Well, actually three ways. But I didn’t photograph the third way.
(Can’t wait to see those Google keyword searches next week!) ([giggle])
Let me introduce you to the most amazing thing to come out of my crockpot since… well, that last amazing thing that came out of my crockpot.
I call it Honey Chipotle Chicken. And I call it dinner for 4 nights this week.
It starts with 3 lbs of chicken breasts, some honey, a can of chipotles in adobo, and some onion and garlic. ~5 hours later, you have enough chicken to feed a small army for nearly the rest of the week. An army that will absolutely adore you.
The cooking sauce is defatted (it’s a word) and thickened and then drizzled over the shredded chicken. The sauce has a pretty amazing balance of sweet and heat – my 4 year old actually claimed it to be “too spicy”… but I watched her mop up every single drop of sauce with her quesadilla because seriously – what won’t that kid do for a bowl of Blue Bell? (Besides not cleaning her room.)
The first night we made those tacos and quesadillas (because my 4 year old will not eat a taco that hasn’t been sufficiently smashed), topping them with pico de gallo and some crumbled goat cheese. For lunch the next day, I served it over a bowl of some fancy rice-quinoa mix.
Then we made enchiladas. And I have no reservations about telling you this: They are absolutely the best enchiladas I’ve made or eaten. Ever. Sweet, spicy (but not craaazy hot), and cheesy comfort food.
And I’ve still got 1/2 lb of shredded chicken and a cup of sauce left. I can tell you one thing – the weekend’s football munchies are going to be killer good.
Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken
Sweet and spicy Honey Chipotle Chicken made in the crockpot. Tacos, enchiladas, sandwiches, or gameday appetizers - it's uses are as endless as the dish is amazing.
Ingredients
- For the Honey Chipotle Chicken:
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 7 oz can chipotles in adobo (use only half a can if you're not into spicy)
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- Black pepper
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- To serve as tacos:
- Tortillas
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Crumbled goat cheese
- To serve as enchiladas:
- 12 tortillas
- 4 oz grated Monterrey Jack cheese
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a large crockpot.
- Place the chipotles, honey, onion, garlic, a couple dashes of Worcestershire, and black pepper into a blender (you can chop/mince everything by hand if you'd like). Fill the empty chipotle can with water and add the water to the blender.
- Blend for 15-20 seconds until you have a pourable sauce (super smooth, homogenous liquid not necessary).
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred (I am still loving this method!); cover and set aside.
- Skim the fat from the top of the sauce or pour the sauce into a fat separator (I have this one and didn't use the strainer attachment).
- Transfer defatted liquid to a sauce pan on the stove over medium high heat. Pull out ~1/2 cup of liquid and whisk it with 3 Tbsp cornstarch. Add it back to the sauce pan and cook until it the sauce boils and thickens.
- I tossed 1/2 cup sauce with the shredded chicken to keep it moist and then stored the two separately (I had 3.5 cups of liquid).
- To make tacos, serve the shredded chicken drizzled with 1-2 Tbsp of honey chipotle sauce and top with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and crumbled goat cheese.
- To make enchiladas, place 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375. Wrap chicken and a pinch of shredded cheese in each tortilla and place in the dish (I used half the cheese inside the enchiladas, the other half on top). Top with 1-1.5 cups honey chipotle sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake ~15 mintutes, until browning and bubbly. Serve topped with chopped cilantro (if you're not a hater).
Notes
Yields: A Whole Lot
Estimated time: 5 hours 30 minutes