weeknight dinner – FoodWatcher

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos

The finished Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos served on a board with a piece of white parchment paper underneath. These Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos are here to be your weeknight hero! It will take just a few minutes…

The post Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos appeared first on The Defined Dish.

These Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos are here to be your weeknight hero! It will take just a few minutes to throw everything into your slow cooker, then you will have a warm, delicious meal to please just about any palate at the end of the day!

A close-up shot of two finished Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos served on a white plate with a lime wedge. A serving board with more tacos is in the background.

Though these Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos are simple, they’re super flavorful and filled with fresh ingredients. The slow-cooked shredded chicken is so juicy, plus the slaw has a really unique flavor combination, which takes these tacos up another level!

The finished Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos being served on a serving board with lime wedges and a bowl of slaw just slightly visible.

If you take the time to get the chicken into the crockpot before starting your day, you’re going to come home to a delicious-smelling house! Plus, an incredibly easy and nourishing meal that your whole family will love! The chicken also makes fantastic leftovers to add to a sandwich, salad, or bowl for the next day.

Ingredients:

Red Onion
Garlic
Tomato Paste
Chili Powder
Onion Powder
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
Mild Green Chiles
Barbecue Sauce
Limes
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Avocado Oil Mayo
Pickled Jalapeños
Green Cabbage
Jalapeño
Cilantro
Cassava Flour or Corn Tortillas
Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Omit for Dairy-Free)

The Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos assembled on a serving board, a bowl of slaw on the side, a dish with lime wedges, and a plate with two additional tacos.

Step-by-Step:

Step one: make the sauce

In the bottom of the slow cooker, add the red onion, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chicken broth, green chiles, ½ cup of barbecue sauce, and lime juice. Stir to combine.

Step two: Add and cook the chicken

Nestle the chicken thighs into the mixture and cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the chicken shreds very easily.

The chicken, sauce, and onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step three: shred the chicken

Once the chicken is cooked through, using tongs, remove the chicken thighs from the cooking liquid and transfer them to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Add the remaining ½ cup of the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. If the mixture seems dry at all, you can add a bit of the cooking liquid back to the chicken and stir to combine.

Shredded Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken on a gold baking sheet, with 2 forks used to shred.

Step four: make the slaw

In a medium mixing bowl, add the garlic, avocado oil mayo, jalapeno brine, chopped pickled jalapenos, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add in the red onion, cabbage, jalapeno, and cilantro; toss the slaw until it is well combined. Set aside in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Step five: Assemble the tacos, serve, and enjoy!

Serve the warm chicken mixture inside tortillas and topped with a few forkfuls of slaw and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar, if using.

Recipe FAQs:

This really makes a lot of chicken! Is that correct?

Yes! This recipe will yield a big batch of chicken and is intended to serve as a prep-ahead meal for busy school nights that can last for multiple meals, depending on the size of your family.

Can I use a different meat other than chicken thighs?

Chicken thighs are the perfect meat for this recipe because they are so flavorful and juicy! Plus, the timing for this is specifically for chicken thighs. I would recommend another slow cooker recipe if you do not like chicken thighs!

can this recipe be made ahead of time?

The chicken can definitely be made in advance and stored in the fridge! I do recommend making the slaw the day you plan to serve or else it will get too soggy.

how else can I serve this BBQ chicken?

Add the chicken and slaw on top of a tostada, make it into a salad or bowl. Whatever sounds best to you!

I hope you and your whole family love these Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos! Leave a comment after you try them, and let me know what you think!

Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try these!

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli Bowls

Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu Over Pappardelle

Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Chicken and Veggies

Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free (if modified)

Servings tacos

Calories 349kcal

Author Alex Snodgrass

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

½ large red onion thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces mild green chiles
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce, divided (I used Noble Made)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat

For the Slaw:

1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons avocado oil mayo
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno brine
¼ cup drained and chopped pickled jalapenos
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
8 heaping cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
1 small jalapeno, thinly sliced
½ cup well chopped fresh cilantro

To serve:

16 cassava flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (omit for dairy-free_

Instructions

Make the Chicken:

In the bottom of the slow cooker, add the red onion, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chicken broth, green chiles, ½ cup of barbecue sauce, and lime juice. Stir to combine. Nestle the chicken thighs into the mixture and cover with the lid. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken shreds very easily.
Once the chicken is cooked, using tongs, remove the chicken thighs from the cooking liquid and transfer them to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Add the remaining ½ cup of the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. If the mixture seems dry at all, you can add a bit of the cooking liquid back to the chicken and stir to combine.

