Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken Filling
This is an updated recipe from 2011 and it remains one of my very favorites! I love this chicken. I love how the sauce becomes almost creamy when it’s blended but it’s made completely of vegetables! We love serving Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken Filling wrapped up in a warm tortilla with sliced tomatoes and cheese and sour cream. Make sure to season the chicken at the end of the cooking time. A little bit of salt and lime juice goes a long way.
What are tomatillos?
Don’t be scared! Tomatillos are so good. They are not spicy! They look like little green tomatoes with a papery husk. They are in the same family as a tomato but they have a distinctive tart flavor. Ask for them in your produce section at the grocery store this week.
Other recipes with tomatillos:
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Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken Filling
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Slow Cooker Tomatillo Chicken Filling: tender, moist pieces of shredded chicken with an almost creamy (but healthy) sauce that is tomatillo based. This Chicken Filling is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, salads or plain!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used frozen)
- 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 tomatillos
- 1 red onion
- 1 poblano pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 1/2 tsp cumin, divided
- 2 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them off. Slice them in half and place them around the chicken.
- Cut the onion into wedges (I cut mine into eighths). Place onions around the chicken.
- Slice the poblano in half and remove seeds. Cut into about four pieces and place into the slow cooker.
- Peel the garlic cloves and place them in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the chicken with oregano and cumin.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or if the chicken is frozen cook for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the lid and put chicken on a cutting board. Shred the chicken on the cutting board.
- Place the remaining contents of the slow cooker into a strainer and strain off the liquid (reserve a little bit of the liquid). Place the non-liquid contents into a blender or food processor and pulse until semi-smooth.
- Put the chicken back into the slow cooker and then add in the sauce you just made in the blender. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp cumin and lime juice. Stir and taste. Season additionally to taste, if needed.
- Use chicken in tacos, on salads, in burritos or enchiladas.
Notes
I used my 6 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
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Some other slow cooker recipes you may like:
Serve this recipe with…
- Homemade flour tortillas from Chef in Training
- Homemade corn tortillas from Simply Recipes
- Avocado corn salsa from Our Best Bites
- Better than Cafe Rio black beans
Excellent and easy! TY!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Nancy!
I made it with 2.5 lbs frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts, medium organic yellow onion, 8 tomatilloes from our garden and it came out great! Chicken was cooked on low done in about 5 hours. Used 7oz can green chilies because that’s what I had. Saved remaining liquid for stock. Used zest from the lime too. Thank you!
★★★★★
Can this be made with boneless skinless chicken breasts instead?
Sure you could do that!
I will rate after I taste; love all these ingredients and use them often.
It is cooking now. What is to be done with the reserved liquid that does not go into the blender?
On my plate, tasting great with a carrot/cauliflower mash and a dollop of sour cream. Next time will add jalapeno or serranos or both . I can also see this as a great soup with the carrots, cauliflower and chicken broth. Thanks for this.
★★★★★
Glad you liked in Sharon! I just discard the extra liquid.
Excellent and delicious recipe! Will definitely make for my Cinco de Mayo get together 😊
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Dianna!