Chipotle Chicken Tacos
These chipotle chicken tacos are so easy and delicious. It makes the most tender chicken I’ve ever had – all with a simple 12-minute poach.
This meal continues to be a staple in our home. Not only is it easy, fast, healthy and so very delicious…it is one of those meals I have a really hard time stopping eating (which possibly negates the healthy factor).
The flavors are so simple yet amazing.
It must be chalked up to the rather unique combination (orange juice, chipotle chiles, worcestershire sauce) that works together magically.
The wonderful thing about this meal is that it provides some of the most tender chicken I’ve ever made – all with a simple 12-minute poach in a skillet.
My friend, Amanda, who says she makes this all the time insisted the name needed to be changed to something a little more catchy – so out with the Easy Chicken Tacos in with the Chipotle Chicken Tacos. Oh, yeah. Catchy.
We love this one!
FAQs for Chipotle Chicken Tacos
For the slow cooker, try cooking all the ingredients for 5-6 hours on low.
For the instant pot, try cooking on high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
Of course! Just make it, and warm it up before serving!
Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 12-13 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. When the chicken is done cooking, transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture left in the skillet until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
- Off the heat, whisk in the yellow mustard. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the skillet. Add the remaining cilantro to the skillet and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm with tortillas topped with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream, and avocado.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country
102 Comments on “Chipotle Chicken Tacos”
Mel,
Could the chicken for the Chipotle Chicken Taco’s be made ahead of time, like the day before, and then warmed up before serving?
Yes!
I made this last week for dinner and it turned out great! I forgot to turn down the temperature after adding the chicken so my sauce was a mess. I quickly recreated the sauce and added it to my shredded chicken. So good. My toddler ate it gladly as well. It did take a bit longer for our chicken to get done and we did only use two. A trick I use for the chipotle peppers is to divide a can into ice cubes and freeze
I made this tonight and loved it. Except I used Costco shredded rotisserie chicken and added it after I reduced the liquid a little. Definitely putting this on my dinner rotation. Thank you!
Could you make this in the instant pot somehow?
You probably could. I haven’t tried it yet…
Yum. This was one of the first recipes that made me realize that you were a super star and I wanted to be like you. And yes, I was stealing chicken from the pan and wasn’t even really hungry by the time it was time for dinner because I had eaten so much of it. Ha ha ha. If anyone is thinking about whether or not they should make these, stop thinking and go buy the chipotle and get to it! They’re not too spicy–even for kids! 🙂 I might have to run to the store tonight and make these tomorrow!!
Question – how would you adapt this to a slow cooker, if at all possible? I’ve been making this recipe for years but want to make a LARGE batch for a crowd and thought the slow cooker would be the way to go.
I haven’t tried it, but I wonder if you could just put all the ingredients in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours on low?
This is one of our VERY most favorite dinners!!! It is absolutely delicious!!
Made this today for meal prepping my lunches and dinners this week and it is delicious! I might have gotten a little heavy handed with the chipotles though, they always smells so good!
Also made your layered Mexican cornbread salad for this week – the dressing for that salad goes wonderfully with this chicken.
Delicious combination!
Have you ever made this in the instant pot? I just got one and am kind of a novice, but I’m thinking it would work well in the instant pot. If you have, could you school me on what you did?
I haven’t made this particular recipe in the Instant Pot, but I think it would work really well to combine all the ingredients and cook on high pressure for 10-12 minutes?
AWESOME!!! One of the best meals EVER! We love everything that we make from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, but this is a huge favorite!
Think these could be made in a slow cooker? They’re a top 3 favorite meal in our house – but always trying to think of a way to make life easier! (Speaking of…easiest way to shred chicken is with a stand or hand mixer. Saves my hands!)
Sure! I think the slow cooker idea is a great one!
I just wanted to let you know that I have made this recipe numerous times, and I love it. I have had great success using my slow cooker with this recipe. I follow the instructions and instead of putting the chicken in the pan I pour the sauce over chicken in my slow cooker. I usually double the recipe and add extra orange juice. I shred the chicken after its done and we pig out. I freeze the leftovers for quick lunches. Thanks for this delicious recipe and all the many others I have tried from your site.
I made these for dinner last night and Oh. My. Goodness. They were incredible!! My husband went back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Afterwords, he was groaning because he was so full… And moaning because they were so delicious! Even my picky son loved it! This is a new favorite at our house!
I’ve been meaning to tell you this has become one of our family’s favorites on top of baked potatoes & all the other b.p. characters. It came about out of necessity awhile back when I didn’t have tortillas one day & now its the only way I’m allowed to make it. I always double the liquid though, love that sauce!
So Mel…I was looking for a good chicken recipe for a build your own taco salad. My thought was everyone could have what they wanted that way. I would likely have bowls of black beans, avocados (or guacamole), salsa, cheese, chopped tomatoes, roasted onions and sweet potatoes. Do you think this chicken would go with these toppings for a nice salad? The recipe in general sounds like a winner but this would of course be a variation. Thoughts?
