Chicken, Slow CookerNathan Moomawchicken

Orange-Guajillo Chicken

Chicken, Slow CookerNathan Moomawchicken
Orange-Guajillo Chicken

After I had my daughter, some friends brought over fixings for tacos as part of our meal train. It was one of those perfect “new parent” meals and was my inspiration for making these pulled chicken tacos for my sister-in-law after she had her baby. Served on corn tortillas with onions, radishes, cilantro and sharp cheddar cheese. These are also really tasty with Cojito cheese.

The chicken can be made ahead of time. It’s easy to reheat and enjoy throughout the week. The earthy Orange-Guajillo Chili sauce is great for white meats, like chicken and pork, but I’ve also used it with lamb and loved it. Guajillo chilies are available dry in the Hispanic foods section of most grocery stores. 

And tacos are just one way this pulled chicken can be served. Rice bowls, quesadillas, baked sweet potatoes, or even mixed into scrambled eggs. This basic recipe can be used with pretty much any cut suitable for braising, like chicken, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder, or stew meat.

Here is a great video tutorial on how to quickly break down a whole chicken to use in this recipe.


Orange-Guajillo Chili Pulled Chicken

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 3 - 4 Hours Serves 4-6

  • 5 Medium Dried Guajillo Chilies (destemmed, seeded and torn into 1” pieces)

  • 1 ½ Cups Orange Juice

  • 7 cloves Garlic, smashed

  • 2 Tbs. white vinegar

  • 2 Tsp. Honey or sugar

  • 2 Tsp. Ground Coriander

  • 1 ½ Tsp. Dried Oregano

  • ¼ Tsp. Dried Chili Flake

  • 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

  • 3 - 4 Lbs. Chicken, cut into 4 - 8 pieces

Suggested Taco Fixings

  • Warm corn tortillas

  • White onion, chopped

  • Radishes, sliced

  • Cilantro

  • Cojito cheese

  • Fresh limes

Instructions

  • Toast the guajillo chilies in a large skillet over medium-high heat, pressing and flipping until fragrant. Place in a bowl and cover with orange juice. Let stand 10 minutes or until softened.

  • Pour into a blender, add the garlic, vinegar, coriander, oregano, chili flake and salt. Blend until smooth. An immersion blender, if you have one, also works great for this.

  • Place the chicken pieces into a slow cooker and cover with the chili sauce. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked and pulls apart easily. (This can also be cooked in an instant pot, using the manual function set for 13 minutes and letting the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.)

  • Remove chicken from the sauce and allow to cool enough to handle. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any bones. Return shredded chicken to the sauce and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning as needed.

  • To serve as tacos, place pulled chicken on warmed corn tortillas and top with chopped onions, radishes, cilantro and crumbled Cojito cheese. Squeeze with fresh lime juice.

* Use this recipe as a guide, adjust as needed.