While I love peppers (the hotter the better), in the past, Chipotle has not been one of my favorite flavors of peppers so I don’t cook with them very often. I also have never made and then shredded meat for a dish. This Easy Shredded Crock Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos recipe is changing my mind about Chipotle Peppers and shredding meat. It was super easy and so delicious!

In case you didn’t know, a chipotle comes from the Nahuatl (language of the Aztecs) word chilpoctli meaning “smoked chili.” It is a smoke-dried jalapeno (or chili) used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Mexican-American and Tex-Mex. This recipe calls for canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce and you can find them in the Latin aisle of most grocery stores. I get the ones made by Embasa, which look like this:

I don’t find Chipotle peppers to be overly spicy, but they can be depending on the amount you use. Chipotles have a rich smoky flavor which forms the basis of flavor for this dish and it is enhanced by the additional smokiness of the Adobo Sauce. If you don’t like any spice, just use the Adobo sauce, but I suggest you use at least one or two whole peppers to add flavor to your meat. By keeping the peppers whole, much of the spice remains in the pepper anyway and you will get wonderful flavor.

This recipe is really simple and can have many variations in how you serve it, but just remember the simplicity is what makes it so good.

What You Will Need

• 1.5-2 pounds chicken (I used thighs with skin when I made it because that is what we had, but you could use whatever!) Note: You can use more chicken for more servings or leftovers
• 1 medium to large sliced red onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Ground black peppercorns (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• 2 canned chipotle peppers (or to taste – I used the whole can) and Adobo Sauce
• 1 cup diced red onions
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (dry will not work for this recipe)
• Corn (or flour) tortillas

How to Make It

Generously season your chicken with the salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a crock pot. Add sliced onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce and enough water to just cover the chicken.

Cover crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high (until chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone).

Remove chicken from cooking liquid, and set aside until cool enough to handle. You can either choose to keep or remove the skin before shredding, depending on your personal preference. My husband likes the skin so I left it and in my serving, I ate the pieces with no skin to reduce some of my fat intake.

Shred chicken with a fork and place shredded pieces on a serving dish/plate.

Spoon some of the liquid from the crock pot (onions included!) over the shredded chicken.

Remove the peppers from the crock pot and chop, set aside to serve (if you want extra spice on your tacos)

Assemble Your Tacos

Grab a corn or flour tortilla and fill with chicken

Top with diced red onions, chopped chipotles and cilantro

Enjoy!

This recipe is really limitless in the possibilities so feel free to be creative with toppings and assembly, although the simplicity of it is part of what makes it delicious! The combination of sweet (from the red onions, tortillas), spicy (chipotles) and smoky (Adobo) is perfect just the way it is prepared  – fresh, simple and elegant just the way it is.

Going Paleo? Try making it with Cauliflower Tortillas instead, you can find a great recipe here from We can Begin to Feed.

Until the next mile marker,

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