Make the Slaw:

In a medium mixing bowl, add the garlic, avocado oil mayo, jalapeno brine, chopped pickled jalapenos, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add in the red onion, cabbage, jalapeno, and cilantro. Using tongs, toss to combine until the slaw is combined. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve:

Serve the warm chicken mixture inside tortillas and topped with a few forkfuls of slaw and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar.

Notes

This recipe will yield a big batch of chicken and is intended to serve as a prep-ahead for busy school nights that can last for multiple meals, depending on the size of your family.

If you are making this recipe in advance, I suggest making the slaw the day you plan to serve it. Because of the salinity in the brine and the salt, it will make the cabbage release excess water and will compromise the texture. We suggest making the slaw the same day you plan to eat the meal.

Nutrition

Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.

The post Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos appeared first on The Defined Dish.

Esquites Tacos

*I’m proud to partner with Watkins to bring you this story and recipe. It’s quite evident in my recipes that I’m a big fan of flavor and I rely on good, fresh organic spices and dried herbs. Watkins uses only USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified ingredients in its spices, spice blends, and herbs…. Read more »

As always, the words and photos are mine. I appreciate your support and the companies who graciously partner with me so I can continue to share my stories through the recipes that fill our table.

You may have heard of the popular street food recipe in Mexico called Elote. If not, it’s an incredible dish that starts with corn on the cob; grilled until blackened and smoky then slathered in a creamy and spicy sauce before being rolled in cheese then finished with fresh lime juice. It is now absolutely my preferred way of eating corn. Esquites is the same idea but minus the cob. Corn kernels are blackened (or the cobs are grilled then the kernels removed) and then mixed with mayonnaise, cheese, chili powder, cilantro leaves, ground cumin, adobo seasoning and lots of lime.

Because I’m a believer in “all things are better when wrapped in a tortilla” we’ve turned this classic Mexican corn dish into a taco. It’s paired with what is basically a chunky guacamole that is loaded with scallions and a touch of sour cream (or if you’re an Antoni fan you can use Greek yogurt).

This recipe is written to feed a crowd or to have plenty of leftovers. I also added slow simmered pinto beans to bulk up the tacos but you can add grilled fish, chicken, steak, or carnitas – the options are endless.

Esquites Tacos

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Ingredients

Esquites

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup crumbled Cotija or Parmesan cheese

2 tsp lime zest

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 tsp salt1 tsp Watkins Organic Chili Powder

2 TBL butter

8 corn cobs, kernels removed (or about 24 ounces corn kernels – you can use frozen corn here too)

Instructions

In a medium size bowl stir together the mayonnaise, cheese, lime zest, juice, salt and chili powder. Feel free to add more chili powder if you want more heat.

Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium high heat. When the butter sizzles add the corn then let blacken. Give a quick stir after a couple of minutes then let sit again. Add a hefty pinch of salt then turn off the heat.

Stir the blackened corn into the creamy mayonnaise mixture.

Alternately you can grill the corn cobs then let cool and remove the kernels from the cob before stirring into the creamy sauce.

Creamy Avocado and Scallion Salsa

2 large avocados, peeled and diced

5 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

2 TBL sour cream

1/2 tsp Watkins Organic Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Watkins Organic Adobo Seasoning Pinch salt

1 TBL fresh lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBL minced jalapeño (more or less depending on your spice preference)

1 TBL Watkins Organic Cilantro Leaves

In a medium size bowl stir together the avocado, scallions, cumin, adobo, salt, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño and dried cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired

Tacos

12 small flour or corn tortillas

Meat or beans (optional)

Crumbled cotija or queso fresco

Pickled jalapeños

Warm the tortillas then serve with meat or beans, esquites, salsa and whatever other toppings you prefer. I’ve listed my favorites.

