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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“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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Ruth
I have taco night about 3 nights a week, hehe, could absolutely live on them! These look so yummy and easy! You’ve sold me- I’m making a variation tonight!
Tracy @ Peanut Butter and Onion
Dinner is served tonight
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
I am literally drooling!!!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Totally drooling over here! I love these, Heidi!
Emily
So totally adding these tacos to our Taco Tuesday rotation. Mmm…
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
It’s hard to say what I like more about this: the frozen bird trick, the taco shell trick, or just the whole dang taco. Amazing.
Kevin (Closet Cooking)
Nice looking tacos!
Now coming from the taco king that’s a compliment! Thanks Kevin!
natalie @ wee eats
Do you have a specific pale beer that you recommend for this recipe?
Oh yes. My husband’s favorite. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
natalie @ wee eats
these look great. it will be the perfect easy meal for us when we get home from vacation :)
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
They look delicious!! One pot wonders are the best :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Drooling, these are perfect for taco Tuesday!
Giulia
Yummmy! I make something similar by cooking my frozen chicken breasts in the slow-cooker with a block of cream cheese, 2 cups of frozen corn, a can of beans and a jar of salsa. It comes together nicely and works great in tacos or burritos. It’s perfect when you forget to thaw the meat.
Whoa! Now THAT is a recipe. Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try. I love braising with the frozen birdie. So easy.
Traci
Great job Heidi! These look perfect. I am adding these to my taco collection. I’m always trying out new tacos. I think I have a fettish or something. Is there an addiction meeting for us?
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Love these tacos! Gorgeous presentation!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
Tipsy chicken, you say? Tacos, you say?? I’M ALL IN.
Lauren Grier @ (Climbing Grier Mountain)
I am completely smitten with this recipe! I crave Mexican food more than a person should so anytime there’s a delicious one-pot wonder in my sight, I am all over it. Can’t wait to dig in!
carrian
I love your one pot wonder chicken! It looks awesome and who wouldn’t like not having to defrost meat. Especially on the days you realize you forgot to get something out of the freezer.
Ali | Gimme Some Oven
Ha – “the brick of frozen bird” made me LOL. These sound so great!!! I eat tacos WAY too much. Will have to try these in my rotation! :)
You have amazing tacos on your blog, must be the reason you eat them so often. Not hard when you have a taco truck right in your own kitchen.
Tieghan
love these tacos! Yum! I want these for dinner. Why are tacos always so appealing!?!
Cassie | Bake Your Day
This is fantastic, Heidi! I grew up on stewed chicken but this is almost like a grownup version of it. Great flavors!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
I seriously love any kind of taco! This chicken recipe is so easy! I love the idea of just adding cilantro stems. Way to use the whole herb!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
I love this idea! Gorgeous photos, so appetizing!
Jen @ Savory Simple
These are going into my recipe box! We have taco night around here all the time and you’ve made me realize I have NO taco recipes on the blog. Unacceptable!
patti
They look so delicious, They’re calling my name.
Azzira
Great stuff for one second I thought it is sizzler. Hmmmmmmm its seems yummy.
Fish store