One-Pot Mexican Pulled Chicken

I make one-pot Mexican pulled chicken quite a lot. The family loves it. We use it for burritos, tacos, nachos, and enchiladas, to name a few things. It’s so easy to make that it can be made after a day at work. I have served it to friends for a Saturday night dinner and everyone has loved it. It is a super hit for potlucks too.

The Ingredients for One-Pot Mexican Pulled Chicken

My one-pot Mexican pulled chicken has just a handful of ingredients, but it packs a punch when it comes to flavours.

Ingredients List for this Chicken Recipe

• 1 red onion
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 chilies in adobo sauce + 2 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dehydrated oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup water

---

More Chicken Recipes you will Like:

---

Making the One-Pot Meal

I love chilies in adobo sauce. They give this Mexican pulled chicken a very earthy, smoky smell and flavor. The chilies are not very spicy, but they are an essential ingredient in this recipe, especially the sauce. You can find them in the International section of most grocery stores.

Frying the Onions

• Finely slice the red onion.
• Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and set it aside.
• In a large pot or pan (one that has a lid), heat the oil and add the onions to it.
• Let the onions cook for about 3-4 mins. This allows the onions to soften up a little. You don’t want to brown the onions. Browned or caramelized onions will alter the flavor a little. As the onions caramelize, they get sweeter and we don’t want that for this recipe.

Adding the Spices

• Add the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin powder, dehydrated oregano, salt, and pepper to the pan.
• At the same time, add the chili and the adobo sauce to the pan as well.
• Make sure to add the adobo sauce because that’s where most of the flavor is.
• Mix everything well and cook for about 1 min. The onions should be coated in spices.

Making the Mexican Pulled Chicken

Now we can add the chicken that we had chopped and set aside.

• Add the chicken to the pan and mix so that it gets coated with all the spices.
• Once coated, the chicken will take on a delicious-looking yellowing brown color. At this point, we can add the water to the pan and cover the pan.
• The lid should be tight so that the steam doesn’t escape. We need the steam to cook the chicken faster.
• Let the chicken cook for about 25 mins or so. Remove the lid from time to time to stir the pot.

When you first start off, there will be a lot of water in the pan. But, fret not. The water reduces down to almost nothing by the time we are done cooking it. By the time the cooking is done, there should still be some liquid left in the pan – about 3-4 tablespoons worth. This will help keep the chicken moist as we shred it or pull it apart.

Once the chicken has cooked for about 25 mins in a covered pan, remove the lid and continue to cook it for a further 4-5 mins. This helps reduce the leftover liquid to almost nothing. By now the Mexican chicken should be very tender and delicious. Turn the heat off and using a fork, shred or pull the Mexican chicken apart. The leftover liquid will disappear as you shred the chicken.

Serving Suggestions

And voila! In less than an hour, you have delicious tender, juicy, moist Mexican pulled chicken. Chop some fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle on the chicken just before you serve. Serve with some fresh warm corn tortillas, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, etc. Enjoy warm. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge and reheat before serving.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and past the recipe to find the comment form. Please fill out details of what you liked and what you would like to see improved. Comments are loved! I look forward to hearing how much you enjoyed the recipe!

Stay Connected

Don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter and be the first to learn about all my new recipes. And, don’t forget to follow me on my social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.

Don’t forget to follow me: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.