Rosemary Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce

*I’m proud to partner with Watkins to bring you this story and recipe. It’s quite evident in my recipes that I’m a big fan of flavor and I rely on good, fresh spices and dried herbs. Watkins uses only USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified ingredients. You can find their products at Watkins1868.com and… Read more »

As always, the words and photos are mine. I appreciate your support and the companies who graciously partner with me so I can continue to share my stories through the recipes that fill our table.

We dump the flour on the table, a simple action that is right but feels a bit defiant. With our hands, they are in fact the best tool for the job, we dip into the cool powder to form a soft bowl to hold the eggs. While Ivy cracks the fragile white shells, I anticipate the day when we can cross our backyard and visit our hens (who are now chicks) to gather eggs, still warm with yolks that practically glow. I’m interrupted from this dream as the last egg runs out of our flour bowl and onto the table. Ivy and I both laugh while we attempt to capture the runaway egg. Once safely contained she generously shakes fragrant rosemary onto the dough. We both breathe in deep, taking in the piney scent that now surrounds us.

While kneading the sturdy dough I take in the simplicity of this moment, these ingredients. It’s a rare reprieve from the noise and chaos that has grown familiar in my mind. Here in this moment, with all my senses engaged, I can be at the table, fingers covered in dough, laughing with my daughter while stories of past pasta making memories entertain us during our kneading.

We knead the dough until smooth then tuck it in for rest. This is not a rushed process, nor is it complicated. It’s simple yet asks you to be present, to adjust an otherwise busy schedule around its timing, not ours. I gladly accept this offer for it is also an invitation to be here now. To meditate while covered in flour and bask in gratitude with a fragrant bowl of homemade pasta under our nose.

It’s a simple act, humble, messy and imperfect but as with so much in life these are the ones that make all the difference.

Rosemary Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce

Author Ashley Rodriguez

Yield 6-8 Servings

The pasta dough quantity here is enough for 6 – 8 servings. The sauce quantity below is enough for about 1/3 of the dough. You can easily double or triple the sauce to feed a crowd. The pasta dough can be made in advance. The dough and any leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for one day. The color may shift just slightly.

Ingredients

400 grams all-purpose flour4 large eggs1 tablespoon Watkins Organic Rosemary

For 2 large or 4 small servings (about 1/3 of the above pasta dough)

60 grams/4 tablespoons unsalted butter1 tablespoon fresh lemon juiceSea saltWatkins Organic Ground Black Pepper2 teaspoons lemon zest1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

For the pasta.Dump the flour on a large surface. Make a shallow and wide bowl in the middle of the flour. Crack the four eggs directly into the flour bowl. Add the Watkins Organic Rosemary to the eggs.Using a fork gently start to whisk the eggs, incorporating a little bit of the flour at a time. Continue to do this until the eggs and flour are the consistency of waffle batter. At this point it’s best to get your hands dirty and start kneading. Pasta dough should feel quite stiff. If it’s too dry you may add a touch of water but not too much, we don’t want a sticky dough. Knead until smooth, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Wrap well in plastic wrap then let the dough rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes. During this rest the gluten will relax and absorb the liquid. The dough will feel much smoother and cohesive after its nap.

You may use a rolling pin to make the pasta dough but if you have a pasta machine it will go quite a bit faster.Take about 1/10th of the pasta dough and keep the rest covered. On the widest setting of your pasta maker run the dough through then fold in half and run through again. Repeat at least three times. This is another way to knead the dough which will strengthen the gluten and give the pasta a pleasant bite in the end. Continue rolling the dough until you reach the desired thickness, for my pasta machine that is a 6 out of 8 settings. Add a little flour to the dough if there is any stickiness. Fold the pasta sheet in half, then half again, and again, until it’s about 2 inches wide. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in rough 1/2-inch strips. Set aside on a lightly floured sheet pan.

Prepare the sauce.