Easy Shredded Chipotle Chicken

A haiku that sums up my thoughts about fall:

Crisp air and fresh starts
Back to school and routine, yay!
Boots and pumpkin spice are nice
Football, dear God, WHY?!

There are so many things I love about autumn (the haiku format really helped me keep things succinct), but football is not one of them. However, given that I live with a football enthusiast, I have accepted it as part of my life and turned lemons into tequila with lemons by coming to appreciate the season’s recipe testing benefits. After all, traditional tailgating and viewing party fare falls right into comfort food wheelhouse, and I appreciate having extra bodies on my couch to taste test my creations.

I have a few fun recipe ideas up my sleeve to entertain myself during the games this weekend, but I wanted to share one of my tried-and-true recipes from football seasons past should you be in the market for a versatile, crowd-pleasing recipe to celebrate the season. Please allow me to introduce Easy Chipotle Shredded Chicken.

There are so many things to love about this recipe, friends. It’s delicious—the tender chicken is smoky and subtly sweet with a gentle kick and hint of citrus-y tang. It’s healthy (most definitely Dude Diet approved). It’s fast. It’s foolproof. But most importantly?

It can be used in SO. MANY. WAYS.

Meal prep enthusiasts, this one is for you. This recipe’s versatility will blow your damn mind. I’m sure you’ll have your own ideas for serving Easy Chipotle Shredded Chicken, and I’m excited for you to do you, but I’ve taken the liberty of writing out some of my favorite consumption methods below… 

A few of my favorite ways to serve Easy Chipotle Shredded Chicken:

• Bowl-style with a whole grain (I’m partial to brown rice or quinoa) and/or roasted sweet potatoes, greens or sautéed veggies, guacamole, and salsa.
• As a quesadilla filling, Keep things simple with just chicken and cheese, or add some sautéed bell peppers and onions or sweet corn. Pineapple is also a delightful addition
• In a taco, burrito, or lettuce wrap. For the record, it plays very nicely with basic toppings like cheese, lettuce, and guacamole, but I highly recommend getting a fruit salsa involved if you’re down with sweet and savory.
• On top of a tostada with refried beans, queso fresco, and cabbage or romaine. Serve with lots of limes.
• In a grilled cheese. Use pepper Jack cheese if you’re feeling extra spicy.
• On a bun (full size or slider) with a little guacamole and/or slaw.
• Added to salad. There are endless possibilities here, but I’m partial to a more traditional taco salad (think chopped romaine, corn, black beans, radishes, red onion, and avocado and a simple citrusy vinaigrette or crema), or an arugula situation with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, and corn.
• Over veggie noodles, especially butternut squash or sweet potato noodles.
• Mixed with cauliflower rice or a whole grain and some beans or veggies and used as a filling for stuffed peppers.
• Stuffed into a baked potato (regular or sweet) with your favorite garnishes.

One other quick recipe note before you run off to get wild with this chicken. I recently made this recipe for dinner when I only had frozen chicken breasts and zero time to thaw. While I recommend using thawed chicken (it will be more tender), you can make this recipe using frozen chicken in an emergency sitch. The breasts will take about 40 minutes to cook through.

I highly recommend following my lead and getting all of the ingredients for this Easy Chipotle Shredded Chicken (/all of your favorite recipes) delivered by my longtime friends at Peapod Delivers. And if you need some extra tailgating or watch party inspiration, head to their website for an epic selection of recipes and goods. Oh, and should you have special dietary needs or are simply looking to keep things on the healthy side, Peapod also has these really convenient nutrition filters that can help you sort by your personal dietary needs or preferences, i.e. gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher, organic, etc.

Peapod is offering you $20 off of your first order plus 60 days of free delivery with code: SERENA20.

Easy Shredded Chipotle Chicken

Author - Serena Wolf

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ medium yellow finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce minced (If you’re sensitive to spice, seed the chipotle first.)
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the chipotle can
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• One 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth you can also use beer if you prefer!
• 1 teaspoon honey optional
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3 breasts, depending on size)
• Juice of ½ lime or use the whole lime if you love tang like me
• Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the cumin and cook for 1 minute to toast the spice. Add the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, oregano, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, and honey (if using) stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
• Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred the meat with two forks.
• Return the shredded chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and season with a little salt if necessary.
• Serve chicken however you like! In a bowl, on a salad, in a taco, sandwich, or quesadilla. The possibilities are endless!