March 28, 2024

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Meat

The “secret sauce” of this shredded chicken recipe is the addition of pineapple juice. Not only does pineapple juice add sweetness (needed for balance of flavors), it helps tenderize the chicken, making it even easier to shred. Pineapple is the essential ingredient in “tacos al pastor”, it works great with this shredded chicken.

Finally, it always helps to have an endorsement from an unsuspecting guest. My father dropped by for a taste and declared that it was excellent pulled pork. When I pointed out that it was indeed chicken, he couldn’t have been more surprised!

We’re using boneless chicken thighs because they’re easier to shred, and you don’t end up with stray bits of hard cartilage in your shredded chicken. If you use bone-in chicken thighs, increase the amount by 1/4 pound and once the meat is done, cut awaythe bones before shredding the meat.

I recommend not removing the excess fat that comes with skinless chicken thighs. You’ll need it to help keep the chicken from drying out and to help make it more flavorful. Please do use skinless thighs, otherwise you’ll have way too much fat.

If the shredded chicken is a bit liquidy, don’t worry. The chicken will absorb back more of the liquid as it sits, especially if you make ahead and chill.

Ingredients

The rub:

  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2teaspoonsdriedoregano, crumbled fine between your hands
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice (can sub a scant pinch of ground cloves)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional, add more or less depending on how much heat you want)

The chicken:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (do not remove excess fat)
  • 6 ounces (3/4 cup) pineapple juice
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste

The rest:

  • Corn tortillas
  • Finely shredded cabbage
  • Thinly sliced radishes
  • Chopped avocado
  • Cilantro
  • Lime wedges
Method

1 Coat chicken with rub, place in slow cooker:Whisk the rub ingredients together in a bowl. Dredge the boneless skinless chicken thighsin the rub. Place the chicken thighs in a slow cooker.

2 Add pineapple juice, tomato paste:Pour the pineapple juice over the chicken. Add the tomato paste to the juice.

3 Cover and slow cook:Cover and cook in theslow cooker for 3 hours on high settingor 6 hours on low.

4 Shred chicken meat with forks:When the chicken is done, it should be fork tender. Use two forks to shred the meat completely in the slow cooker bowl.

Use the taco meat with heated and softened corn tortillas, sprinkle with lime juice, adding garnishes of finely shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes, avocado, and cilantro.

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