Marianne Martinez
Slow cooker chipotle chicken is a versatile, tasty, and easy-to-make meal that can be served in a variety of ways, including as a taco, burrito, or rice bowl filling, or on top of nachos, salads, or sandwiches. The recipe typically involves combining chicken with a variety of seasonings and sauces, such as chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, honey, and spices, and cooking it in a slow cooker or crock pot for several hours until it is tender and juicy. The dish can be made spicier or milder by adjusting the amount of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce used, and it can be served with sour cream or cheese to balance out the heat.
Characteristics and Values Table for Cooking Chipotle Chicken in a Crock Pot:
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Chicken breasts or thighs, honey, onion, garlic powder, cumin, salt, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, black beans, lime juice, tortillas, avocado, cider vinegar, tomato paste, chicken stock |
| Equipment | 5-8 quart slow cooker or crock pot |
| Time | 3-5 hours on low, or 3 hours on high |
| Preparation | Combine ingredients in the crock pot, stir well, shred chicken with forks, add lime juice and salt to taste |
| Serving Suggestions | Tacos, tortillas, rice, salad, quesadillas, burritos, nachos |
| Nutritional Information | 141kcal, 11g carbohydrates, 18g protein, 3g fat |
| Storage | Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months |
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What You'll Learn
Preparation and ingredients
This chipotle chicken recipe is perfect for busy weeknights as it requires minimal preparation and just a handful of everyday ingredients. The recipe hinges on just two key ingredients: canned chipotles and honey, which slowly caramelize together for a glossy and tasty sauce.
For the chicken, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. You can also use chicken tenderloins or chicken thighs. The chicken thighs will have a little more fat and moisture compared to chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165˚F (74˚C).
The other ingredients you will need are:
- Honey
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chipotle chiles
- Adobo sauce
- Chicken stock
You can also add lime juice to taste at the end.
To prepare the chicken, sprinkle salt onto the chicken the night before you plan to cook, or even the morning of, and this will result in tender chicken.
To prepare the sauce, combine the honey, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, chipotle chiles, and adobo sauce in a slow cooker. You can also add chicken stock to the sauce for a juicier result. Toss the chicken in the sauce to fully coat it.
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Cooking the chicken
Next, prepare the chipotle mixture. Cut the chipotle peppers in half and remove the seeds. Add the peppers to a food processor along with the adobo sauce, tomato sauce, and minced garlic. Blend until the mixture is smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can make the adobo sauce by mixing tomato paste, cider vinegar, chipotle powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
Now, place the chicken in the crock pot and pour the chipotle mixture on top. Add your seasonings: onion powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Toss the chicken to coat it fully with the sauce.
Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken breasts are cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165˚F (74˚C). If you're using chicken thighs, start checking the slow cooker after about 4-5 hours on low.
Once the chicken is done, use two forks to coarsely shred it in the sauce. Stir in lime juice, and add more salt or lime juice to taste.
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Shredding the chicken
Once the chicken is cooked, it's time to shred it. Shredding the chicken is easy, and can be done using two forks. Simply hold one fork in each hand, and use them to pull the chicken apart. The cooked chicken should be tender enough that it comes apart with ease.
If you prefer, you can also use a meat shredder to shred the chicken. This is a good option if you have a lot of chicken to shred, or simply want to save time.
Once the chicken is shredded, stir it back into the sauce in the crockpot. The sauce will soak into the shredded chicken, making it even more juicy and flavourful.
At this stage, you can also add lime juice and stir it through. The lime juice will add a bright, fresh flavour to the dish, and help to balance out the smokiness of the chipotle. You can also add more salt to taste.
Finally, serve the shredded chipotle chicken as it is, or in tortillas or over rice. It's a delicious, versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many different ways.
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Adding the finishing touches
Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks. You can then stir it back into the sauce in the crockpot.
At this stage, you can add in the black beans and lime juice, and adjust the seasoning to taste. You can also add in some chopped cilantro.
If you want to make quick-pickled onions to serve with the dish, thinly slice a red onion and put the slices in a bowl or container. Bring about 1½ cups of cider or white vinegar to a boil, and add about 3 heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a big pinch of salt to dissolve.
The chipotle chicken can be served in tortillas with pickled onion, avocado, and sour cream, or with rice or salad. It can also be used as a filling for quesadillas, tacos, burritos, sandwiches, or burgers.
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Storing leftovers
To reheat, simply place in a small pan over medium heat and stir until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave if your container is microwave-safe.
Some people like to use the leftovers in a different meal, such as a lunch salad, or in fish tacos, or even in place of shrimp in tacos. The possibilities are endless, and the smoky flavor of the chipotle chicken is a great addition to many dishes.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need chicken, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, honey, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
It takes between 3 and 8 hours to cook chipotle chicken in a crock pot, depending on the heat setting and the size of your chicken.
You should cook chipotle chicken on a low heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.
Your chipotle chicken is done when the chicken is shreddable. You can check this by trying to shred a piece of chicken with two forks.
