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:
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Chuck ingredients in slow cooker (or pressure cooker or saucepan);
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Shred chicken, whizz liquid to transform into thick sauce;
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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:
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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. 🙂
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Enchiladas, Burritos, Sliders, Quesadillas, Taco Stack, Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup
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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!
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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!
Hi Nagi,
I had originally downloaded another recipe but after reviewing the ingredients I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied. I checked Pinterest and found yours. The Chipotle in Adobo sauce sold me!
The sauce is just amazing! The only change I made was the tomatoes . . I only had canned tomato sauce but it worked great!
I just finished making it and I can’t stop tasting the sauce.
Thank you so much!
Fantastic to hear Ria! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Hi Nagi. We have an exchange student from Mexico and he loves this in Tacos! Thank for the recipe 🙂
AWESOME! I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this one Tania! Hope you have a great weekend – N x
This was really great! I added a tiny bit of cinnamon to mine though (ground cassia cinnamon is close enough to real cinnamon for me), It was a little more than a pinch. The sauce was excellent for chicken chimichangas. I doubled the recipe (increased but not doubled the spices) and it came out fantastic. I am very glad that i found this extremely easy and great tasting recipe.
Thanks for trying my recipe Clay! I’m so glad you liked it, thank you for the kind words. 🙂 Have a lovely weekend! N x
by the way, no lime juice for the Chimichangas.
but it did go well for Tacos…
So easy and so good. Will definatly use this recipe over and over.
I’m so pleased to hear that Donna, thanks for letting me know! N x
Nagi,
I was raised in the southwest of the USA, Arizona to be exact and I have had the pleasure of enjoying many Mexican dishes over my life time. I came across this recipe and was instantly tantalized by it! I made it as written and OMG!!!! I am blown away by the plethora of flavors that this dish delivers!! I cooked the chicken and sauce in my new electric pressure cooker and the meat was done and falling apart in 20 – 25 minutes! I added the lime juice to the sauce after shredding the chicken and used my stick blender to make the rich delicious smooth sauce. I chopped some tomato, avocado and shredded some nice cheddar cheese to top the meat that I stuffed into my taco shells. I also used the sauce to pour on top in place of salsa! My wife and I truly enjoyed this recipe and thank you so much for sharing it!!! I have to give you 5 stars, two thumbs up and huge kudos!!!! I look forward to trying more of your recipes in the future!
Oh WOW!!! Talk about a compliment from someone who clearly knows good Tex Mex! Thank you very much for the comprehensive feedback Jeff, I really appreciate it! N xx
This recipe looks fantastic. I love Chipotles in Adobo Sauce and can’t wait to try this. Can I use chicken thighs for this recipe? If so, should I adjust anything such as cooking time, etc? Also, should I take the skin off the thighs?
Thank you.
Hi Kevin! Yes I would take the skin off thighs and the cook time will be the same 🙂
Hi Nagi,
I have made your pork carnitas many times and just love the dish. I’m going to do the shredded chicken recipe for a NYE party but will need to increase the batch size as I’m feeding many mouths. Thinking of doing a triple batch and my question is, is it possible to triple all ingredients and simply put them in the slow cooker for 4 hrs or do it need to vary the cooking time or divide the batches for the same result?
Many thanks and have a great NYE!!
xx
I’m sorry for missed NYE Andrea! I know it’s too late, but my answer is that a triple batch can be cooked at the same time (if your slow cooker is large enough) and just increase the cook time by 50%, not triple it 🙂 Happy New Year!
Thanks very much Nagi. Ended up doing x2 double batches in separate slow cookers and served one with sauce for the adults and one without sauce for the kids.
It was amazing on the night another great recipe from you xx
So glad to hear that Andrea, thanks for letting me know! N xx
HI Nagi,
I have made this shredded chicken twice and the pork carnitas once with a stove top pressure cooker. The meat has turned out great for both recipes. However, my PC burns the bottom of the meat and sauce. With the chicken, there is so much sauce it isn’t a huge problem. But with the pork, all of the sauce was completely burned and unusable. I tried adjusting the temperature of the gas stovetop to low to bring the PC up to pressure; it took over an hour and still burned the bottom just as bad! Should I add a cup of water to the recipes as other PC sites suggest? Or will this dilute the flavour too much?
Hi Tyson – stove top pressure cooker, oh gosh! Yes you need liquid for that 🙂 I will add a tip to that affect!
