Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Meat

By Kath Dedon

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We really enjoyed Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Meat last Sunday. It’s a great recipe to make when you’re home for the day. The recipe, from Elise Bauer on her Simply Recipes blog, recommends cooking the chicken thighs on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. It’s not the best recipe to leave for 8 – 10 hours while you’re at work. I find chicken does better with shorter cook times.

The “secret” ingredient is a 6-ounce can of pineapple juice. Elise says the juice adds a very subtle sweetness and makes the chicken extra-tender and easy to shred. You won’t taste the pineapple.

The recipe is super-easy. It took about 10 minutes to do the prep work. I started the slow cooker at noon and the chicken was ready to shred at 6:00. I used my new Cave Tools Metal Meat Claws to shred the meat right in the slow cooker. They made it incredibly easy! I can’t wait to try them out the next time I have a big family-size pork roast to shred!

Elise recommends making tacos garnished with shredded cabbage, radish slices, avocado and cilantro. Click here to see to see her beautiful photo of the finished tacos.

I decided to make taco salads instead. I just put a handful of shredded cabbage on each plate and topped it with some of the shredded chicken. Radishes, diced avocado and cilantro were the perfect garnishes. It was the perfect dinner on a beautiful, sunny and warm spring day!

Next time you have a day at home and want an easy meal for dinner, consider this Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Meat. Your house will smell terrific all afternoon and when it’s time to eat it will be simple to put together tacos or salads.

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Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Meat

(Adapted from Elise Bauer’s recipe on Simply Recipes)

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(print the recipe)

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Serves 6 – 8

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Spice rub:

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled in your hands

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon cayenne

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2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (do not remove excess fat)

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Sauce:

6 ounces (3/4 cup) pineapple juice

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 heaping teaspoon chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (optional – I added it because I had some leftover in the refrigerator.)

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For serving:

Shredded cabbage

Sliced radishes

Diced avocado

Cilantro

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1. Whisk the spice rub ingredients together in a large bowl.

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2. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and cover them on all sides with the rub.

3. Put the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and add the rest of the rub in the bowl to the slow cooker.

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4. Stir the tomato paste (and chipotle chile, if using) into the pineapple juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

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Pineapple juice, tomato paste, and chipotle chile stirred together

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5. Cook on low for 6 hours (or on high for 3 hours).

6. Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker with meat shredders or a couple of forks.

7. Serve over shredded cabbage, garnished with radishes, avocado, and cilantro.

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I’m really glad I bought these amazing meat shredders!

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