Slow Cooker Pollo Tacos al Pastor

Slow Cooker Pollo Tacos al Pastor ~ Chicken cooked in seasoned broth, shredded and put in a delicious tortilla and topped with slaw.
This is not traditional al Pastor. Traditional al pastor is usually pork, marinated in a paste blend of chiles, pineapple, and other spices, then slowly cooked on a trompo or a vertical rotisserie. My grill is cheap and does not have the rotisserie attachment which would still be horizontal.

I’m not really in the market to acquire a trompo or even purchase the horizontal attachment for my grill. But I am very much in the market for those flavors. I realize I could slowly grill a pork loin that has been marinated the same way but I really wanted to mix things up.

Hosting summer parties is something I really love doing, but standing over the grill for at least half the party is not something I love doing. Pork is a personal favorite but I have a few friends who do not eat pork, therefore I had to swap out my proteins. I went with the ever-faithful chicken. It’s simple, affordable, and best of all, everyone generally likes chicken, save my vegetarian and vegan friends.

I wanted to try slowly cooking chicken with the al pastor flavors. If I slow-cooked the chicken, I could simply shred it with forks, dunk it back in the broth it had been cooking in all day, and then turn it into tacos. Simple and easy and I can enjoy my dinner party instead of standing over a hot grill.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SwansonSummer #CollectiveBias

Sam’s Club seemed like the appropriate place for me to grab the majority of what I needed. I picked up a bag of chicken, and it was time to for me to restock my pantry with Swanson’s Chicken Broth. I’ve been buying the cans there for years, and then pick up cartons at another store but now they come packaged in 6-32 oz cartons.

Some notes about making the dish, to find chipotle in adobo, you’ll need to look on the Hispanic foods aisle at your market. Chipotles are dried jalapeños and are spicy, at least they are to me, so start with only 1 chile, blend, taste it, then add more if you want more heat.

These Slow Cooker Pollo Tacos al Pastor are topped with a tangy but light pineapple coleslaw.

Slow Cooker Pollo Tacos al Pastor

Servings: 20

Author: Michelle

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Ingredients

• Corn Tortillas
• 2 lbs chicken; boneless and skinless
• Pineapple Coleslaw for topping

Al Pastor

• 1 cup Swanson's Chicken Broth
• 1-20 oz can pineapple tidbits , juice included
• 1 cup white onion; diced
• 1/2 cup orange juice or 1 orange; peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 3-4 cloves garlic; roughly chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano (Mexican if possible)
• 1 large or 2 small chipotle peppers (from the can in adobo)
• 1-2 tsp adobo sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper; to taste

Optional ingredients for garnishing

• Chopped cilantro
• Diced white onions
• Lime wedges
• Queso fresco

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a slow cooker.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the broth to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Once smooth, pour over the chicken, mixing the chicken so it's completely coated.
4. Pour in the broth and stir.
5. Place the lid on the slow cooker.
6. Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours, until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
7. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker.
8. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then return it to the juice in the slow cooker, allowing the meat to be thoroughly covered.
9. Before serving, using a slotted spoon to strain the meat from the liquid, placing it in a large bowl.
10. Reserve the cooking liquid for an optional dish.

Assembly

1. Layer warmed corn tortilla with chicken and then the pineapple coleslaw, garnish with any or all of the optional ingredients.
2. Serve and enjoy

I know that when you think of broth, you generally think of soups and stews, but broth is used in so many of my recipes. How might you use Swanson’s Chicken Broth this summer?  If you need some ideas, you can check out the demo happening nationwide this coming Friday (7-31) from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm.

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Thank you for sharing!