, a cup of ketchup, and three chicken breasts. The reviewers raved about it. I could not stomach the thought of eating this as is - gag - but I thought the concept was worth a shot.
The end result was tasty and the chicken tender. The flavors were mild, and I think it would be yummier if it had a bit more of a kick - so I think next time I'll increase the chili powder and red pepper flakes. If you have a tender palate, though - go for it as is. Note: the sauce makes quite a bit more than you'll need for the recipe. I did it this way because I have squash bottled in quart-sized jars. I'm far more likely to use leftover sauce than leftover squash chunks. I used part of the leftover sauce the next night in the Plantain Beef Pie. There's still some left I plan to use for a recipe tonight. But, if you prefer, feel free to cut the recipe into a fourth and use it all.
Because of all the sugar from the soda, this is not something I will make regularly. It's tasty as an occasional treat, though!
For the sauce:
4 cups cooked, cubed butternut squash
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
1 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. honey
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a little of the cooking water or hot water to get it moving, but not too much - you want a thick sauce here. You can always thin down the remaining sauce for another recipe if needed.
For the chicken:
3 chicken breasts
1 cup butternut squash sauce (see above)
12 oz cola (NOT sugar free)
1 can pineapple tidbits in juice (drained)
Directions:
Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise. In a large pot, combine sauce and cola, whisking to combine (it will foam, that's fine). Add chicken to pot and stir so that the sauce covers all of the chicken pieces. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
Transfer chicken from pot to a large mixing bowl. Continue to simmer sauce, whisking frequently, until sauce reduces and is thickened. Shred chicken with two forks. When sauce is thickened, return chicken to pan and add pineapple tidbits. Stir well.
Serve over brown rice or cauliflower rice.
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