Slow Cooker Hawaiian Beer Braised Chicken Tacos
Hawaiian beer braised chicken tacos are made with insanely flavorful shredded chicken that is cooked with pineapple, BBQ sauce, beer and a blend of spices. Top the tacos with super easy to make Avocado Lime Crema that is CRAZY good!! Make a delicious pineapple slaw by tossing some Avocado Lime Crema with shredded cabbage, cilantro and pineapple to add fresh crunch to the tacos! Recipe includes instructions for cooking the chicken in the slow cooker, instant pot and on the stovetop!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 412kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 ½ cups pineapple chunks
- ½ cup beer use your favorite or substitute with chicken broth
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- corn or flour tortillas
Avocado Lime Crema
- 1 large avocado
- ½ cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 4-5 pickled jalapeno slices (or more to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Slaw
- ½ head of cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- salt to taste
Instructions
Hawaiian Beer Braised Chicken
- Slow cooker: Add the chicken breasts, pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, beer, bbq sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and salt to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-6, or until the chicken is done and you can shred it.
- Instant pot: Add the chicken breasts, pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, beer, bbq sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and salt to the instant pot. Seal and cook on high for 30 minutes. Quick release when it's done and shred the chicken.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the chicken breasts, pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, beer, bbq sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and salt to an oven-safe baking dish. Cover and cook for 25-35 minutes, or until you can shred the chicken.
- Stovetop: Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet with tall sides and sear both sides of the chicken over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes (optional). Reduce heat to medium-low heat and add the pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, beer, bbq sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and salt. Cover and simmer for about 45-50 minutes, or until you can shred the chicken. If needed, add more beer to thin out the sauce so that there's always liquid in the skillet.
- If desired, transfer the shredded chicken (leaving the juices behind) to a parchment lined baking sheet and broil for about 5 minutes to carmalize and crisp the chicken. Watch closely! Then add the chicken back to the sauce.
- Stuff the chicken into a warmed tortilla and top with slaw and more avocado lime crema!
Avocado Lime Crema
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Slaw
- Toss together the cabbage, cilantro and pineapple with about ⅓ cup of Avocado Lime Crema. Season with salt.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1009mg | Potassium: 1146mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 864IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg
