Shredded Chipotle Chicken being served

Shredded Chipotle Chicken

Shredded chipotle chicken is so juicy, flavorful, and versatile that it will go on your menu plan every week. It’s perfect for tacos, tostadas, or enchiladas and it’s only 6 ingredients.

Shredded Chipotle Chicken in dutch oven

I love making this chicken because it’s so easy – just dump everything into a dutch oven or slow cooker and then toss it into the oven until it’s done! It’s also possible to make it in the Instant Pot, but trust me when I say it works a lot better in the oven or slow cooker because of how thick the sauce gets.

It can easily be scaled up for a party, too. The first time I made it was actually for a taco bar! In the recipe card I call for 4 chicken breasts for 6-8 servings, but depending on how you use it, it can probably feed a lot more. When we make tacos or tostadas with it, it usually makes about 12 and sometimes even then we still have extra leftovers.

Shredded Chipotle Chicken taco

I’ve been known to just fill a bowl with this stuff, add some toppings to it, and call it a day, but if you’re feeling fancy, here are some ideas for how to use it:

  • Tacos
  • Tostadas
  • Enchiladas
  • Stuffed baked potato
  • Copycat crunch wrap supreme
  • Burritos
  • Taco salad
  • Taco chicken pizza (top a frozen cheese pizza with chicken, sliced black olives, and cheddar cheese and bake according to package directions, then if desired, top with diced tomatoes and crushed nacho cheese Doritos (or similar GF chip brand).
  • Lettuce cups/wraps

The possibilities are truly endless.

My favorite is on tostadas with befriend beans, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, all of the extra sharp cheddar cheese in the refrigerator, and some hot sauce right on top.

Shredded Chipotle Chicken being served

If you’re gluten-free you will need to check the ingredients on the tomato paste and chipotle peppers, like you would with anything. Most brands are gluten free, though. I use Orrington Farms chicken broth base which is gluten free, but Better than Bouillon is also excellent for those of you who are not gluten free.

Shredded Chipotle Chicken taco 2

Here’s the recipe!

Shredded Chipotle Chicken in dutch oven
4.91 from 11 votes
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Shredded Chipotle Chicken

Shredded Chipotle chicken is super juicy and flavorful, and perfect to add to tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, or anything else you can think of.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Author Sizzling Mess

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning one packet if using pre-mixed
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth base (Orrington Farms is gluten free)
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Place chicken breasts in a large dutch oven or other oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and top with chipotle peppers. Combine broth base, water, and tomato paste in a measuring cup and pour over chicken.

  3. Cover and bake for 1 and a half hours, or until internal temperature of chicken is at least 165 degrees F and it can be shredded easily with two forks.

  4. Shred the chicken carefully with two forks and add it back to the sauce, stir to combine and serve.

Recipe Notes

When shredding meat, the internal temperature will often be well above the recommended internal temperature for any meat type by the time it can be easily shredded. This is 100% fine and due to the cooking method and sauce, the chicken will not dry out.

SLOW COOKER INSRUCTIONS: Place all ingredients in a slow cooker following the directions in the recipe and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Chicken does well on the “keep warm” setting after it’s been shredded.


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Comments

30 responses to “Shredded Chipotle Chicken”

  1. Gloria Avatar

    5 stars
    What a great recipe. You can never go wrong with a great chicken dish. This would be great so many ways. Love the taco idea. I would use it in pasta dishes, salads…with eggs….in a wrap. The delicious possibilities are endless.

  2. Jacqueline Debono Avatar

    5 stars
    Love the fact that this shredded chicken can be used in so many ways! It looks delicious and I’m sure it tastes great!

  3. Stine Mari Avatar
    Stine Mari

    5 stars
    This looks so easy to make, and yet bursting of flavor. I love chipotle so much, this has to be a big hit!

  4. Chef Mireille Avatar

    5 stars
    perfect to stuff in tacos, enchiladas or burritos

  5. mydeliciousmeals Avatar

    Great recipe! So easy and delicious. Taco seasoning brings lots of flavor. I will try this one in my Instant Pot. Thanks for the idea!

  6. Daniela Avatar

    Chicken tinga, as I know this dish, is one of my favorite chicken dishes in the world because it’s just so versatile. I use the leftovers to top homemade nachos when I’m feeling a bit lazy and don’t want to make a “proper” dinner. 🙂

  7. aditi Avatar
    aditi

    5 stars
    I have bookmarked this recipe and probably trying it today itself.. looks so amazing

  8. Fred Nonterah Avatar
    Fred Nonterah

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing this recipe Sam, I a similar meal last Friday night in Sand Diego. Such a hearty looking meal!

  9. Linda | Brunch-n-Bites Avatar

    5 stars
    No-mess tasty recipe? I’m totally sold into this. Is it a freezer-friendly recipe too?

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      Yes! Definitely freezer friendly :). I would put it together uncooked, freeze, and then toss it into a crockpot in the morning – then dinner will be ready and waiting that night!

  10. Stephanie Avatar

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious! I would love to serve this as tacos!

  11. […] I wrote and photographed this recipe, I stuffed these with Monterey jack cheese and shredded chipotle chicken, but most of the time we just eat them with cheese! (Don’t tell anyone, but I just use […]

  12. Jens Avatar
    Jens

    Excellent recipe, right up until “taco seasoning”. Why not call out the herbs and spices since there are many places where “taco seasoning” does not exist.

    Where it does exist, it usually includes sugar, fillers, and too much salt, and if you figure out what it costs per pound, you will be mortified.

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      The taco seasoning blend I use doesn’t contain salt, sugar, or fillers. You can use any brand you want or make your own!

  13. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I had been waiting until the right time to try this recipe. I am not a good cook, nothing I make ever seems to turn out edible, but this was amazing! Probably because you put all the ingredients in and leave it alone. Fantastic! thank you so much for this recipe, its going in the list of things I can make for meal plans also.

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      Yay! I’m so glad you like it, it’s one of our staples for sure, it’s just so easy!

  14. Michael Riggs Avatar
    Michael Riggs

    What size can of paste?

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      6 oz

  15. Jake Avatar
    Jake

    What size chicken breasts also?

  16. Cass Avatar
    Cass

    4 stars
    When it was done the adobo sauce and chilis smelled strooonnggg and I was afraid it’d be lethal-spicy, but it wasn’t bad 🙂 definitely keep a Kleenex close lol

  17. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    This recipe is delicious. It’s very simple to do in a slow cooker and seems like it would be fairly low in calories. Do you have a calorie count for just the recipe (no add ons)?

  18. Lynn Avatar

    5 stars
    We made this for a taco bar and it was delicious. We used the leftovers the next night to make burritos. Delicious and easy recipe!!

  19. Martha Avatar
    Martha

    Do you chop the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce before adding, or do they essentially disintegrate while cooking?

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      They essentially disintegrate while cooking, but if there are still big pieces left I just shred them with the chicken at the end!

  20. Amber Avatar
    Amber

    Do you chop the 3 peppers, or just whole?

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      I toss them in whole and then shred them with the chicken at the end if they don’t fall apart on their own!

  21. Kelsy Avatar
    Kelsy

    Can I double this recipe? Will the Dutch oven time increase?

    1. Sizzling Mess Avatar
      Sizzling Mess

      You can definitely double the recipe! The cooking time may increase a bit if your Dutch oven is really full but I would just check it every 20-30 minutes after the listed time and take it out when the internal temp of the chicken reaches 165F.

  22. Angelica Vasquez Avatar
    Angelica Vasquez

    5 stars
    I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE this recipe! I use it to make tostadas and OMG! Im not one to normally leave reviews but YASSSSSS! Thank you so much!

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