Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated February 21, 2019

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
3 to 5 hours
Rating
5(15,407)
Comments
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These may be the easiest tacos you ever make, but you’d never know it. The recipe hinges on just two ingredients: canned chipotles and honey, which slowly caramelize together for a glossy and incredibly tasty sauce. You may hesitate because there's so little liquid in the slow cooker with the chicken, but don't worry. That's how it's supposed to be. It allows the sauce to get a little sticky, which is exactly what you want. (Get the pressure cooker version of this recipe here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 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

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

40 grams carbs; 160 milligrams cholesterol; 407 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 890 milligrams sodium; 41 grams protein; 16 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.

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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Tip

  • 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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
15,407 user ratings
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Comments

ES

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.

Meg

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.

Colleen

I used 4 chicken breasts instead of the thighs and they turned out fantastic.

LW

Fabulous recipe! I have now made it three times for family and friends. I use the full amount of chipotle peppers and it's not too hot even for those who like milder tastes.

Elle P

Great recipe, so reliable. I do it with chicken breasts and add 1 tsp more adobo sauce. I also cut the peppers back (only use 2 and remove seeds) to make it less spicy for young kids.

KatA

My family loved this. However, it was a bit sweeter than I anticipated, but the pickled onions helped offset the sweetness. So, don't skip the onions!

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