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    Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food

    Smoky Pulled Chicken

    Published: Sep 9, 2021 · Modified: Dec 5, 2021 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    I cannot get enough of this smoky pulled chicken! Made with succulent boneless chicken thighs, spices and chipotle paste and utterly delicious on its own, served with rice, piled on top of nachos or stuffed inside tacos or a burrito. Versatile, easy and tasty? It's a yes from me. I always love making foods that can be served in several different ways as it means that using leftovers are easy and don't require you to keep eating the same dish for 3 straight dinners. Not that you're likely to have any leftovers of this mind you...it's pretty addictive.

    This smoky pulled chicken brings all the warmth, it's hot and spicy, tender and juicy. I made it pretty off the cuff, I just had a craving for some delicious shredded chicken and actually managed to pull it off pretty well I think (please, forgive the pun)!

    This is a pretty hot and spicy shredded chicken so you can remove some of the heat if you like by adding less chilli, or just smother it in sour cream to cool it down when you eat it which is always my choice. It tastes great with a classic guacamole, and I also served a sweetcorn salsa when I made my leftovers into these tacos the next day!

    smoky pulled chicken with sour cream

    This was inspired by my research into Mexico which is somewhere I am dying to go, and hearing all about Pollo Tinga from friends who have been there. Mexican Chicken Tinga is a pulled chicken

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top tip
    • Smoky Pulled Chicken
    • Food safety

    Ingredients

    There are a few stages to making this smoky pulled chicken but it really isn't very complex. First, gather all your ingredients together and then crack on.

    The spice mix for spicy pulled chicken
    • Boneless chicken thighs
    • Chipotle paste
    • White onion
    • Bell pepper
    • Ground cumin
    • Ground coriander
    • Dried oregano
    • Chilli flakes
    • Garlic powder
    • Tinned tomatoes
    • Salt and pepper

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Place the chicken thighs in a bowl with the chipotle paste and leave to marinade in the fridge.

    Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Peel the onion and cut the bell peppers in half, removing the seeds. Place them on a baking tray in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, we want them charred to give a smoky flavour.

    peppers and onion on a baking tray ready to be roasted

    Peel the skins off the peppers

    charred bell pepper and onion after roasting

    In dry non-stick pan, fry the spices for a minute until fragrant.

    Blend until a smooth, spicy red sauce forms and season with salt to taste.

    Place the onion, peppers and spices in a blender and add the tinned tomatoes.

    Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste.

    toasted spices blended with the grilled peppers and onions

    Now fry the chipotle chicken thighs in some oil and once browned on either side, pour over the sauce. Leave to cook for 20 minutes and then shred the meat with two forks. Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes and then you're ready!

    Chicken thighs marinated in chipotle spice mix
    A bowl of smoky pulled chicken

    Hint: Chicken thighs are much better to use in recipes like this as they have higher fat content and therefore won't dry out.

    Variations

    Here are a few ways you can change up this recipe to suit you!

    • Mild - Remove the chilli flakes from the spice mix to turn down the heat on this recipe
    • Bun - Make it into a sandwich!
    • Vegetarian - Try this with jack fruit to make it suitable for vegetarians or vegans

    Equipment

    This smoky pulled chicken recipe doesn't need much in the way of fancy equipment, but a good Le Creuset casserole pan and a kitchenaid will serve you well for many a food adventure so I'll always recommend it!

    Storage

    Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Good for 2-3 days.

    Top tip

    Make more of this than you think you will need, as you will want leftovers.

    Smoky Pulled Chicken

    Rosanna Stevens
    A hot and spicy shredded chicken recipe
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 222 kcal

    Equipment

    • Oven tray
    • casserole pot
    • Blender

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoon chipotle paste
    • 500 grams boneless chicken thighs
    • 1 white onion
    • 2 bell pepper
    • 400 grams tomatoes (one can)
    • 1 lime

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F
    • Marinate the chicken in the chipotle paste and leave in the fridge.
    • Peel the onion and slice the peppers in half lengthways, removing the seeds
      peppers and onion
    • Place the onions and peppers on a baking tray and cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes until charred on the outside
      charred bell pepper and onion
    • Heat a non-stick frying pan and dry fry the spices for 1 minute until fragrant.
    • Peel the skin off the peppers
    • Place the peppers, onion, spices and the tin of tomatoes to the blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
      toasted spices blended with the grilled peppers and onions
    • Heat some oil in a casserole pot and fry the chicken until browned on both sides.
    • Add the sauce, and allow to cook down for 20 minutes.
    • Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes.
    • Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
      smoky pulled chicken

    Nutrition

    Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 15gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 473mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1971IUVitamin C: 64mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword hot and spicy shredded chicken, mexican food, Smoky pulled chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Food safety

    « Grilled Peach Panzanella Salad With Feta
    Tender Shredded Chicken Tacos »

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    Comments

    1. Beth says

      January 16, 2022 at 4:06 pm

      5 stars
      So tasty, thank you for the recipe!

      Reply

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    Rosanna Stevens

    Hi!

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

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