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5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

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Only five ingredients are required for this flavorful (and versatile!) slow cooker chipotle chicken! Use it as a filling for enchiladas, quesadillas, or tacos. It’s simple, tasty, and full of flavor!

5 simple ingredients + a slow cooker make for a flavorful and very versatile shredded chicken. This 5 ingredient slow cooker chipotle chicken can be used for enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, nachos, salads, and quesadillas.

There are few things more satisfying than throwing a bunch of ingredients into a slow cooker, turning it on, and having dinner a few hours later. Or in this case, a base for a bunch of different dinner options!

I like to make a big batch of this tasty chicken and then have it on hand for al sorts of meals. The shredded chicken also freezes well to have for quick meals later on!

5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

Grab a blender or food processor to make the sauce. Toss in garlic, lime juice, chicken broth, chipotle peppers, and a hearty pinch of salt and pepper. Blend it up until it’s smooth and then pour it over the chicken in your slow cooker. Cook the chicken on low heat for about 4 hours, or until it’s tender and you can shred it.

If you want to be a little extra, you could sear your chicken before putting it into the slow cooker. I find this step to add more depth of flavor and keep the chicken juicier. However, it’s not necessary and I’m often too lazy to do it. If you go this route, season the chicken well with salt and pepper and then just sear it in a hot sauté pan until you get some color on each side.

Once your chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks or pop it in a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to shred it for you! It only takes seconds this way and I love the texture it gives – just don’t overdo it. Toss the shredded back into the sauce and you’re ready to build your dinner.

The options are endless. You can serve:

  1. Enchiladas: stuff the chicken into corn tortillas with cheese and cover with a quick homemade ranchero sauce. Yum!
  2. Tacos: a no brainer for chipotle chicken! Grab your favorite taco shells and top ’em however you like.
  3. Burrito bowls: cook up some rice, top with chicken, your favorite salsas, maybe some beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole… you get the point!
  4. Salads: perfect for meal prep! Pile the chicken over a bed of lettuce and your favorite toppings. I’d go with corn, black beans, cheese, sliced bell peppers, corn chips, and plenty of cilantro. A zippy lime vinaigrette or southwest style ranch dressing would make a perfect finisher!
  5. Tostadas: my personal favorite option. Top crisp tostada shells with the chicken and cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. Then top however you like!

I hope you enjoy this chicken as much as I do!

Print
5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
 

Only five ingredients are required for this flavorful (and versatile!) slow cooker chipotle chicken! Use it as a filling for enchiladas, quesadillas, or tacos. It's simple, tasty, and full of flavor!

Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, peeled
  • 1 Lime, juiced
  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth
  • 6 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 ½ – 3 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts*
Instructions
  1. Combine the garlic, lime juice, chicken broth, chipotle peppers, and a hearty pinch of salt and pepper into a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Add the chicken and sauce to slow cooker and set to low for 4 hours.
  3. Once the chicken is cooked and tender, shred with 2 forks or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  4. Enjoy your chicken in tacos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, etc. See the post for ideas!
Recipe Notes

Chicken Thighs

Boneless skinless thighs may also be used. Cook for 5-6 hours on low.

 

Rotisserie Chicken

If you’re really short on time, you can grab 2 rotisserie chickens, shred them, and toss them in pot with the blended sauce until everything is warmed through.

 

InstantPot

I tested this recipe in the InstantPot and I wasn’t thrilled with the texture and flavor of the chicken. I personally don’t enjoy chicken breasts cooked in the InstantPot so I highly recommend using thighs if you want to use this method. Combine the sauce and boneless skinless thighs in the InstantPot, cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and do a 5 minute natural release. The InstantPot will take around 20 minutes to come to pressure, so plan for about 35 minutes using this method.

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Lovely comments

  3. Oh man, I hate when something doesn’t work out and you’re left with nothing for dinner! And even worse that happened on the night you wrote this post! I’m really excited about this shredded chicken recipe though! I’m always looking for easy dinners, especially in the summer, and you can’t beat rotisserie chicken, though it can get a little boring when it’s plain. Love how you spiced it up, I’m totally going to try this!
    Maya @ Treats and Eats recently posted…Cornmeal PancakesMy Profile

    Reply

    • I’m obsessed with rotisserie chickens – I buy one every week from Costco! I love adding different flavors to it and this one is by far my favorite! Thanks Maya!

      Reply

  5. Loving this, Keri! ONLY 5 ingredients to obtain delicious, tender shredded chipotle chicken? I am SO in! I love that this is versatile and I can imagine using this in a TON of dishes (<– if i don't eat it all with a serving fork first!) Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend!
    P.S- so sorry about your zoodle dish discovery FAIL! And the popcorn situation. Man, that stinks!

    Reply

    • Thanks Cheyanne! I made this with the intention of making a ton of different dishes and I ended up only making one – the rest was eaten with a fork or thrown on my salads! I ran out to get more stuff to make it again this week haha!

      Reply

  27. It is a great recipe for chickens lover.

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