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Mexican Pulled Chicken is easy to make, super flavorful and the basis for so many delicious meals!
Jack recently prepared a wonderful Mexican-themed dinner for us, and this Mexican Pulled Chicken recipe played a starring role in several of the dishes he made. This chicken is perfectly flavored with a spicy blend of tomatoes and peppers as well as other seasonings. It’s cooked in the oven until fork-tender, then shredded. Scroll down to the recipe card below to watch a video to see how it’s made.
A good Mexican pulled chicken is a great recipe to have in your go-to recipe collection! It can be eaten as-is or as part of a sandwich, or it can be used in many other recipes! In fact, several of our other very popular recipes here on A Family Feast use this recipe including our enchiladas, Mexican lasagna, and our chicken chimichangas!
The key is to use a mix of white and dark meat in this recipe (we used a combination of boneless chicken thighs and breasts) – because the thigh meat lends so much more flavor and juiciness to the finished dish than using the breast meat alone.
Since originally posting this recipe back in February 2013, this Mexican Pulled Chicken has become one of our most popular recipes of all time. We’ve updated the photos and created a video (scroll down below to watch it) since our original post.
Can I make Mexican Pulled Chicken in the slow cooker?
Over the years, we’ve been asked if this Mexican Pulled Chicken recipe can be made in the slow cooker. The answer is YES!
While we haven’t cooked it in the slow cooker ourselves, several of our readers have posted in the comment section below that they saw great results making this recipe in their crock pot. Enjoy!
Interested in more chicken recipes?
Click here for our 100+ Best Chicken Recipes.
You may also like these other recipes made with this Mexican Pulled Chicken:
- Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce
- Chicken Chimichangas
- Pulled Chicken Chilaquiles
- Pulled Chicken Tacos
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Mexican Pulled Chicken
Mexican Pulled Chicken is easy to make, super flavorful and the basis for so many delicious meals!
Ingredients
- 1 sweet red pepper, stemmed and seeded and cut into large rings
- 1 large onion, trimmed and cut into large rings
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons Agave Nectar
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (leaves)
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 2 tablespoons Rocket Fuel (or your favorite hot sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
- Spray a pan or glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and lay pepper and onion rings on the bottom.
- Lay chicken over onions and peppers.
- In a medium sauce pan, place all other ingredients and heat to a boil. Stir to combine ingredients and remove from heat.
- Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken. Cover with parchment paper then foil. (The parchment paper will prevent the tomato acids from reacting with the foil.)
- Place in oven for three hours.
- Remove the pan from oven and peel off parchment paper and foil.
- Place chicken on a cutting board and shred with two forks.
- Pour remaining mixture from baking dish into a strainer and strain out most of the liquid then place back into baking dish
- Place pulled chicken meat back in with tomato mixture in baking dish and mix to combine.
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I made this for my boys and me.It was very tasty and easy to make.I did not have some of the ingredients but substituted for similar. Will make again
Thanks Jane – So glad the recipe was a success!
Hi! If you cut the recipe in half, does this mean you cook the chicken for less time?
Hi Alli – Half the amount will probably take some less time, but it will also depend on the size of the pan you use. I’d start checking at 2 around hours to see if the chicken is tender at that point. Enjoy!
Can I use honey instead of the agave nectar and can I use wax paper?
Hi Dianne – Honey will lend a little bit flavor to the chicken but it should be fine. You do NOT want to use wax paper – the wax will melt into your food.
Can I use honey instead of the agave nectar and yellow mustard instead of whole grain?
Hi Diane – Just saw this question too – yellow mustard has a much stronger vinegar taste – if you don’t have whole grain, I’d suggest Dijon instead.
This looks delicious. I was just wondering how one can be sure it doesn’t overcook, as i always worry about that with chicken since I’ve ruined many dishes that way. does the low cooking temp and moisture just enable the chicken to get juicer the longer it cooks?
I had an instructor in culinary school that taught us that you either cook meat hot and fast or long and slow. Cooking hot and fast seals in the juices and cooking long and slow tenderizes meat and brings out flavor. Sealed in a slow cooker, the chicken has no choice but to come out moist.
Try it in a Crockpot
I made this recipe in my Crockpot yesterday and I was very happy with the results. I followed the recipe exactly I did it all in a Crockpot set on low. It turned out beautifully so, give it a try and enjoy.
Thanks Karen! Glad it was a success!
Hi, I am hoping to make this for a house warming on the weekend. but dont have Agave nectar, could I use honey instead?
if so would I need a lot of it as I have just read Agave is sweeter than honey?
Hi Clare – You can definitely swap in honey – I’d keep to the same 4 tablespoons. Honey has a bit more flavor than the agave so personally I wouldn’t add more. (We add it to mellow the acidity of the tomatoes so you’re not looking to add a lot of sweetness.) Hope that helps!
Yum! I could eat that.
Thanks Maggie! Hope you’ll give the recipe a try!
We served make-your-own nachos for our Cinco de Mayo-themed baby shower and this recipe played a vital part! In contrast to a spicy hot chipotle beef dish, I wanted to serve a mild pulled chicken that would have enough complexity of flavor to be delicious without the heat. I ended up using the ingredients as written, except for omitting the hot sauces. The seasonings and cooking instructions were spot on! The meat was tender and juicy and perfect on nachos or salad base, accompanied by Tex-Mex toppings. A tip for folks like me who need to double this recipe for a crowd: with 8 lbs of meat and juices, I was concerned that my deep roasting pan might overflow so I baked about 2/3 in the oven and 1/3 in a crockpot on high. The crockpot required about an hour’s extra time. Thank you for this recipe! You’ve now inspired me to make enchiladas!
You’re very welcome Lisa! What a great menu for a baby shower and thank you for the info on oven vs slow cooker cooking!
Loved the recipe. Chicken stayed moist and flavorful. I would add a Chipotle pepper next time for more heat and smokey flavor
Thank you!