Have you been searching for a new take on your same old and tired shredded barbecue chicken? Look no further because today's recipe, Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken, will convert your drab shredded chicken meal into a bowl straight out of Flavortown! Like the bonus with most slow cooker recipes, all you do is dump everything in and let it do its thing for 8 hours. Hands off and simple as can be, this Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken brings a whole new level of flavor compared to the classic basic shredded chicken you have made a million times over. Add a little heat and flavor to your cooking repertoire with this slow cooker chicken...Let's Get Cooking!
Like I mentioned in the introduction, this really is a simple set and forget slow cooker recipe. Place your chicken breasts in your slow cooker in a single layer. Don't worry about it too much as they will be shifted before we start cooking. Just set them out so a majority of the breast is visible for seasoning. I found these Big Ladies at the local warehouse store so 5 of them weighed in a little over 3 pounds! Oh, I am a huge fan of using slow cooker liners to speed up cleanup, but totally unnecessary if you would rather wreck your back trying to clean the dang insert in a sink that is probably too small. Your call!
Now take about half your dry seasonings and spread them across the tops of your chicken. You really don't have to be very precise with your measurements. Just open up the shaker bottles and put down a nice layer across all the chicken. Then, flip the pieces and repeat. We will be giving everything a good stir/mix in a bit so you can skip the flip if you like. I, personally, just like all the dry seasoning evenly spread across the meat. Speaking of, there is enough meat here to handle plenty of seasoning so use the exact amounts in the recipe card below or get wild make it rain up in this Chicken Breast Club!
Pop open that can of chipotles in adobo sauce and just dump it all right onto your chicken. Listen people, these charred jalapenos aren't really that hot so don't skip on the flavor. Besides, this is the key ingredient to this whole recipe. We are making Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken and not Slow Cooker Kinda Chipotle Weak Ass Chicken, eh? One can is plenty, but I wouldn't be opposed to using 2 cans myself next time I make this recipe. It's great flavor with just enough heat to remind you you're alive so cater to your preference and liking!
Is everyone still with me up to this point? Good, now dump in the remaining wet ingredients (tomato sauce and apple cider vinegar). You could go ahead and leave it as it, but I decided to stir and mix everything at this point to make sure the chicken was coated all over. We have already spent a whopping 2 minutes on the prep here so I don't think another 30 second stir will kill us.
Place the lid on your slow cooker and set the temperature and timer to Low for 8 hours. This recipe prep is so quick and easy it is perfect to knock out in the morning before heading off to work. Make sure you don't let it cook past 10 hours, though, to prevent the chicken from drying out. My slow cooker automatically switches to Keep Warm mode after the time is up so I don't have to worry too much. Just keep time in mind and when you will be able to attend to your chicken before jet setting off to Vegas for 8 hours.
After 10 hours, things will probably look just about the same, except with a bit more cooking liquids appearing in the slow cooker. Believe it or not, the extra liquids are the perfect amount after shredding the chicken to keep everything tender and juicy! Simply take a couple forks and shred the chicken in the slow cooker as it sits in all those delicious juices. I have found it's a bit easier to start with a pair of tongs and gently squeeze the pieces till they begin to fall apart on their own. Get it all started like that then go back in with the forks to break up any remaining chunks or big pieces. Mine was so tender it practically shredded itself, though!
As it sits, the shredded chicken will gradually soak up a bit more of the cooking liquids. You can choose to remove the chipotles, chop them into smaller pieces, or just leave them as is for guests to decide whether or not they want that extra pop of flavor. I say to be lazy and just leave them. Anyway, that being said, you can serve up this Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken as a protein bowl with or without rice, on a tortilla with some cotija cheese and Pickled Red Onion, on a bun as a sandwich, or just about any other way you can imagine. Enjoy it like you would any other pulled pork or chicken meal! What do you think? Is this one as easy as I promised in the beginning? It's a perfect week night dinner with a little heat and flair over the typical boring barbecue chicken so next time you're out and about be sure to pick up some chipotles in adobo sauce and give this one a try...Just Keep Cooking!
SLOW COOKER CHIPOTLE CHICKEN
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