This super quick and easy Mexican shredded chicken is loaded with savory flavors and perfect for busy weeknights or any time when you are short on time and need a healthy dinner for your family with minimum effort! It is super delicious, and you can use it in so many different things!
I love to use this easy shredded Mexican chicken in corn tortilla shells topped with delicious cilantro, onion, and a bit of lime juice and cotija cheese! However, you can also use it to make tons of other recipes because it is super versatile!
Easy Shredded Mexican Chicken Recipe YouTube Video
What Will I Need To Make This Easy-Shredded Mexican Chicken?
Luckily, you don’t need a lot to make this delicious, easy-shredded Mexican chicken, and you probably already have most of it on hand.
Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes – The fire-roasted diced tomatoes are the base of your sauce and will help keep your chicken moist as it cooks. If you only have regular diced tomatoes on hand, that is ok, but it won’t have that delicious smokey flavor that the fire-roasted variety has.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce – These chipotle peppers in Adobe are the star of this easy Mexican shredded chicken recipe and are where most of the flavor comes from. How many peppers you should use depends entirely on your heat level preference. If you prefer mild heat, I recommend sticking to only two peppers. However, if you are a huge spicy fan like I am, you can add 5!
Minced Garlic – Garlic is used in many dishes and helps to elevate the flavors and aromas of the ingredients.
Seasonings – This easy shredded Mexican chicken uses a variety of seasonings and spices to really help balance all of the delicious flavors in this dish. You have your usual ingredients like salt and pepper, along with a few stronger seasonings like oregano, cumin, and smoked paprika! Next, we have lime juice to enhance the delicious Mexican flavors and brown sugar to balance the acid and add a level of complexity to the dish.
Chicken Breast – I recommend using straight-up, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe! It is super lean and loaded with protein. However, you can opt for juicy chicken thighs, too if you prefer.
Stockpot or Dutch Oven – You will need a stockpot (like this one) or Dutch oven to cook this chicken. However, a crockpot will also work if you need to put it on in the morning to have it ready for dinner.
Large Bowl – Make sure you choose a large enough bowl to fit all the chicken in after it’s cooked and that there is extra room to toss the chicken in the sauce.
Immersion Blender– After the chicken is cooked and shredded, you will need an immersion blender to puree all of the ingredients into a delicious sauce for the chicken. You can get one here if you don’t have an immersion blender!
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz (1 can) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2-5 Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce (depending on preferred heat level)
- 4 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Pepper
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 5 Chicken Breasts
How to Make This Easy-Shredded Mexican Chicken
- Combine fire-roasted tomatoes and adobo sauce in a stockpot or Dutch oven and cook on medium-low for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Gently stir in the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for a few more minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts and turn to make sure they are all evenly coated.
- Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Remove the chicken and place on a plate to cool
- Using an emulsifier, blend the remaining sauce and juices left over in the pan to create a smooth sauce.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and put it in a bowl.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
Now, it is ready to put in taco shells, on top of nachos, or whatever other yummy recipes you can think of! Enjoy!
How Do I Store This Easy Shredded Mexican Chicken?
You can easily store this shredded Mexican chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also portion it out into containers for delicious meal prep for the week or freeze leftovers for up to 6 months.
What If I Don’t Have An Immersion Blender?
If you don’t have an emulsifier, that is ok! Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor. Just keep in mind that these may not make the sauce quite as smooth.
Easy Shredded Mexican Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz (1 can) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2-5 Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce (depending on preferred heat level)
- 4 Cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 5 Chicken Breasts
Instructions
- Combine fire-roasted tomatoes and adobo sauce in a stockpot or Dutch oven and cook on medium-low for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Gently stir in the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for a few more minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts and turn to make sure they are all evenly coated.
- Cover and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Remove the chicken and place on a plate to cool.
- Using an emulsifier, blend the remaining sauce and juices left over in the pan to create a smooth sauce.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and put it in a bowl.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
