February 25 2022 by Jill Wallentin![Jill Wallentin]()
, photo by Lenka Selinger![Lenka Selinger]()
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE![Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE]()
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal
, photo by Lenka Selinger
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
in Recipes, Dinner, Meal Mexican pulled chicken
Mexican pulled chicken is as flavorful as is it versatile. Have it "burrito bowl" style with toppings of your choice, or try one of our low carb tortilla recipes. At 40 grams of protein per serving, this will be a nutritious meal that will surely end up in your family's weekly rotation. Cook it in your Dutch oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
USMetric
servingservings
Ingredients
- 1 (4 oz.) 1 (110 g) yellow onionyellow onions
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 4 4 garlic clove, mincedgarlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp chili powder (adjust heat according to preference)
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 lbs 900 g boneless chicken thighs
- 1½ tsp 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 14 oz. (12⁄3 cups) 400 g (400 ml) crushed tomatoes
- 6 oz. (1 cup) 170 g (230 ml) black beans (canned)
- 1 (5 oz.) 1 (140 g) green bell pepper, slicedgreen bell peppers, sliced
- ½ cup 120 ml chicken broth, for Instant Pot method only (optional)
Serving
- ¾ cup 180 ml sour cream
- ½ cup (¼ oz.) 120 ml (8 g) fresh cilantro
This recipe has been added to the shopping list.
www.dietdoctor.com
Making low carb simple
Instructions
Dutch oven
- Peel and cut the onion in half and slice it.
- Heat a Dutch oven on medium-high heat with half of the olive oil (or you can use a large frying pan if you plan to use a slow cooker).
- Add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle chili. Fry until the onion is soft.
- Add to the Dutch oven the rest of the olive oil together with the chicken thighs, salt, and ground black pepper. Mix well and fry until the chicken is lightly browned.
- Turn the heat to low, add the tomatoes and beans, mix.
- Place a sheet of aluminum foil between the Dutch oven and its lid to retain moisture and speed up the cooking process. Let it simmer for about one hour.
- When the chicken is cooked and falls apart easily, shred it using two forks. Add the bell peppers and mix. Taste and add more seasonings accordingly. Let it cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve the pulled chicken in bowls, topped with sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Slow cooker
- After you fry the chicken in step 4, transfer the chicken and onion mix to the slow cooker. Add the crushed tomatoes, black beans, peppers and mix well.
- Cook for 3 hrs on the high setting.
Instant Pot
- Set your Instant Pot to saute, add the oil. When the pot is hot, add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle chili powder. Fry for a few minutes until the onion is soft.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, and broth. The broth is important because the Instant Pot needs enough liquid to cook properly. Mix the ingredients and set the lid onto the pressure cooker and lock it into place. Turn on the Instant Pot, select "Pressure Cook" setting, set to "high pressure" for 10 minutes, and press start.
- Once the timer has expired and the chicken has finished cooking, allow some of the pressure to release naturally for about 10-12 minutes. Carefully, release the valve to let the rest of the steam out and open the Instant Pot. Cool for a few minutes and then shred the chicken inside of the pot with tongs. Be careful, the sides will be very hot!
Serving suggestions
This dish pairs perfectly with guacamole, shredded Mexican cheese, and tomato salsa.
Modify your ingredients to fit your health goals
You'll decrease the net carbs by 6 g and the protein by 4 g per serving by skipping the beans.
If you replace the chicken thighs with chicken breast, you'll increase the protein by 6 g and decrease the fat by 3 g per serving.
Great to hear. In the future, I hope this could be done in an even better way so the user can customize the recipes themselves or get recommendations based on their health goals.
Best,
Jill
Thanks for your feedback!