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Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos Recipe

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos recipe is loaded with spicy juicy shredded chicken. This hands-off recipe takes the guesswork out of what’s for dinner!

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Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos take the guesswork out of what's for dinner. Everyone will love this simple yet delicious recipe | HostessAtHeart.com

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos start with a simple paste that infuses into a delicious juicy shredded chicken taco recipe with a kick!

I don’t use a crockpot nearly as much as I should. It’s an easy way to plan dinner when you don’t have a lot of hands-on time. That isn’t the only reason, it’s a great way to infuse flavors.

The only tacos that I knew how to make were with ground beef seasoned with a spice packet called taco seasoning. I

t was a quick meal and we loved them. That is until we had a taste of what Chipotle Chicken Tacos tasted like.

We loved going out and trying other Mexican dishes. At the time we had no clue what was in them. So when I started making a lot of our own crockpot shredded chicken tacos at home, we wanted a flavorful spice combination.

We wanted to infuse the meat with flavor, not boil it. This chipotle taco recipe was the way to go!

I had a few questions regarding chipotle taco seasoning options:

What is Chipotle? Chipotle is a jalapeno pepper that has been smoked. The Aztecs found that the jalapeno doesn’t dry as well as other peppers because of its thicker walls so they smoked them as a way to preserve them.
Is Chipotle spicier than a jalapeno? Generally yes because Chipotle is made using a red, fully ripened jalapeno.
What is adobo? Adobo can have separate meanings. We’re referring to the spicy sauce that’s intensely red due to paprika. This chipotle marinated in this sauce is called Chipotle in Adobe sauce and is what’s used here.

This Chipotle Chicken Taco recipe is spicy enough for my tastes.

That isn’t the case with John. I swear he has a cast-iron stomach. The heat in these tacos comes from Chipotle Chilies in Adobo. The heat can be adjusted according to your tastes.

three chipotle chicken tacos with a pile of lime slices

How do you make the chipotle paste for this Easy Chicken Taco Crock Pot recipe?

Combine Chipotle peppers with spices, onion, and cilantro and then blend into a paste using a blender or food processor.

The can of Chipotle in Adobe sauce contains about 12 chipotle peppers. This chipotle tacos recipe uses 3 chilis in the shredded chicken taco meat.

When we make the Chipotle paste, we’ll double it and freeze what we don’t use so the rest of the can doesn’t go to waste.

It also speeds up the time it takes the next time we want to make these tacos.

We’ll put some in the refrigerator so ole cast-iron stomach can smear more on his Shredded Chicken Tacos.

Pro tips:

  • If you like using avocado in tacos or sandwiches, mash them into a spread. I find that it helps keep all of your goodies in the taco shell or sandwich. Sliced avocado tends to slide right out taking the remaining ingredients with it.
  • Cut the carbs and pice it on a taco salad!
  • Using slow-cooker shredded chicken makes meal prep easy on a busy day. And, it will not heat up the kitchen making it perfect for a summer day.
  • Shredded chicken recipes can feed a crowd so are perfect for entertaining. Set up a taco bar!

We still love a good ground beef taco but no longer use that little packet of seasoning. Our Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe is so much better and we always have a big jar of it mixed up.

Garnishes for Chipotle Chicken Tacos:

  • Diced Tomato
  • Green onion (mild compared to some other varieties)
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Shredded cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cabbage or lettuce

You may need:

  • Mini Food Processor – I use a little powerhouse for chopping and blending smaller quantities so I don’t have to use my much bigger and heavier food processor.
  • Boxed Grater – I grate my own cabbage, lettuce, and cheese. The convenience packages of cheese have non-clumping ingredients and everything tastes so much fresher when you do it yourself. It doesn’t add that much time.
These spicy chipotle tacos are stuffed with shredded chicken, avocado, tomatoes and cabbage

What to serve with Shredded Chicken Tacos

If you like this recipe, here are a few more you may enjoy

What is your favorite taco recipe? We do love a great taco so please share!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Three tacos filled with shredded chipotle chicken cabbage avocado & tomatoes

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini
Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos recipe is loaded with spicy juicy shredded chicken.  This hands-off recipe takes the guesswork out of what's for dinner!
4.95 from 17 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Chicken, Main
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword: Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Servings: 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs chicken breasts skinless and boneless
  • 1 cup chicken broth or water
  • 6 Taco shells

Chipotle Paste

  • 3 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo
  • 3 tbsp olive oil vegetable or canola is fine too
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp diced onion
  • 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro I use the stems for the paste and the leaves for garnish
  • 1 tbsp chile powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Zest of one lime optional

Suggested Garnishes

  • Shredded cabbage or lettuce avocado, cheese, green onion, tomatoes, lime and cilantro

Instructions
 

  • Add chicken to the crockpot
  • Combine paste ingredients and process in a blender or food processor until thick paste forms.
  • Mix the paste with the chicken.
  • Pour chicken broth (or water) over the chicken
  • Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or up to 8 hours on low. Shred chicken with two forks. Allow the shredded chicken to sit in the liquid until the liquid is absorbed.
  • Serve with taco garnishes of your choice.

Notes

I actually mash the avocado and add diced tomatoes, green onion, cilantro and a bit of salt. It helps keep all of the goodies in the taco.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 33gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 916mgPotassium: 661mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 845IUVitamin C: 2.5mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1.7mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos Recipe
Recipe Rating




Lisa B

Friday 18th of November 2022

My family loved this chicken. I used canned chipotle adoba peppers and Italian oregano. It was delicious. You won’t use an entire can of peppers. The remaining can be frozen. I’ll be making this again soon.

Julie Menghini

Friday 18th of November 2022

Thank you, Lisa! I'm so glad it worked for you. You can freeze the rest of the peppers.

Suzanne

Friday 10th of January 2020

This was so delicious! I want to make these tacos every week.

Julie Menghini

Friday 10th of January 2020

Thank you, Suzanne! You're so sweet to let me know that you liked them!

Al

Monday 21st of January 2019

Tacos were out of sight

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 22nd of January 2019

Thank you Al! This is one of my favorite recipes too! I appreciate you leaving me a note letting me know that you tried them.

Yum !

Tuesday 12th of June 2018

I really enjoyed this recipe. I made a couple of small changes to make it spicier, but otherwise I thought it was fab !

Julie Menghini

Thursday 14th of June 2018

Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and great rating!

Deanna

Tuesday 17th of April 2018

This CROCKPOT CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACOS is so perfect for taco tuesday!!!! YUM!

Julie Menghini

Monday 23rd of April 2018

Thank you, Deanna!

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