Don’t worry about dinner tonight! This Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken is so easy to make it pretty much takes care of itself. And can be frozen as part of meal prepping as well. We love making taco bowls with it along with quesadillas as well. It’s super versatile and only takes a few minutes of prep work and the slow cooker does the rest!
Mexican food always sounds good to me, and I particularly love the flavor of smoky chipotle added into as many dishes as possible. It’s one of those flavors that simply never gets old. And maybe that’s because it’s so multidimensional, being simultaneously smoky/spicy/earthy/with a hint of sweetness hanging out there in the background.
This recipe is another super easy recipe along the lines of my Salsa Chicken or Salsa Beef which are pretty much the easiest slow cooker recipes ever. You basically place the meat in the slow cooker, top it with salsa, punch in the cooking time, and walk away.
And while I’m still rather fond of this method, I thought it might be time to shake things up a bit. So I still kept things simple with just a few ingredients in this recipe. And this means it’s so easy, I can have this in the slow cooker in just 10 minutes flat!
I thought about going all out with fresh onions and garlic for a minute before realizing that no one including myself really wants to have to sauté onions before putting them into the slow cooker.
That’s my biggest pet peeve about slow cooker recipes is that you have to cook half the recipe before placing them into the slow cooker to cook them some more. This seems like too much work and too many dishes for an extra easy meal to me. And why get the stove top dirty if you don’t have to?!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken – this recipe calls for chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. They don’t take quite as long to cook, so I would start checking the slow cooker after about 4-5 hours on low.
- Tomato paste – makes up the base of the sauce for this recipe which is flavored with the spices below.
- Chicken stock – is to go along with the tomato paste for the base of the sauce. It also provides the right amount of liquid for super juicy shredded chicken.
- Spices – as mentioned above, to make this recipe extra easy there are no fresh ingredients here, so the spices are key for flavor! I use a combination of onion & garlic granules along with cumin, chipotle powder, and some sea salt. You can add some of the salt at the beginning of the cooking time, then season to taste at the end to make sure it’s the perfect amount for you!
- Honey – or maple syrup is just the right touch of sweetness that compliments the chipotle flavors so well. But if you can’t have any kind of sugar, it can be left out as well.
Now let’s make this Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken step by step
Step 1: measure out all of the ingredients listed in the recipe.
Step 2: add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. And as mentioned above you don’t have to add the salt at this time, you can season to taste at the end of the cooking time.
Step 3: mix together all of the ingredients you added to form a thick sauce.
You might find a whisk helpful here, but a spatula will work as well.
Step 4: add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker bowl.
Step 5: Turn the chicken to evenly coat it in the sauce.
Set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Tip: You may find your chicken cooks faster than the listed time. This is because the size of chicken breasts varies a lot. I’ve found it’s best to start checking around the 6 hour mark when you’re cooking on low.
Step 6: When the chicken is done, pull it apart into shreds with 2 forks.
Stir the chicken into the sauce and serve!
FAQ’s
It’s easy to tell if your chicken is done by trying to shred it. If it resists shredding it needs to cook some more. If it comes apart easily, you’re ready to go!
Yes, just omit the chipotle chili powder and use 1 + tablespoon chipotle in adobo to your taste.
More Slow Cooker Recipe Inspiration
- Slow Cooker Chinese 5 Spice Pulled Pork
- Crockpot Salsa Beef
- Slow Cooker Honey Lime Teriyaki Chicken
- Crockpot Sweet Potato Chili
- Crockpot Rosemary Chicken with Butternut Squash
You can serve this chipotle chicken as part of anything Mexican you’d like. It’s great in Taco Bowls or as a filling in enchiladas or quesadillas. And weirdly enough it’s great over a bed of greens with a side of guacamole and salsa for a salad dressing.
You can also use the recipes below to serve this chipotle chicken
- In place of the shrimp in these, Chipotle Rubbed Shrimp Tacos for chipotle chicken tacos.
- Subbed in for the Ancho Chicken in these Taco Bowls or make burrito bowls.
- Instead of the salmon in these Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps.
- To Store – place any leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Reheat – in a small skillet/pan over medium heat stirring until warmed through.
- To Freeze – place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat.
I hope you enjoy this chipotle chicken as much as we have! It’s been a long-time favorite, and you’ll almost always find a package in my freezer for those ‘just in case I’m really frantic days!’.
And if you’re looking for some more easy slow cooker dinners, definitely let me know below what you’d like to see! And If you do make this, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below, I always love hearing from you here.
Print
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This chipotle chicken has been a long time favorite that I often meal prep just to have it handy in the freezer!
