Shredded chicken breast tossed in a killer Mexican sauce, loaded with smokey chipotle flavours. It’s easy, takes 5 minutes to prepare and you can make it in the slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stove (directions provided for all). Use it for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, soup, on rice, quesadillas, sliders – the possibilities are endless!
I know there are a gazillion Mexican chicken recipes out there in this big-wide-cyber-world. I’m throwing my hat into the ring because I think this is a little different to most.
The thing that {I think!} distinguishes this chicken recipe from many others is the sauce. The smoky, mildly spicy red sauce that is the end result of a handful of ingredients that are thrown into the slow cooker. See? Look. Dinner in three easy steps:
-
Chuck ingredients in slow cooker (or pressure cooker or saucepan);
-
Shred chicken, whizz liquid to transform into thick sauce;
-
Serve and look like a champ. (I like this step the best).
A key ingredient in this recipe is Chipotles in Adobo Sauce. To me, this is to Mexican cooking what soy sauce is to Asian cooking. Well, not soy sauce. More like oyster sauce or hoisin sauce. Because Adobo Sauce has a lot more complex flavours than soy sauce.
It comes in a can and is dried chipotles in a thick smokey, tangy, spicy, slightly sweet red sauce. It’s not expensive, about $3 – and freezes great! I put it in small ziplock bags and break bits off as required. Brush onto meat and grill it, add it into sauces – it’s like a secret weapon for a quick blast of Mexican flavour.
Though common throughout the US, it’s not yet mainstream in Australia (i.e. not at Coles, Woolworths), but I’m 20000% confident it will be in the near future as more and more people are discovering it’s magic power. I’ve listed places I know that sell it in the recipe (in Australia).
This is what it looks like.
Aside from the gorgeous, rich red sauce, you may have noticed that the shredded chicken has beautiful crispy brown bits. Let me be clear – this does not and cannot happen from cooking in the sauce! I do an extra, optional step of browning the chicken.
I really think this extra step is worth it because the browned parts are the best bits!! The caramelisation adds flavour and texture, plus it makes the massive pile of chicken even more enticing, don’t you think??
Actually, because I usually make this ahead, frying up the shredded chicken is not really an extra step because it’s how I reheat it. 🙂
This Mexican Shredded Chicken is ridiculously versatile, just like my Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, one of the most popular recipes here on RecipeTin Eats (with good reason! 😉 ). Here are a few ideas:
-
Tacos – with all your favourite trimmings. This might be my favourite way…Here’s my Guacamole recipe and Pico de Gallo, in case you want them. 🙂
-
Enchiladas, Burritos, Sliders, Quesadillas, Taco Stack, Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup
-
With Mexican Green Cilantro / Coriander Rice, or make a Mexican Red Rice
You have the option to serve this with the chicken tossed in the sauce, or to serve the sauce on the side, like in the photo below. I don’t have a preference for either, it really depends on the occasion, who I’m feeding (clearly not vegetarians), and how long I think the chicken will be sitting around for. If I think the chicken is going to be out for a while, I usually toss it in the sauce because it keeps the chicken nice and moist (chicken breast has a tendency to dry out quickly when it cools) without losing too much crispiness.
I really think I should sign off here. This post is getting long. Have you ever met anyone before who can write over 1,000 words about a Mexican chicken? No? Well, now you have. 🙂 – Nagi x
P.S. Oh, just in case you need another eyeful of the chicken tossed in the sauce, here you go. Wipe your chin and get into your kitchen!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Mexican Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken & Sauce
- 1.5 lb / 750g chicken breast , skinless boneless (~3 halves)
- 1/2 cup Chipotles in Adobo Sauce (4 chillies + sauce) (Note 1)
- 14 oz / 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 tsp EACH dried oregano, cumin powder and onion powder (or garlic powder)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 3/4 tsp salt (Note 2)
- Pepper
To Finish
- 3 tbsp olive oil (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
Cook Chicken
- Slow Cooker: Place Chicken & Sauce ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on low. The chicken is ready when it can be shredded easily with 2 forks but it should NOT be mushy (i.e. overcooked).