Jennifer W – Yum! Yes, I think this chicken would work great for that type of taco salad bar!
I still heart these too. I don’t always have OJ on hand but when I do, I make them,and if I can sneak away another 1/2 cup to freeze for another batch I do that too. So tasty. So yummy. I might have made a special trip to the store just for tomatoes and avocado too to make them perfect though (and then a bunch of other fruits and veggies jumped in my cart too…well, and some cookies too). They were enjoyed by all of the boys for sure! YUM! P.S. Easy chicken tacos lured me in the first time but for the foodie crew of 2014 chipotle chicken tacos is a winning name for sure! 🙂
HUGE hit with entire family- thought would be too spicy for kids- but when taco all assembled- was even kid approved. We used whole wheat naan and has already been a repeat request this summer- THANK YOU!!
I LOVE this Cooks’ Country recipe!! I’ve been making it for a couple of years. They are outstanding–major punch of flavor. I knew you had good taste iwhen I noticed how many Cook’s Country recipes you use.
Just curious if this could somehow be made in the slow cooker? I’m making this tomorrow for my extended family and I’m so excited. I’ll make it according to your directions tomorrow, but wish I could make it in the slow cooker. By the way, you are darling. Stay warm. I love your recipes. And I am so impressed that you run such an efficient household and get so much cooking done at your house. Dinner is usually prepared around here amidst lots of crying and fighting from my kids (and sometimes myself).
Hi Stacy – I’ve never tried this recipe in the slow cooker (but I have in a pressure cooker and it works great) – but I definitely think it is worth a try. Good luck if you experiment (and thanks for such a sweet comment!).
Ooh can I get the pressure cooker modifications/instructions, please?
I just combine everything in the pressure cooker for about 10 minutes and then do a quick release.
When you say all the ingredients, do you mean mustard and the 1/4 cup cilantro too? Do the chicken breasts need to be in a single layer?
(Thanks for the help. I’m a pressure cooker newbie.)
Yes, everything can go in the IP and the chicken doesn’t have to be in a single layer but it will cook more evenly if it is.
Thank you so much! This is a family favorite, along with Chicken Pot Pie Crumble, Honey Lime Enchiladas, and Chicken Quesadilla Pie.
You have brought so much good food to my family.
I am making this right now, so the chances are slim that you will see this in time, but by mustard do you mean prepared mustard or mustard powder? (I am guessing prepared mustard?)
Thanks!
Hey Sara – it is prepared mustard. Hope it worked out for you!
Loved these! So surprisingly good. They will definitely be a keeper for us.
Just received a large non-stick skillet for Christmas from my dear mother-in-law…made these tonight and they were a hit…so moist and tender…I usually destroy chicken cooked on stove but these werr really delicious and super easy.
Yay, I found what to make for dinner tonight! For the last two weeks (and I’m not even kidding) I have looked on your blog every day and made a new recipe every day. I love how simple and delicious so many of your main dishes are! Thank You!!! Also, a tip for the chipotle chilies. I got sick of wasting most of the can when a recipe called for it, so I put the leftover chilies into an ice cube tray. When they are frozen, you just pop them in a freezer bag and then thaw one or two cubes every time you need them. One can has lasted me soooo long!
Great tacos! Made them last week and my husband is asking for them again. No leftovers. My husband, son, and neighbor boy ate them all! The neighbor boy was going home to tell him mom about your website! Thank so much for sharing! Made my entire menu plan for this week from your website.
My absolute favorite tacos!! These are so good, I go heavier on the chipotles each time I make and it was pretty spicy tonight!! I think three chipotles are my limit, but I still ate them until I was in pain 🙂
Just made these tonight! They were amazing! I loved the combination of flavors! Thanks for another great keeper recipe!
I’ve been making these for years now and they are still our families favorite taco recipe! Have you tried substituting lime juice for the orange juice? It’s delicious!!!! I’m off to make some right now 🙂 Thanks for all your amazing recipes Mel!
Made these tacos tonight and I didn’t like them…I LOVED them!!!! Best tacos ever! No more hamburger tacos in this house. These were the best and we gobbled it all up! Thanks for the recipe Mel!
I am not one who usually comments unless I have tried the recipe. I made this tonight for dinner. It was quite simple and not very time consuming. The only thing I changed was using half the amount of chipotle chiles. I wanted to start mild and work my way up on heat, considering I am feeding 4 little ones. 3 of the 4 girls really liked it. Hubby was a big fan too! Winner winner chicken dinner!!!
Do you think I could substitute thighs for the breasts?
An – sure, I don’t see why not.
Making them for the second time – thumbs up from my house! Thank you!
I just made these tonight- they were delicious! A definite hit with everyone! My kids loved them, and the chicken was tender and delicious! The flavor combination seemed a little crazy to me as i was putting it all together, but I am now a believer! So glad I made these:) Thanks!