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Home » Main Dishes » Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

Published: Apr 23, 2015 · Modified: Oct 27, 2021 by Allison · 9 Comments

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Chipotle Chicken Recipe – Flavorful shredded chipotle chicken made in the slow cooker. Use it in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and more!

Chicken tacos on a white plate.

I wanted to get this recipe to you in case you’re looking for a Mexican inspired recipe for Cinco de Mayo (or any night of the week!).

This slow cooker chipotle chicken is a regular in our dinner rotation. It’s easy, delicious, and you can do an endless number of things with it. Stuff it into tortillas for tacos, throw it over some chips for nachos, add it to a salad, put it in a quesadilla, mix it into scrambled eggs, use it in soup (it’s great in tortilla soup). It’s super versatile, and it’s healthy too! The same can’t be said for the pound of chips I consumed with it.

Chicken tacos on a white plate.

I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. They are moist, tender, and literally fall apart. Fire roasted tomatoes, paprika, and chipotle peppers in adobo add flavor to the chicken. The chipotle peppers in adobo add a smoky, deep, mild heat. The chicken is only slightly spicy, you can add more or less heat based on how much chipotle is added. If you’re concerned about heat, I suggest starting with a little less. You can always add more once the chicken is cooked.

Throw the ingredients in your slow cooker, give it a few hours, and before you know it, you’ll have delicious chicken waiting for you!

More dinner ideas: Chipotle Pimento Cheese, Queso Dip, Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce, Spring Vegetable Alfredo, Pesto Macaroni & Cheese.

Chicken tacos on a white plate.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

An easy recipe for flavorful shredded chipotle chicken made in the slow cooker. Use it in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and more!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Main dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 190kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, (about 1 ¾ pounds )
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, seeded and minced plus 1 scant tablespoon adobo sauce
  • One 15 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes, plain crushed tomatoes can be substituted
  • ¼ cup water
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place the carrot, onion, and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the chicken with paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and water.
  • Cook on high for 3 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling apart. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Stir it around to coat it in the sauce. At this point, I like to cook the shredded chicken for another hour, just to allow it soak up extra juice and flavor. If you don’t want to wait another hour, you can serve it now.
  • Before serving, drain off any excess liquid that has accumulated (this just depends on personal preference and how saucy you want your chicken). Serve with any of the suggested items below.

Notes

For serving: You can use this chicken in burritos, tacos, quesadillas, as nacho topping, or even in a chicken taco salad.
Garnishes: shredded cheese, avocado, guacamole, diced tomato, shredded cabbage, sour cream, tortilla chips.
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 576mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2080IU | Vitamin C: 4.1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
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Comments

  1. Allyson

    April 26, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    YUM! this reminds me of pulled pork BBQ, which I love since I’m from NC. Like the idea of adding into scrambled eggs!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      April 27, 2015 at 6:11 am

      Thanks, Allyson!

      Reply
  2. Teri

    April 27, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to make this next week for Cinco de Mayo.

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      April 27, 2015 at 7:58 pm

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Joanne

    April 28, 2015 at 4:42 am

    These are totally fiesta food! Love how you can make one filling and then shove it into all kinds of things – tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas…the list is endless!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      April 28, 2015 at 9:02 am

      Thanks, Joanne! Yes, it’s very versatile. 🙂

      Reply
  4. bri | bites of bri

    April 30, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    ooooh, You know I need another chicken thighs recipe! I love the simplicity of these. They look delish!

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      May 01, 2015 at 12:59 pm

      Thanks, Bri!

      Reply

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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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