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A favourite recipe in my home for effectively over a decade now, this sluggish cooker Mexican hen is a complete dream. It’s utterly hands-off and made with solely 3(!) store-bought elements, plus it’s excellent in tacos, salads, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, or nachos. I’ve all the time obtained the elements for this one readily available!
That is one of the best recipe I’ve discovered for hen within the sluggish cooker. And the tip for utilizing your stand mixer to shred it’s so good! It labored completely.
Earlier than You Get Began
- Retailer-bought salsa retains this recipe unbelievably simple, and you need to use any model, selection, or taste you want. I like to recommend a salsa that’s on the thinner aspect, with a great little bit of liquid, versus a chunkier, less-liquid mix like a pico de gallo. That further liquid helps guarantee your hen stays moist and juicy all through the sluggish cook dinner!
The way to Make This Recipe
See recipe card under for full listing of measurements, elements, and directions.
Add the Substances.
Combine collectively the salsa and taco seasoning, then add the hen – or simply toss all the things straight into the sluggish cooker. Both method works positive, although I have a tendency to combine the spices into the salsa first.
Set it and overlook it.
For a short time, at the least! Set your Crockpot to five hours on low warmth or 3 hours on excessive warmth. Verify on the hen sometimes, and flip it over or spoon salsa on high of it as wanted to maintain it moist.
All Crockpots behave in another way, so you could not want the complete cook dinner time! Verify your hen with an inside meat thermometer so that you don’t overcook it by chance.
Shred the hen.
When it reaches an inside temperature of 155° Fahrenheit, take away the hen from the sluggish cooker and let it relaxation, then shred it utilizing your favourite methodology. I want the hand mixer or the two-forks methodology – you’ll be able to examine all 5 strategies in my publish about The Greatest Shredded Rooster Ever!
Ending Touches.
Add the shredded hen again into the sluggish cooker and stir it into the salsa, ensuring each chew of hen is totally coated. As soon as that’s achieved, end cooking the hen for an additional 30-60 minutes, then serve and luxuriate in!
What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s impressed by the shredded hen from our favourite native Mexican restaurant, nevertheless it’s a far more budget-friendly choice than taking the fam out as soon as per week. I imply, you go to a Mexican restaurant, you’re like, legally obligated to order queso, after which earlier than you realize it, you’ve obtained a complete queso-margarita-fajita-churro state of affairs in your fingers. Multiply that by 2-5? Eek.
- This sluggish cooker salsa hen is fairly presumably the best hen recipe you’ll ever make. Actually simply put all the things within the Crockpot, cook dinner on excessive or low, then shred and stir. No standing over a range, no perfectly-timed flips, no marinade or dry rub. Plop. Cook dinner. Shred. Stir.
- It’s actually versatile! The brilliance of maintaining issues “primary”. Because the hen comes out tasting like spices and salsa, you’ll be able to pair it with completely any of your favourite toppings. Serve it on nachos, in tacos, as a part of a burrito bowl, wrapped up in a burrito, no matter you’re within the temper for.
Recipe Variations
- Get Inventive: All the flavour on this recipe comes from the salsa, so undoubtedly select one that you just LOVE! Don’t be afraid to go for a extra “adventurous” taste of salsa, both. Gradual cooker Mexican hen is a implausible method to make use of peach mango salsa, fire-roasted habanero salsa, salsa verde, tomatillo salsa, pineapple salsa… you get the concept.
- Make it Gluten Free: Double verify the labels and ensure each your taco seasoning and your salsa are completely gluten free.
- Make it Whole30 or Paleo: Use a store-bought salsa and taco seasoning that don’t include any sweeteners or different incompatible elements. If you happen to’re not sure or having hassle discovering compliant store-bought variations, you may make your personal Whole30 salsa or Whole30 taco seasoning!
Making adjustments to a recipe may end up in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are easy adjustments that I imagine will work on this recipe, however outcomes should not assured.
Gradual Cooker Mexican Shredded Rooster
A easy Mexican shredded hen made within the sluggish cooker with solely three elements. This recipe makes such tender and flavorful hen, you’d by no means guess it was really easy!
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6-quart Crockpot or related sluggish cooker
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Giant wood spoon
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Tongs
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inside meat thermometer
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instruments for shredding hen see Notes
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Add 1 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning to sluggish cooker. Stir effectively to mix. If desired, add salt to style.
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Add 3 medium boneless, skinless hen breasts to sluggish cooker. Flip hen breasts over to coat in salsa, or spoon salsa on high of hen.
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Safe lid on sluggish cooker. Set sluggish cooker to five hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH.
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After 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH, rigorously uncover sluggish cooker. Insert inside meat thermometer into heart of hen breast. If inside temperature of hen is decrease than 155° Fahrenheit, substitute lid on sluggish cooker and proceed cooking hen till temperature reaches 155° Fahrenheit.
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As soon as inside temperature of hen reaches 155° Fahrenheit, take away hen from sluggish cooker and place hen on slicing board or in giant mixing bowl. Let hen relaxation 5 minutes.
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After 5 minutes, shred hen utilizing desired methodology (see Notes). Return shredded hen to sluggish cooker.
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Stir shredded hen into salsa, then substitute lid on sluggish cooker. Set sluggish cooker to half-hour on HIGH or 60 minutes on LOW.
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When cook dinner time ends, portion hen into most popular serving sizes. Serve shredded hen as desired in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, salads, or bowls.
- Leftovers: Let shredded hen cool utterly. Refrigerate hen and liquid from sluggish cooker in an hermetic container. Eat inside 5 days of cooking.
Shredding Strategies
- Hand Shredded: Utilizing your fingers/fingers, pull the hen aside till utterly shredded. Items may be as large or as small as you want.
- Two Forks: Use one fork to regular the hen whereas shredding the hen with one other fork. Work in small, brief strokes, transferring forks away from one another.
- Hand Mixer: Break the hen into manageable chunks and place them in a big bowl. Use the usual attachments in your mixer and set mixer to a medium velocity. Combine till hen is totally shredded.
- Stand Mixer: Use the usual paddle attachment and blend on medium-low velocity till hen chunks are utterly shredded.
- Meals Processor: Break up the cooked hen breasts into chunks first, and work in a number of batches. Add hen to meals processor and use the plastic dough blade attachment to keep away from your hen turning to mush. Course of for 30 seconds or till uniformly shredded. Repeat till all hen is shredded.
Serving Measurement: 1servingEnergy: 186calProtein: 33gFats: 4gSaturated Fats: 1gTrans Fats: 0.02gLdl cholesterol: 97mgSodium: 527mgPotassium: 671mgWhole Carbs: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gInternet Carbs: 2gVitamin A: 332IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Variety of complete servings proven is approximate. Precise variety of servings will rely in your most popular portion sizes.
Dietary values proven are normal tips and mirror data for 1 serving utilizing the elements listed, not together with any non-compulsory elements. Precise macros could range barely relying on particular manufacturers and forms of elements used.
To find out the burden of 1 serving, put together the recipe as instructed. Weigh the completed recipe, then divide the burden of the completed recipe (not together with the burden of the container the meals is in) by the specified variety of servings. Consequence would be the weight of 1 serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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