Looking for an easy dinner? Grab your crockpot and dig into this versatile Mexican Shredded Chicken!
Healthy dinners that are simple and easy-to-make are great. I love this recipe because I just have to throw all of the ingredients into a slow cooker, stir, and walk away. The slow cooker makes a delicious meal for my family while I’m busy doing other things.
Once the slow cooker is done, simply spoon chicken mixture over plain brown rice or cilantro-lime rice. Top with cilantro-lime sauce if desired. Yummy!
Mexican Shredded Chicken
This delicious, healthy slow cooker recipe is as easy as it is versatile. This flavor-packed chicken is perfect for burrito bowls, lettuce wraps, or over a bed of flavorful cilantro-lime rice.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cans 10-oz. Rotel fire-roasted diced
- 1 can tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
- 2 cans 15-oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 jalapeno pepper, small; finely diced
- 1½ Tbsp. hickory-flavored liquid smoke
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 limes, quartered
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Unroll and add chicken thighs to bottom of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock.
- Top with tomatoes, black beans, garlic, jalapeno pepper, liquid smoke, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Stir to combine, making sure the chicken thighs are coated and submerged in the liquid.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- 30 minutes before done cooking, remove lid and shred chicken while in the slow cooker with two forks. Stir to combine shredded chicken with other ingredients.
- Cover and cook for remaining 30 minutes to allow chicken to absorb the flavors.
- Remove lid and squeeze fresh lime juice into the crock. Add cilantro and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
- To serve, spoon chicken mixture over plain brown rice or cilantro-lime rice. Top with cilantro-lime sauce if desired. Serve with remaining lime wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Don’t skip the squeeze of fresh lime juice after cooking! It really brightens the
flavors and pulls them all together.