Sarah DiGregorio posted this recipe on the NYT Cooking blog. She mentions that it may be the easiest tacos you will ever make, and I agree. The two main seasoning ingredients that make this chicken so tasty, are canned chipotle chiles and honey. These items may already be in your pantry, but if they aren’t, they are easily found in most supermarkets. Spicy, smoky, chipotle chiles combined with honey are the perfect combination. These tacos are excellent.
Besides the chicken, chipotle peppers and honey, a few other ingredient make the dish complete. A bit of cumin, garlic and onion powder add a nice flavor to the chicken and black beans add texture to the finished dish.
A few people commented that the chicken might be too dry since there is no added liquid. However, as the chicken cooks slowly, it will release some liquid which helps to keep it moist. Fillings for tacos shouldn’t be too saucy or wet, but if you want yours to have a bit more liquid, add 1/2 cup chicken broth to the slow cooker pot. If you are making the recipe as posted, use the 1 1/2 pounds of chicken called for, or increase the amount of sauce accordingly if you use more chicken.
After the sauce is mixed with the chicken, it cooks on low for 4 hours. Once it is done, the meat is shredded into bite-size pieces. Lime juice and black beans are stirred in with the chicken. The dish is now ready to serve on warmed corn tortillas. I have frozen leftovers in small containers and it keeps well for about 3 months.
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 2½ - 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large or two medium canned chipotle chiles in adobo, seeds removed, finely chopped + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (use 1 chile for a milder flavor and up to 4 for very spicy flavor)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- juice of ½ lime
- warmed corn tortillas
- pickled onions, avocado, cilantro, cheese, for serving
- Combine honey, onion and garlic powders, cumin, salt and chipotle chiles (start with the least amount of chiles) and adobo sauce in a small bowl. Taste to see if the sauce is the right heat for you. Add more chipotle chiles if you prefer a spicier sauce. Mix the sauce with the chicken in a 5 to 8 quart slow cooker. Stir well. Cook for 4 hours (minimum 3 hours, maximum 5 hours) on low setting.
- Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken in the sauce. Stir in black beans and lime juice. Cover and let the beans warm through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if necessary. Serve with warmed corn tortillas, pickled onions, avocado, cilantro and cheese