- Pressure cooker: 35 minutes on high.
- Stove: Place Chicken & Sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and add 1 cup water. Simmer covered on medium low for 40 - 50 minutes, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken can be shredded with 2 forks.
Sauce
- Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.
- Add lime juice (to taste) and 1 tbsp olive oil to the sauce. Use a stick blender (or transfer to blender) to puree the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. You should have about 2 cups of sauce.
Brown Chicken
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1/3 to 1/2 the chicken and fry until dark golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other side very briefly (don't brown), then remove. Use 1 tbsp oil for each batch you fry.
To Serve
- Toss chicken in the sauce OR serve it on the side.
- Use for tacos (guacamole and Pico de Gallo, enchiladas, burritos, on green Mexican rice, quesadillas, sliders, on tostadas.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Oh – and just in case you’re after PORK rather than chicken, here is a little peek at my PORK CARNITAS. Oi. So good. Check out those crunchy brown bits sparkling with the gorgeous flavoured juices!
Elysia says
Nagi I have cooked using just using your recipes each day in the last week and everyone in this house has complimented how great the dishes are. Thank you for all the tips and advice! I’m very grateful 🙂
Wiggsy says
This is absolutely delicious and you’re right that the spiciness loses its edge over night. I’m just wondering if the serving sizes are correct for standard size tacos? I’m hosting a Mexican themed dinner and have doubled the recipe but worried it won’t make 30-40 tacos!
(I slid the slider across to serve 10 and used about 1.7kgs of chicken breast)
Mike says
I always throw in an extra breast, if there is left overs one night there won’t be the next..
Anthony says
Hi Nagi,
Just noticed the Pico de Gallo link on this page leads to the wrong recipe (Mexican shredded beef and tacos).
Lindsey says
This is great although I may have over done the chillies. Any tips for calming the sauce down for the kids. I’ve added more sugar but it’s still too spicy for them.
Nagi says
Sorry about that Anthony – the link is here: https://www.recipetineats.com/pico-de-gallo-authentic/ N x
Vicky East says
This was so good it had so much flavour. 4 clean plates! I also made your guacamole and pico de gallo to go with it. Both fantastic. I served in on soft flour tortillas with some shredded cheese, sour cream and brown rice with black beans. Definitely a keeper.
tanja says
Every single recipe I have tried from Nagi so far has been delicious! This one was no exception. I served the shredded chicken with brown rice, black beans, guacamole, salsa and sour cream and we loved every bite. Thank you Nagi!!
Amy E Kern says
Broadway Coles sells it but they were out of stock tonight. 🙁 Does the Chipotle sauce work the same or does it need to be the Chipotle in Adobo?
Nagi says
Hi Amy, I have a sub listed in the recipe notes if you cannot locate the chipotles in adobo 🙂 N x
Fredrik von Matérn says
Hi Nagi,
I’m going to have my friends over for taco night and I’m currently cooking the Mexican shredded chicken in my amazing rice boiler. I’ll start with the Beef Barbacoa afterwards and let it cook until it falls apart!
My worry is that some of my friends (we’re all Swedish) will find the chipotle seasoned Chicken and beef too spicy, do you have any recipe for a milder dish to even out the spiciness?
When we cook American/Swedish tacos we use thick sour cream in our as a part of the taco, but I have a feeling that sour cream isn’t really part of the Mexican cuisine, would you be able to recommend something equivalent but still authentic Mexican?
Thanks a lot for the recipes!
