Slow Cooker Chipotle Honey Chicken Taco Salad Lunch Bowls

By: Denise Bustard14 Comments
Posted: 1/19/21 Updated: 1/19/21

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Make your meal prep hands off with this smoky chipotle honey twist on a taco salad. The chicken simmers in the slow cooker, with the sauce doubling as a dressing for the salad!

When it comes to meal prep, using your appliances can make your prep effortless and hands off. Favorite meal prep recipes that use the slow cooker include Instant Pot honey garlic chicken thighs, as well as slow cooker teriyaki chicken.

Overhead view of four glass meal prep containers with slow cooker chipotle honey chicken

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This recipe takes the classic taco salad and gives it a twist: swapping ground beef for chipotle honey-flavored shredded chicken, and using a rainbow blend of cabbage, bell peppers and shredded carrots. It's crunchy, refreshing, and perfect for lunch!

Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe

it's easy to get it cooking and the slow cooker makes it effortless
the sauce doubles as a salad dressing
you can get creative with the salad ingredients
it keeps well for 4 days- perfect for meal prep!

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Ingredient notes

wood cutting board with shredded purple cabbage, sliced yellow pepper, and shredded carrots

chicken breast- we are cooking 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe; feel free to swap for bone-in chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs (adjust the cook time to 4-5 hours on low for either)
adobo sauce + chipotle pepper- these add a wonderful smoky and spiciness to the salad. Find them in a can in the Mexican foods section of the grocery store. If you like it spicy, add in one whole chipotle pepper (whole, we will remove later). If you want to reduce the spiciness, add the adobo sauce but skip the chipotle pepper.
vegetables- you can definitely get creative here, but I went with a blend of purple cabbage, bell pepper and shredded carrot. See notes on substitutions below.
tortilla strips- this adds delicious crunchy texture as well as salty flavor to the salad, however if you plan to meal prep the salad, be sure to add the tortilla strips just before serving as they will get soggy otherwise.

Step by step directions

chipotle honey chicken in white bowl after shredding

1. Cook the chicken- In a 2.5 quart slow cooker, stir together the honey, chicken stock, salt, garlic, lime juice, adobo sauce and chipotle pepper (if using). Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

chicken in chipotle honey sauce in white bowl being shredded

2. Shred the chicken- Remove the chipotle pepper using tongs and discard. Using two forks, shred the chicken into strips. Alternatively, you can transfer to a clean bowl and shred in seconds using an electric hand mixer.

Overhead view of slow cooker chipotle honey chicken with salad in meal prep container

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Portion- Divide the chopped vegetables between four 2-cup meal prep containers. Add ½ cup chicken to each bowl, and spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce over each meal prep container.

Store- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

chipotle honey chicken with taco salad in a white bowl with a fork

Serve- Sprinkle with tortilla strips, toss it all up, and enjoy!

FAQ

Is this recipe spicy?

Adding a whole chipotle pepper does add some kick to this recipe. If you'd like to tone it down, simply omit the pepper. I do recommend adding the adobo sauce as it adds a nice smoky flavor to the sauce.

Can I swap the chicken?

Yes, feel free to swap the boneless chicken breasts for bone-in, or use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Increase the cook time to 4-5 hours on low.

Can I cook this in a larger slow cooker?

The caveat to 5-6 quart slow cookers is that you need to cook a lot of chicken at once. I recommend using a smaller slow cooker (I like this 2.5 quart slow cooker) to cook 1 lb of chicken.

If you have a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, you will need to double the recipe (the liquid will be too thin and the chicken may dry out). You can freeze half of the chicken for later!

Can I use a low carb sweetener?

While I haven't tested, I suspect that would be just fine.

Do you serve this warm or cold?

Personally, I serve it cold, however that's totally up to you!

Variations

Swap the chicken for these honey chipotle meatballs
Swap in traditional taco salad ingredients: romaine lettuce, tomatoes (or salsa, cheese, avocado, corn or black beans
Serve it in a tortilla
Swap the chicken for this slow cooker honey lime chicken recipe

Storage

Meal prep containers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

I do not recommend freezing the meal prep bowls, however the chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Find my favorite meal prep containers here!

More slow cooker chicken recipes

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.