Ingredients
2 teaspoons ground chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt, or to your taste at the end of the cooking time
2 tablespoons honey
1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste, 10 Tablespoons
1 cup chicken stock, or water
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 pounds
Optional: chopped fresh cilantro to sprinkle on top and lime wedges/ lime juice
Instructions
Whisk together the spices, sea salt if using, honey, and tomato paste in a slow cooker. Whisk in a small amount of chicken stock at a time until the mixture isn’t quite as thick before adding the rest of the chicken stock. Whisk until completely combined.
Place the chicken breasts into the tomato/spice mixture and turn to coat both sides.
Top the slow cooker with the lid and set the program for 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat.
When the cooking time is done, use two forks to pull apart the meat into shreds.
Serve immediately with your choice of sides. Rice/cauliflower rice are great along with taco toppings, like tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and grated cheese.
Otherwise if you’re not using some/all of the chipotle chicken right away, cool the meat completely in the refrigerator before packaging it into containers for the freezer.
Freeze and use within 3 months. To defrost the meat, get the container out of the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator to thaw over the next 24 hours.
Notes
If your chicken breasts are on the small side, (less than 8 ounces) start checking them for doneness at around the 6 hour mark if cooking on low heat.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Chipotle Chicken, Chipotle Shredded Chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, Crockpot Chipotle Chicken
This recipe was originally published in 2016 but has been updated with more information, tips, nutritional info, and new photos.
This chicken is incredible!! Will absolutely be making it all the time. It’s a keeper for sure!!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it and that it’s become a new favorite!
This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly. All of your tips and suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed and found the tips useful, that’s definitely the best compliment!
Delicious & easy…like to eat with some low sodium tortilla chips & sour cream yuuuuuummmm.
★★★★★
That sounds absolutely delicious, and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This recipe turned out AMAZING!! The only change I made was opening a can of jalapeños in vinegar and adding a splash of it to the mixture and a few sliced jalapeños to give it some heat. I put the chicken in quesadillas and everyone was asking for seconds. This is going in the regular rotation for sure!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed it! Both the jalapeno addition and the quesadillas sound amazing, thanks so much for writing with what you did, I always love the extra ideas!
Make this every week for work lunches!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this one, it is one of my favorites to meal prep ahead and super tasty in lunches!
My son gave this chicken a 4.8* review. He likes to leave room for improvement. 😉 Seriously, it was easy, he likes it, it’s going to make excellent burrito bowls later. I added a jalapeno (bc we needed to use or lose), a can of rinsed black beans, and a little extra honey to offset the jalapeno. It was ready too early, but I would definitely make it again! Thanks!
★★★★★
I like his style, there’s always room for improvement but I also appreciate the star rating, they help so much! Also thanks so much for writing with your variations, it always helps others and gets me inspired to try something new with this recipe too!
Absolutely delicious and so easy!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
I had already made gazpacho for tonight and …. what a great idea .. used the tomato, onion and spice slurry to oven bake boneless chicken thighs and serve over quinoa with sliced avocado on the side. Thanks for the idea!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Kari,
Super excited to try this one out! I’m making it for 6 people tomorrow. How many chicken breasts should I use? Thanks!
I usually figure on 4-6 ounces per person, but you may need more or less depending on the appetites of who you’re feeding and what you serve this with. I sure hope you enjoy it, and be sure and let me know how it goes, or if you have anymore questions!
A new family favorite in my house! Making it today for the 3rd time! It’s so easy and taste great!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it and even that it’s become a favorite! 🙂
In your picture of your ingredients there is something white that looks like mayo or something, but is not in the ingredients.. If you could clarify for me. looks amazing.
The something white you see in the photos is the honey, it just isn’t clear like honey often is because it’s a local unfiltered honey I picked up at Farmer’s Market. I hope this clears things up, but be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions, and I sure hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Kari,
I have not tried your recipe yet, but plan to do so in the next day or so. I modified it somewhat to meet my dietary needs. I would be happy to share with you after I test it a few times.
I wanted to mention there is a Cusinart Slow Cooker that allows you to sauté and then you can flip to slow cook mode when needed. It is on Amazon.
Take care and thanks for your recipe and website.
Best,
John
Thanks so much for letting me know, a sauté feature would be really nice! I sure hope you enjoy the recipe and let me know how it goes!
This looks delicious! Really delicious and I need to try this out. I’m not usually a big chicken fan but I reckon this is time to get back to it.
★★★★★
I sure hope you enjoy it, and I’ve often done all of my chicken recipes with ground beef in a slow cooker, works like a charm!
There is just something about slow cooker chicken recipes that I can’t get enough of! Really delicious!
★★★★★
Me too, they make dinners so easy!
This is so perfect! Full of flavor and so versatile, too!
★★★★★
Thank you!
Mmmmmmm….. I made this yesterday, and it was sooooo good. Thanks for a yummy easy recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!