BBQ Ranch Chicken Spaghetti

And that's the short name.

I get a kick out of seeing the recipes that Picky Palate comes up with - I think most of which are total originals of hers. Many of them don't appeal to me enough to make, but I enjoy checking in to see what she's come up with on any given day.

Her "savory" recipes get my attention a little bit more than her desserts, and I'd bookmarked this one some time ago and finally tried it. I have to say, it was really good!  And, if you do like I did and just shred up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, pretty darn easy too. I did make my own low carb, low sugar BBQ sauce (which was dy-no-mite), and I'll post that recipe too. 

BBQ Shredded Chicken and Carmalized Red Onion Ranch Spaghetti

adapted slightly from Picky Palate

1 lb thin spaghetti noodles

cooking spray and a small amount of olive oil

1/2 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tablespoons dry Ranch Dressing Mix

3/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Shredded Chicken (I shredded almost an entire rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)

BBQ Sauce, homemade or store bought, of your choice (see below for the recipe I used)

1.  Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.  Spray cooking spray and olive oil into a large pot over medium heat (use as much olive oil as you'd like, I was just trying to cut back).  Saute red onions until softened and golden.  Add cooked spaghetti to onions; mix and add dry Ranch Dressing seasoning and cilantro leaves.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.  Place noodles onto serving plates and top with warm shredded BBQ chicken (I just mixed them all together like traditional spaghetti).  Garnish with cilantro leaf and serve.

Reduced-Carb Spicy Barbecue Sauce

adapted slightly from 1001 Low-Carb Recipes

I will say that the liquid smoke is key in the BBQ sauce...just so you know.  I found it with the steak sauce, ketchup, kind of stuff in my regular grocery store for about $2.

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small onion, finely minced

1/4 cup butter or oil (I omitted and used cooking spray)

4 tablespoon Splenda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder (I made this quite a heaping teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons molasses

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

In a saucepan, cook the garlic and onion (in butter/oil if using) for a few minutes.  Stir in the Splenda, salt, mustard, paprika, chili powder and pepper.  Add the molasses, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and horseradish. Stir to combine.  Let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Whisk in the tomato paste and liquid smoke and let the sauce simmer another 5-10 minutes.  Let the mixture cool and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.