These shredded chicken tacos start with chicken breasts that have been simmered in a mixture of beer, dried New Mexican chiles, and other aromatics until super tender and shreddable. The chicken is then piled onto warm corn tortillas with your choice of toppings for the ultimate chicken tacos.
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“I made this. And, it was indeed delicious. Plus very easy to make! We are going to have the leftovers over rice.” -El, FoodieCrush reader
The One-Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos of My Dreams
While I am a lover of my MIL’s beef tacos made with traditional beef — ground, shredded, it’s all good in my book — tacos made with shredded chicken have become a favorite here at Casa del Larsen, and this shredded version is an ode to the filling used in the chicken tostadas we used to order nearly every Monday night at Venice, CA’s El Tarasco.
What I really love about this recipe is that it’s a one-pot wonder thanks to a little secret that makes it super easy to make, no matter which day of the week.
See, I make this taco recipe with frozen chicken meat. 👀 No thawing, no browning. Just dump the brick of frozen bird breast into the pot with some delicious aromatics, let it cook for a few hours on the stove, and magic things happen.
When piled high with your favorite toppings, you’ve got the best shredded chicken tacos ever.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Use frozen chicken breasts, and do not thaw! Trust me, the chicken comes out amazingly moist thanks to being braised in chicken stock and tenderizing beer.
Choose a crisp, light beer so the flavors don’t compete. Avoid lagers or any dark beers for this recipe, which will overpower the shredded chicken and sauce. Pick a pale ale or similar for the best flavor.
Stick with dried chiles for a robust, earthy flavor. The New Mexico chiles are sweet, earthy, and almost smoky. Using dried chiles deepens the flavor of the chicken more so than if we were to use fresh.
What You’ll Need for the Chicken Taco Meat
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Frozen chicken breasts — You’ll need 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, no need to thaw them first.
- Dried chiles — I prefer using New Mexico chiles (sometimes called Hatch chiles).
- Chicken broth — This is the primary liquid we’ll be using for stewing the chicken.
- Herbs and spices — These chicken tacos aren’t short on flavor thanks to a blend of fresh garlic and cilantro, bay leaves, dried oregano, and ground cumin.
- Beer — You can sub in wine or omit the alcohol altogether, but I’ve found that a pale ale does add a tasty layer of flavor when the bird is a little tipsy.
- Taco fixings — We love serving the stovetop shredded chicken in warm tortillas and topping them with lettuce, avocado, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Feel free to use your favorite taco toppings!
How to Make Shredded Chicken Tacos on the Stove
- Stew the chicken. This is such a fast recipe to assemble! Just dump all of the ingredients into a large Dutch oven, bring everything to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer low and slow for about 90 minutes.
- Reduce the sauce. Once the chicken is super tender, fish it out of the pot. Go ahead and remove the bay leaves and the stems of the peppers, too. Then, you’re good to blend up the sauce and boil it until you’re left with about 2 cups total.
- Shred the chicken. You can do this with two forks, your hands (if the chicken has cooled down enough), or I’ve even seen people shredding chicken using the paddle attachment of their stand mixer.
- Sauce it up. Stir about a cup of the thickened sauce into the shredded chicken. This is your chicken taco meat.
- Taco fixings, assemble! We love layering the shredded chicken and toppings over corn tortillas that have been warmed in a skillet. A squeeze of lime on top brings everything together.
Heidi’s Tip: If my talk of tostadas has inspired your tastebuds, warm the tortillas but keep them flat and spread with a layer of refried beans then top with lettuce and chicken to make your own.
Want to Freeze This for Meal Prep? Here’s How
The stewed shredded chicken is great for piling onto everything from tacos to burrito bowls to nachos to enchiladas.
Let any leftovers cool completely before transferring to an airtight freezer container (this prevents freezer burn). The cooked chicken will last up to 3 months.
You can also make a double batch of the taco meat if you plan on freezing it.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Shredded Chicken Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 3 whole dried New Mexico chiles
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 about 15 fresh cilantro stems
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup Pale Ale beer
- small corn tortillas
- shredded lettuce, avocado, diced tomato, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the stewed chicken. In a large Dutch oven or large stock pot, bring to a boil 3 cups chicken broth, 1 pound frozen chicken breasts, 3 whole dried New Mexico chiles, 4 cloves smashed garlic, 2 bay leaves, 15 cilantro stems with leaves, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 cup pale ale beer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Remove the chicken from the broth, loosely cover, and set aside. Pull the stems from the cooked peppers and remove the bay leaves from the pot, and discard.
- Cook the sauce. In batches, transfer the broth to a blender, leaving the venting hole of the cover open, and cover it with a dish towel. Blend the sauce. Add the sauce back to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, and reduce to 2 cups of sauce.
- Shred the chicken. While the sauce is cooking, shred the chicken with two forks or your fingers. Add 1 cup of sauce and the shredded chicken to a bowl and toss to combine, adding more sauce if desired.
- Prep the tortillas. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the tortillas one at a time to the pan and spray the tortillas lightly with the cooking spray. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until lightly golden on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Continue with all of the tortillas.
- Assemble the tacos. Layer the chicken, shredded lettuce, chopped avocado, diced tomato, chopped cilantro, and cotija cheese, serve with a squeeze of lime and extra sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Sides to Make This a Meal
- Chips and Salsa or Spicy Guacamole
- Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice
- Pinto Beans
- Mexican Street Corn
- Mexican Coleslaw
More Easy Taco Recipes to Make
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
- Fried Avocado Tacos
- Breakfast Tacos
- Baja Fish Tacos
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Blackened Fish Tacos
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Leah
I’m going to make this in the instant pot, because I was always taught to NEVER cook frozen chicken on the stove, because bacteria will start to grow as the meat thaws. Now, in the instant pot, the pressure takes care of that! I’m a little surprised at this being the recommendation.
Cooking it in the Instant Pot is a great idea and a hack I do often as I show in this post.
Stefanie SANCHEZ
Says to combine all ingredients. That can’t be right. Am I supposed to boil the corn tortillas, too? Is that what makes the sauce kind of thick? If not, I’m assuming I just add ingredients up to the beer. But then why do we blend the sauce? Does that change the texture?
Ann Armstrong
How many people does this serve?
El
I made this. And, it was indeed delicious. Plus very easy to make! We are going to have the leftovers over rice.
Eliza
On the stove, cooking away right now – smells incredible, can’t wait to eat this!
Kim in Palm Coast
How long do you cook the bird brick & goodies if using the crockpot?