Chef notes

There are endless reasons to love a slow-cooker dinner. They tend to be hands-off and often require few ingredients; these are the kinds of things that make them one of the most convenient ways to get dinner on the table for a crowd. The same can be said of these green chile chicken tacos, which have the added benefit of being a good-for-you meal that the whole family will love.

The recipe starts with boneless skinless chicken thighs, which simmer in the slow-cooker for hours. It’s a bit fattier than lean poultry, which makes it much harder to overcook. Even after stewing all afternoon, the chicken thighs are still moist and tender. To build more flavor, you’ll add onion wedges, smashed garlic cloves, canned chiles, orange and lime wedges, ground cumin and coriander to the slow-cooker. You can even bulk up the protein content by adding a can of black or pinto beans. They don’t need to cook for several hours (in fact, they could break down and become mushy if cooked for too long); just stir them in during the last few minutes to warm them through.

Perhaps my favorite way to serve these tacos is by turning them into a Birria-inspired version. Dip the tortillas in the broth that develops in the slow cooker to make them pliable. Place some chicken and Cotija cheese along one side of the tortilla, fold it over to seal and pan-sear it in some vegetable oil, flipping once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the tortillas are crisp and golden brown. Serve it with more of the broth for dipping — you can discard the larger chunks of onion, garlic and citrus, or strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve so you’re left with a clean broth. Otherwise, simply pile the chicken into warm corn tortillas and add the same classic taco toppings.

Technique Tip: There are two simple ways to warm up tortillas: 1) stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 to 15 seconds or; 2) use tongs to rotate the tortillas over a gas flame until blistered in spots.

Swap Option: Jarred green or red salsa will have a similar effect to the canned chiles — feel free to use about one cup of salsa instead.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
1 orange, quartered, plus more wedges for serving
1 lime, halved, plus more wedges for serving
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
diced avocado, for serving
crumbled Cotija cheese, for serving
fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

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Preparation

Combine the chicken thighs, onion, garlic, green chiles, orange, lime, salt, cumin and coriander in the bowl of a 6-to-8-quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours (or low for 4 to 5 hours), until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Pile the chicken into tortillas and drizzle on some of the liquid from the slow cooker. Serve with avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro and extra lime and orange wedges.