This Spicy Chipotle Crockpot Chicken is made with tender slow-cooked chicken simmered in chipotle adobo peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, and roasted salsa verde. The crock pot chipotle chicken becomes incredibly flavorful and fall-apart tender, absorbing every smoky, spicy, tangy note of the sauce. It’s bold, comforting, and unbelievably easy—just toss everything into the slow cooker and let the flavors do the work.
What Are Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce?
Chipotle peppers are dried, aged, and smoked jalapeños. In Mexico, fresh and dried peppers have different names:
- Fresh = jalapeño
- Dried + smoked = chipotle
The peppers used in this recipe come packed in adobo sauce, a tangy, slightly sweet tomato-based sauce with spices that adds deep smoky flavor to dishes.
Slow-cooking chipotle peppers with chicken creates a sauce that is:
- Smoky
- Spicy (but not overwhelming)
- Slightly sweet
- Rich and savory
It’s a simple, flavorful base that works in so many meals.
Ways to Serve Spicy Chipotle Crockpot Chicken
This versatile shredded chicken can be used in:
- Chipotle chicken tacos – Stuff into corn tortillas and crisp in a skillet or bake until crunchy
- Quesadillas – Add chicken + cheese and grill until golden
- Pizza topping – Add to flatbread or homemade pizza
- Burrito bowls – Serve with rice, beans, guacamole, lime juice, and sour cream
- Soup – Serve in a bowl with tortillas for dipping
- Appetizer dip – Serve warm with tortilla chips
Ingredients for Spicy Chipotle Crockpot Chicken
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 (14 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles (Muir Glen recommended)
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo (use 2–4 peppers depending on spice preference; remove seeds and dice)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup roasted salsa verde (mild recommended, such as Herdez)
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Salt to taste
- Fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions for Spicy Chipotle Crockpot Chicken
Add the Sauce Ingredients
Add all ingredients except chicken and chipotle peppers to the crockpot. Stir until a smooth sauce forms.
Add Chicken & Chipotle Peppers
Place chicken breasts into the sauce. Add diced chipotle peppers on top.
Slow Cook
Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Chicken should shred easily and become very tender.
Thicken the Sauce
About 30–60 minutes before the end of cooking, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water to make a slurry. Stir into the crockpot to thicken the sauce.
Optional Flavor Boost
Turn off the crockpot and let the chicken sit for 30–60 minutes so it soaks up even more flavor.
Finish
Shred chicken and top with chopped cilantro.
How to Adjust the Spiciness
Salsa Verde
Choose mild, medium, or hot salsa verde depending on your heat preference.
Chipotle Peppers
Use anywhere from 1–4 peppers:
- 1–2 peppers = mild-medium
- 3–4 peppers = spicy
Start with 1 pepper and add more during cooking if you want extra heat.
Storage Instructions
This chicken actually tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen.
Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months (add a splash of broth when reheating)
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Reheat: Microwave or warm on the stovetop
Spicy Chipotle Crockpot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 – 14 oz fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles – I like Muir Glenn
- 2 cloves crushed cloves garlic
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can of chipotles- Use 2-4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce depending on the spice level you want I use La Cotena – remove seeds and dice into small pieces
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup roasted salsa verde – you can find this in the grocery store with the salsas. I like the milder version from Herdez
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp paprika
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a crockpot except peppers and chicken. Mix well so it forms a sauce. Add the chicken and then place the peppers on top.
- Cook on low for 6 hours. The longer you cook it, the more tender the chicken will be.You want to be able to easily pull the chicken apart into thin shreds. About 30 minutes to one hour before it’s done cooking, mix 1 tbsp water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and stir together to create a slurry, then mix it into the sauce. This will thicken up the sauce.
- Optional: Turn off the crockpot and allow it to sit for another 30 minutes to an hour so that it soaks up all of the flavors.
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