Photo of Slow cooker chicken tinga tacos by WW

Slow cooker chicken tinga tacos

6
Points®
Total Time
4 hr 25 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
4 hr 5 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts slow cook to shreddable tenderness in a spicy, smoky, chipotle-spiked sauce. It’s just enough sauce to coat the shredded chicken so that it’s not swimming in excess liquid. As the chicken cooks in the slow cooker, you’ll make pickled red onions for the tacos. They’re beautifully jewel-like and incredibly easy to prepare.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Uncooked onion

1 medium, white or yellow, thinly sliced

Garlic

5 clove(s), minced

Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast

2 pound(s)

No-salt-added canned tomato sauce

8 oz

Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 Tbsp, chopped

Kosher salt

1¼ tsp, divided

Ground cumin

1 tsp

Dried oregano

¾ tsp

Smoked paprika

½ tsp

Bay leaf

2 leaf/leaves

Cider vinegar

¾ cup(s)

Red onion

1½ cup(s), sliced, vertically sliced

Avocado

1 medium, sliced

Cotija cheese

½ cup(s), crumbled

Cilantro

½ cup(s), sprigs (optional)

Corn tortilla

16 tortilla(s), medium

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the white or yellow onion and garlic; sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Spoon the onion mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with the chicken.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, chipotle, 1 tsp salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, and bay leaves. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook on Low until the chicken is tender, 3 to 4 hours.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and ¾ cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Add the red onion and return the liquid to a boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and let stand until the mixture cools to room temperature. Drain the onions and place in a bowl; stir in the remaining ¼ tsp salt.
  4. When the chicken is tender, shred the meat in the slow cooker, stirring it with the sauce to combine. Divide the chicken, pickled onions, avocado, cheese, and cilantro evenly over the tortillas.
  5. Serving size: 2 tacos