Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

You guys know how much we love a convenient and family-friendly dinner (or 50 of them for that matter). So I’m super excited to present you all with this one from my friend Tiffany of Peanut Blossom.

It’s no exaggeration to say the delicious sweet and spicy mix of this recipe will take your Taco Tuesdays up a notch.

Truly, these tacos are incredible all on their own (a new variety that the kids will still love) but the fact that they’re made in a slow cooker – so you can set ’em and forget ’em – will make them your new favorite.

Here’s Tiffany with the full recipe…

There is something about the cold, dreary days of winter that make me long for tropical infused cuisine. When the sleet and snow drizzle down, someone please hand me a daiquiri so I can pretend I’m on an island vacation! Since daiquiris don’t get dinner on the table, I’ve been forced to find my fiesta elsewhere.

This recipe for spicy chicken tacos with sweet pineapple salsa is so simple and perfect for a cold chilly evening when you’re too tired to cook. The meat comes together easily in the crock pot and the salsa can be made when you have a pocket of time earlier in the day.

Even the picky eaters in our family gobbled this up. I was happy it was a lightened version of our favorite tacos with an emphasis on fruit over heavy cheese & sour cream.

Spicy Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Inspired by America’s Test Kitchen’s Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution

For the pineapple salsa:

Ingredients:

2 cups 1/4 inch pineapple pieces
Juice of 3 limes (reserve 1 tbsp of juice for the chicken!!)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Method:

Combine the ingredients, cover, and let marinate in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the chicken:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp chili powder
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce + 1 tsp of sauce
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can canned tomato sauce
4 tsp sugar
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
salt & pepper to taste
reserved 1 tbsp of lime juice from the salsa
corn tortillas, warmed

Method:

Combine oil, chili powder, garlic, chipotle, coriander, and cumin in a bowl and microwave until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in tomato sauce and sugar. Season the chicken with sale and pepper and then turn to coat in the sauce.

Cover and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 2 to 3 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred into bite sized pieces. Stir the remaining tbsp of lime juice into the crockpot sauce. If the sauce is still too thick, add a splash of hot water until desired consistency is reached. Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir to combine.

Serve with warmed tortillas and topped with salsa.

Looking for more great crock pot ideas?

This recipe is a tweaked version of one found in America’s Test Kitchen’s “Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution.” It has 200 light family-friendly recipes that have an emphasis on fruits and veggies.

Our family has been working our way through the entire trio of their slow cooker cookbooks over the last couple of years and I have yet to experience one of their recipes bombing.

Some of our favorites have included:

This set of books is our go-to resource for almost every weekend fall through winter and for many busy school nights. I frequently double their servings to stock my freezer. The recipe for the chicken tacos should yield plenty of leftovers for you to do the same!

You can find your own copies of our essential slow cooker handbooks here:

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Tiffany Dahle is the hostess behind Peanut Blossom where she shares her belief that strong families start with strong and happy mothers. For her that means capturing beautiful photography, discovering new family friendly food, and enjoying a good book. Join her and other recovering readers wanting to prioritize a little “me time” with her No Stress Book Club.