Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos
Updated February 21, 2019
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Total Time
- 3 to 5 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 4 chipotles from a can of chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lime
Warmed tortillas, for serving
Pickled onion, for serving (see Tip)
Sliced or cubed avocado, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
46 grams carbs; 160 milligrams cholesterol; 477 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1032 milligrams sodium; 42 grams protein; 17 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the chicken, honey, onion and garlic powders, cumin, salt and chipotle chiles and adobo sauce in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir well. Cook for at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours on low. If it’s more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 5 hours. The dish will hold on warm for about another 3 hours before the chicken starts to become quite dry.
- Step 2
Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken in the sauce. Stir in the black beans and lime juice. Cover and let the beans warm through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if necessary. Serve in tortillas with pickled onion and avocado.
To make quick-pickled onions, thinly slice a red onion and put the slices in a bowl or container. Bring about 1½ cups cider or white vinegar to a boil, and add about 3 heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a big pinch of salt to dissolve. You can also add a pinch of red-pepper flakes, a bay leaf or some dried oregano, if you like. Pour the hot vinegar over the onions and let them cool. They’re ready to use right away, and can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Private Notes
Comments
I made my own adobe sauce, and wanted to share this in case it helps anyone! I mixed 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder*, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of oregano, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. **Since I did not have chipotle powder on hand, I did 1 tsp of paprika and 1 tsp of cayenne. If you want less heat, you could scale back to a 1/2 tsp of each spice.
For dutch oven equivalent I use 200 degree oven for low and 300 for high. So bake about 3 hours at 300, 4 hours at 250 or or 5 hours at 200. I usually stir every once in a while, add liquid if it gets too dry, and turn temp up or down depending on how fast it looks like it's getting done and my schedule.
I used 4 chicken breasts instead of the thighs and they turned out fantastic.
Cooked as written. Doubled the recipe. Used four chipotles for three pounds of chicken. Easily could have gone with more peppers. Added a fair amount of salt at the end to boost flavors. Lime, guacamole and pickled onions elevated this into five-star category. This is a winner for hot days when you can’t bear being in the kitchen. Froze half to use for later.
I had a grocery store rotisserie chicken and I shredded all but one breast. I made the sauce and thinned it with some chicken stock then cooked it till it thickened. I added the chicken, beans and lime juice. No salt. Really good on soft flour tortillas but we also tried it on small yellow corn tortillas with cheddar cheese. Yummy! Thanks!
Not sure why, but I found this incredibly salty. Not my cup of tea I guess. The recipe is too simple for me to completely mess up!