Description
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are juicy and tangy with fresh cranberries, apples and rosemary, and topped with a sweet and spicy cranberry salsa. They come together easily in the crockpot or instant pot.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (fresh or defrosted)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped (skin on)
- 3/4 cup no-salt added chicken broth
- 1/3 cup pure apple juice (not from concentrate)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the cranberry salsa:
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped (skin on)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (use the seeds for extra heat)
- 1 small red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 small red or yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed
- 5 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lime, juiced
For the tacos:
- 12–14 soft or hard taco shells
- additional toppings of choice
Instructions
Prepare chicken – slow cooker instructions:
- Grease the slow cooker insert with cooking spray and arrange the chicken in a single layer. Drizzle on the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for 3-3.5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
- Once cooked, remove what is left of the rosemary sprigs and use two forks to shred the chicken along with the cranberries and apples. The chicken should absorb most of the remaining liquid in the slow cooker.
- Set the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken out of the slow cooker (leaving any juices behind) and onto the baking sheet.
- Spread the chicken out and broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the edges and tips are browned. Don’t broil for too long as the chicken will dry out.
Prepare chicken – Instant Pot instructions:
- Grease the Instant Pot insert with cooking spray and arrange the chicken in a single layer. Drizzle on the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot, lock the lid in place and turn the valve to seal. Pressure cook for 15 minutes and naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove what is left of the rosemary sprigs and use two forks to shred the chicken along with the cranberries and apples. There may still be a lot of liquid left but that’s okay.
- Set the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken out of the Instant Pot (leaving juices behind) and onto the baking sheet.
- Spread the chicken out and broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the edges and tips are browned. Don’t broil for too long as the chicken will dry out.
Make cranberry salsa:
- While the chicken is cooking, add the salsa ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. If you want chunkier salsa, just pulse it a few times. Store the salsa in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator until ready to use. It will keep for 4-5 days.
Notes
- I used a 6-quart slow cooker which was large enough for the chicken to be arranged in a single layer. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you can half the recipe.
- This recipe calls for no salt added chicken broth. If you use low sodium or regular chicken broth you may wish to reduce the amount of salt you add to the chicken.
The cranberry salsa recipe is adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café.
