These honey chipotle chicken tacos taste like some of the best street tacos around! Plus, they may be the easiest and most flavorful weeknight dinner ever. Just mix everything together in the slow cooker (or pressure cooker) and turn it on. The pickled red onions are the perfect garnish, but if you don’t have time, finely chopped white onion would be great too.
Tips & Tricks for these Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Spice/Heat Level
Cam and I love spicy food, but we have to keep our food pretty mild for our boys. I put two whole chipotle peppers in ours and then shred the chipotles in with the chicken. If you prefer a little extra zing, feel free to double (or even triple) the number of chipotles you add to the recipe.
Pickled Red Onions
When you’re making the pickled onions, you can add red chile flakes, bay leaf or fresh garlic cloves to add some extra depth. They take at least 30 minutes, but the longer they sit in the brine, the better. You can make these a few days ahead of time if you’d like. They’re always good to have on hand, and they’re great on tons of other stuff too.
Do you need to add extra broth or liquid?
Not really! The first time I made these honey chipotle chicken tacos, I added a splash of liquid to the chicken because I was nervous it would burn, but the dish creates its own delicious sauce without it. If you find that the chicken has too much liquid at the end of the cook, just bring everything to a simmer to reduce some of the sauce.
How should I serve this?
All you need is the honey chipotle chicken tacos for a great meal, but these would go great with chips and guacamole or cilantro lime rice. We love doing honey chipotle stuffed sweet potatoes as well. Swap out the tortilla for roasted sweet potato halves. Simply, place the halved sweet potatoes on a oiled sheet pan and roast at 400F for 30-40 minutes.
This honey chipotle chicken makes for a killer rice bowl. Serve it over cilantro lime rice or cauliflower rice and top it with pickled red onions, avocado and feta. Quesadillas, baked taquitos, nachos… the possibilities are endless.
Make sure to try out our Pineapple Margaritas or Pitcher of Classic Margaritas with these tacos. You won’t regret it.
Honey Chipotle Chicken is also great for leftovers. To reheat, place it in an oven safe dish and bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until hot. To freeze, place in a Ziploc freezer bag and try to remove as much of the air as possible before sealing it up. To thaw, simply place the bag in a large mixing bowl under running room temperature water. You can also place it in the fridge for 24 hours to let it thaw.
If you like this recipe, try our Carnitas or our Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken.
Recipe
Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos
These Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos taste like some of the best street tacos around! Plus, they may be the easiest and most flavorful weeknight dinner ever. Just mix everything together in the slow cooker (or pressure cooker) and turn it on. The pickled red onions are the perfect garnish, but if you don’t have time, finely chopped white onion would be great too.
Ingredients
- *** For the Chicken ***
- 8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Approx. 2.75lbs)
- 2-4 Whole Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (add even more for more heat)
- 4 Tbsp Adobo Sauce, from the can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 6 Tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 15oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
- *** For the Pickled Onions ***
- 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- *** For Garnish ***
- Feta
- Cilantro, rough chopped
- Lime Wedges
- Diced Avocado
- Pickled Red Onions
Directions
- Step 1 To make the pickled red onions, combine white vinegar, sugar and 1/2 tsp kosher salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir until sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour over red onions. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to ensure even pickling.
- Step 2 To make the Honey Chipotle Chicken, combine chipotles, adobo sauce, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and cumin together in your slow cooker or pressure cooker. Add your chicken thighs and stir until evenly coated.
- Step 3 For slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Use the “keep warm” setting so the dish stays warm once finished.
- Step 4 For pressure cooker or instapot, cover with lid and set steam valve to sealed position. Cook on High for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually. Be careful not to get your hands too close to the steam! Press the keep warm setting so the dish stays warm once finished.
- Step 5 Remove the chipotle peppers if you want the chicken on the milder side. Using two large forks, shred the chicken in the pot with the juice.Stir in black beans, optional. Cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes to soak in all the juices.
- Step 6 Serve on warm tortillas. Top with avocado, cilantro, feta and pickled red onions. Place a lime wedge on the side and enjoy!
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
