Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Succulent, juicy pulled chicken that is smothered in a slightly sweet, smoky, and spicy chipotle sauce. Need I say more? These Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos feature ‘set it and forget it’ pulled chicken thighs that are slow-cooked in your crockpot alongside a honey-chipotle sauce. These Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos will be your new best-friend so dinner time, as they require almost no prep-work, meaning you can throw the ingredients into your slow-cooker before heading out in the morning, and come home to a practically-finished supper! Top these Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos with whatever toppings you like, and enjoy!
Making the Chipotle Pulled Chicken
This is one of those ‘set it and forget it’ kind of recipes – the best kind of recipe, in my opinion! This recipe requires no pre-cooking, and basically no prep work! Start by blending the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Now just throw the chicken and sauce into the slow cooker, turn it on high or low, and then come back to it in a few hours! It should be ready to shred, which a hand-mixer makes incredibly easy work out of (see below), and then can be piled on top of your choice of tortilla, with your choice of toppings! It doesn’t get much better if you ask me!
Optional: Thickening the Sauce
Sometimes, the chicken thighs can release a whole lot of moisture, making the sauce watery. If you find that at the end of the cooking time, that your sauce in your slow cooker is quite watery, I suggest removing about half of the liquid and placing it into a small sauce pan over the stove. Bring this mixture to a boil, then thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Once thickened, simple pour this sauce back into the slow cooker with the shredded chicken.
This really all depends on the moisture content of your chicken thighs, sometimes I need to do this, and sometimes I do not. The goal is to just not have overly watery chicken (yuck!). When you place the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, it is able to absorb a good amount of liquid back into itself, but it can only handle so much – which is why thickening up half works wonders!
CHICKEN: THIGHS VS BREASTS
In making these Chipotle Chicken Tacos, or any recipe where you want tender shredded chicken, the way to go is with thighs! The point of slow cooking is to transform the tough fatty connective tissue of meat, into succulent gelatin, giving the meat a tender, luscious texture. Chicken breast has almost no connective tissue or fat, so slow cooking it doesn’t do it any favors. As well, lean meats, when overcooked, actually become dry and tough – so we don’t want that. Chicken thighs, on the other hand, contain an excellent amount of connective tissue, making it perfect for any slow method of cooking. As an added benefit, chicken thighs are also more flavorful too!
HAND-MIXER FOR EASY SHREDDING
If you are like me, and can’t stand the process of shredding meat (so tedious, am I right?) then boy do I have a hack for you! Instead of using 2 forks to shred the meat, piece by piece, use your hand-mixer! When the chicken is fully cooked, and clearly easily shreddable, just pull the chicken out of the slow mixer and place it into a separate large bowl, then just stick your hand-mixer blades into the bowl and turn them on low, and move them around until all the meat is shredded! It’s that easy! I learned this hack a few years ago off some random Facebook video, and it makes such easy work of shredding any meat. It is important to note, however, that you need to make sure the meat is very clearly at a shreddable point. If it is not, you may break your hand-mixer. Just take a fork, and see if you can easily pull-apart one piece, and then have at it.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Chicken
- 4 tbsp Salsa
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 3-4 Chipotle Peppers in adobo sauce
- Zest of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Fresh Cilantro,, whole leaves i.e. not chopped up
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 tsp Corn Starch + 1 tsp Water,, optional
Chipotle Pulled Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Chicken, (above)
- 10-12 Small Tortillas
- Toppings of your Choice
Instructions
Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Chicken
- Add all ingredients, except chicken thighs, lime juice, and cornstarch, to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Add chicken thighs and blended mixture to slow cooker. Cook for 3 ½ hours on high or 7 hours on low.
- (Optional) If your thighs released a lot of liquid, remove half of the liquid from the slow cooker before shredding the chicken. Place this liquid into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat on the stove. Bring to a boil, then add the 1 tsp cornstarch +1 tsp water slurry, and whisk to combine. Once thickened remove from heat and pour into shredded chicken.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using hand mixer or 2 forks, then place back into the slow cooker with the lime juice to absorb the sauce for 15 minutes.
Chipotle Pulled Chicken Tacos
- Place chipotle chicken onto warmed tortillas & top with toppings of your choice. I find sour cream, cojita, and cabbage/lettuce is awesome!
Related Recipes
Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out these below:
SLOW COOKER BBQ PULLED CHICKEN SANDWICH. These sandwiches feature slow-cooked pulled chicken in a homemade Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
TROPICAL CHICKEN QUESADILLAS. These super crispy, cheesy quesadillas are made with pineapple-chili-lime marinated chicken, to amp up those tropical flavors.
CHICKEN WITH WHITE WINE SAUCE. One of my ultimate favorite recipes, this recipe features sear-roasted chicken breasts that are served with a creamy white wine sauce.