Felicia Romano says
thank you. if i would like to double the amount of chicken, do i have to cook for longer? I am assuming i would just double the ingredients
Janice Thomas says
Thank you for the suggestion re the chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce. I live in Jamaica so some of these speciality ingredients are a little hard to come by. I finally found somewhere that sells them but they’re out of stock, so I’m excited to try your suggested alternative 🙂
Robyn says
Made this recipe yesterday, we love Mexican food. Just delicious, I was worried it might have been a bit too spicy with 1/2 cup of Adobo sauce but the spice was just right. Not sure if this recipe or the Carnitas is my favourite now.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Robyn, that’s great to hear!! N x
Lacey says
I have made this about 5 times now and it’s my go-to hosting dish. Everyone is so impressed by the flavour kick and it takes 5 minutes to throw into the crockpot. My only suggestion is to look at the chicken at the 3 hour mark, often times it’s already finished by that point. I usually use this chicken with homemade corn tortilla, but it’s great for burritos too!! Such an awesome recipe ❤️
Elena says
Nagi, this was simply delicious! I made it for a Mexican themed dinner (the carnitas too, can’t rave enough about that recipe as well) and everyone devoured it!! I had some leftover sauce and although I wanted to just eat it with a spoon, I ended up making a faux shakshuka with it and oh, it was amazing. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Kasia says
Hi looking forward to making this. Have you ever added canned beans? I have some chili beans and black beans and wondering when to add them (using a slow cooker)
Nagi says
Hi Kasia, yes – it will be just like my chili recipe here: https://www.recipetineats.com/shredded-beef-chili-con-carne/ but with chicken! Drain and add the beans into the slow cooker with the chicken 🙂
pamela knowles says
Hi Nagi, love every recipe I’ve made! Can I make the mexican chicken without a pressure cooker? Just in a dutch oven?
Natasha says
Hello, im looking forward to making this recipe. I am going to make it for 10 people so will use approx 1350g of chicken breast, would you say that 50 mins on the stove will be enough cooking time or will it need longer? Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Natasha, cook as per the recipe, that should be fine 🙂 N x
Kaye says
Hi Nagi
I have made this and absolutely love it! Is there any way of making the shredded chicken without the sauce as I have loads of leftovers?
Thanks K
Nagi says
Hi Kaye, yes! You can just poach it and shred it, take a look here: https://www.recipetineats.com/poached-chicken/ N x
SArah says
I’ve made this before and it’s spectacular! I have to make it for 20 people so I’m wondering if I triple the recipe does that affect the slow cooker time?
Brenna says
Hello Nagi! This might a dumb questions, it’s my first time using chipotle peppers. After I remove the chicken, do I chop up the peppers to puree in the sauce? Or do I remove the peppers and not use them in the sauce? Thank you!
Nagi says
Hi Brenna, it depends how hot you like it – if you can handle the heat, they’ll become soft and you can blend them into the sauce. If not, you can remove them. N x
Christy says
Hi Nagi! I am hosting a taco and tequila party next weekend and I am going to be making both the pork carnitas and the mexican shredded chicken to serve at the party. Having never made either before I wanted your opinion on whether I could make both the night before and crisp on morning of the event. If I do the crisping before guests arrive how would you ensure it stays warm and doesn’t dry out? Any advice would be great as I want this meal to be delicious and fuss free so I can hang with my guests.
Esther says
Christy, I haven’t made this dish before but I have made the carnitas lots and I do know a thing or two about cooking. Crisping that morning should be fine for the pork just don’t add the juices until the final reheat no point in crisping just to soak them in liquid for hours. As far as the chicken goes I would be hesitant to do any extra reheating or even let them cool down much. Chicken breast gets so dry so easy I would prep it the night before then put it on to cook the next day. Then shred and crisp right before the party. I have never done it but I know you can crisp in the oven that would be a lot easier than crisping on the stove right before the party. Here is a recipe that describes how to crisp in the oven https://www.thekitchn.com/easy-crispy-chicken-carnitas-oven-256191 . Like I said never done this but that’s what I would do.
Mim D says
Haven’t tried making it yet, putting together a shopping list for the ingredients and wanted to let you know that Coles has Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce for sale. No need to make the extra trip to somewhere else for me 😀
Nagi says
Hi Mim, yes they’ve started stocking it since I published this recipe – it’s so handy now they are expanding their international section! N x
Anna M Palmer says
If I double recipe and it in a large slow cooker is the time still 4 hours on low?
Raquel says
Hi, do you put the chicken for 4 hours on high or low in the slow cooker?
Nagi says
Hi Raquel, 4 hours on low as per step one of the instructions – I hope you love it! N x