Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

A great family friendly dinner option, Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken can be served so many different ways. Try this gently spiced shredded chicken with rice, as a taco filling, piled on nachos or loaded on a baked jacket potato.

This easy Mexican Chicken stew is a great mid week family meal. Cooked low and slow in the Crock Pot, it is a great option for busy households. Dump everything in the slow cooker in the morning and dinner will be ready and waiting for you. I like to chop the veggies the night before to save myself even more time.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken

This recipe is purposefully a mild Chipotle Chicken, using just a tablespoon of Chipotle paste, but you can add extra spice to taste. Either add a few dashes of your favourite hot sauce or a sprinkle of cayenne, chilli powder or red pepper flakes. You can also increase the amount of chipotle paste you use. 

I always have a bottle of hot sauce on the table so everyone can adjust the heat to their own taste. This is a great tip if you are serving small kids too. 

Ingredients

Full ingredients list with quantities is included in the recipe card below. These are some notes about the main ingredients including some swaps and substitutes where applicable.

Chicken – 3 breasts or about 600 grams. I am using chicken breast in the recipe but thighs also work well. If you want to use thighs I recommend skinless, boneless thighs and brown them in a pan first. 

Bell peppers and red onion – red or yellow peppers work but I avoid green peppers as they can become bitter when slow cooked. You can swap the red onion for a white onion if you prefer. I like to thinly slice but you can also dice.

Carrots – optional but they go well with the other ingredients and are a good way to add an extra vegetable.

Tinned/Canned tomatoes – I love Cirio.

Chicken stock cube – or use 2 tsp chicken bouillon. 

Kidney beans and black beans – these can be swapped for just one or the other, or try other beans like black eye, navy or pinto beans.

Corn – tinned or frozen (no need to defrost).

Chipotle Paste – I like Gran Luchito Chipotle Paste. It is labelled as ‘Hot’ but I find one tablespoon gives a nice gentle heat and good smoky flavour. If you prefer more heat, absolutely increase the amount. I am based in the UK and have found Chipotle Paste stocked in most large supermarkets, or it is easily available online. If you don’t have chipotle paste you can use about a teaspoon of smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne to emulate the smokiness of the Chipotle.

Paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic – dried spices for additional flavour. I use regular or sweet paprika but you can use smoked paprika if you prefer for a more intense flavour.

Brown Sugar – balances out the acidity from the tomatoes. It is optional but recommended. You can replace with honey.

Slow Cooker Chicken

I like to cook the chicken breast whole in the slow cooker then shred as I prefer this texture and think it holds up better when reheated, especially after being frozen.

You do not need to brown the chicken breast first, just add them whole to the slow cooker. I recommend whole breasts over cut pieces as these can become easily overcooked in the crock pot.

I usually make this recipe in my Ninja Foodi 9in1 which has a great slow cooker setting. My kitchen is pretty small and I do not have a lot of counter space for separate appliances so a multi-cooker is really useful. However a regular slow cooker or Crock Pot is also perfect for cooking Mexican Chicken.

Serving Suggestions

I love slow cooker Mexican Chicken for meal prep as it is so versatile. I like to freeze batches and serve it differently each time to keep it interesting. This is also a great tip for busy families so nobody gets bored of the same dinners week on week.

A ‘toppings bar’ is also a great idea for serving Mexican chicken stew. Prepare bowls of shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips for everyone to load their stew as they like. Additional adds ins could include guacamole, pickled onions, pickled jalapeños, chilli or red pepper flakes, or other cheese like queso Fresca, feta or pepper jack. 

My family loves Chipotle chicken and bean stew with rice but it goes well with quinoa, mashed potato (or mashed sweet potato) and even pasta. Or you could use it as a filling for tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas or baked potatoes.

Storing

Store prepared Mexican Chicken in the fridge for up to three days.

Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge overnight.

For best results, reheat in a pan on the stove with a splash of water, stirring occasionally, until piping hot. Or reheat in the microwave.

More Family Friendly Chicken Dinners:

• Chicken and Cauliflower Traybake
• Chicken and Chorizo Stew
• Chicken and Sweetcorn Gratin
• Lemon Chicken Traybake