Hi Nagi,
So I made this today and even though the process is a tad different, the end result is a dish called “tinga.” Tinga doesn’t use the tomatoes in a can and it has a lot of chopped onion, but the chipotle is pretty much the flavor that stands out. I had my doubts about this dish when you suggested it can be served in tacos, or any other variety of ways because the ONLY way we serve this is in tostadas and darn it, I had planned for tacos. So I fried my own tortillas and added beans (we ALWAYS add beans), the chicken and topped with sour cream and lettuce. I had never tried frying my own, because I usually grab a bag from the store when I know a dish will require it. Well I’m SO glad I did because it took this dish to the next level. Super yummy. So wether I make the original way or this way, this baby is staying on rotation. Thanks a bunch!
TINGA!!! You’re RIGHT! I totally didn’t even make the connection 🙂 I was in Mexico last year and was completely obsessed with he food there. I might have to repost this and align the recipe better to real Tinga!
Made the Mexican beef all day. It smells wonderful…but after 3 hours of cooking is not tender enough to shred. I used a bottom round roast cut into 3 pieces and followed the recipe. Maybe I used the wrong piece of meat???
Hi Jeannee – I’m sorry to say that it was the cut of beef you used. Bottom found roast beef is not suitable for shredding, it’s for roasting and slicing. 🙁
Once again… Absolutely delicious!!!! I made this last night and It was fabulous. I love that it can be thrown in the freezer for another day. Being single with no kids, it’s sometimes hard to cook for myself. My next attempt is your beef and sausage ragu!!!
The ragu is perfect for freezing too! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Angie, THANK YOU for letting me know! N x
I just left a similar comment on a different recipe (don’t mean to inundate you). I noticed when I follow the recipe suggestion links, they are mostly using pork carnitas (another delicious recipe!). So, I gather one can substitute this chicken for the pork which makes sense and is great! However, the enchilada soup uses uncooked chicken, so will the already cooked and seasoned Mexican Shredded Chicken work in this soup? How much and should I reduce any spices?
Hi Maret! yes you can use this in the soup, and no don’t change any of the ingredients in the soup. And yes you can use this for any of the recipes using pork carnitas!
Hello,
thank you for this great recipe,I made it last night in my pressure cooker. It was divine. I might have added little more adobo peppers, and it was little spicy, but when served with some avocado and tomatoes and cheese in a taco, if was just right
I’m so happy to hear that Aida! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Do you have any suggestion for a substitute for the Chipotles in Adobo Sauce or chipotle powder? Ultimately i’d love to get some online – but can’t justify buying that one thing online from fireworks foods…. would love to try this recipe though.. 🙂
Hi Georgia! Good news – Woolies sells it now! In the Mexican section 🙂 Otherwise, use the sub in Note 1 and just use chilli powder instead of chipotle 🙂
Hi! This sounds delicious! I was just wondering if you were making this using precooked, shredded chicken what would the steps be to assembly? Would it just be reheating the chicken (browning it a bit) and making the sauce separately? If you aren’t combining how long does the sauce need to cook/simmer?
Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! Yes I would make the sauce separately, whizz it to smooth it per recipe then put the cooked chicken in to soak up some flavour 🙂 If you want to brown the chicken a bit like I do, I would do that AFTER putting the chicken in the sauce so it gets some of the sauce flavour on it before you caramelise it!
I saw cans of chipotles in adobo at the store and thought “Nagi must have a recipe to use these!” so I picked some up and off I went on a search of your website. I have a slow cooker, but decided to do it stove top.
I didn’t have canned tomatoes on hand, so I used passata instead. Used 4 of the chilies and WOAH was it ever spicy! I added a bit more passata to the sauce and cooked it down a little longer. Served it with fresh burrata, lots of lime juice and avocado slices on whole wheat wraps – huge success. A definite do-over and over and over. SO EASY too!
Lots of love from Ontario, Canada. You have made me look and feel like a super chef in my home- thank you!
Awwww, I love hearing that Martina!! SO GLAD you enjoyed this, and it’s all credit to YOU, you’re the one doing the cooking!! N x
Is the pressure cooker time for a stovetop PC or an electric PC?
Hi Beth! I use an electric but my mother uses stovetop and we use the same cook times for recipes 🙂
“Restaurant Quality!” was the comments from the family when I served this in enchiladas with your Mexican green rice & Pico de gallo and a simple guacamole. Thanks so much for another fantastic, tasty meal. Will definitely be doing again.
Yessss!!! So glad you enjoyed it Jen!!! 🙂 PS You went all out with the sides!! Impressed!
I make something very similar to this what makes it SO much better is a handfull of fresh chopped cilantro. I dont bother blending up the sauce or mixing it with oil oir lime. After plating it squeeze a some fresh lime and blend with a bunch of cilantro. Makes a very good recipe OUTSTANDING.
Thank you for the tip!!! 🙂
Oh my gosh, my mouth is WATERING! This sounds delicious and I’m 98% certain I have some chipotles in adobo at home to try this out very soon!
I hope you do Kristina!!! 🙂