Creamy chicken poblano recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs in Crockpot is great. Make spicy or mild, our cheesy Mexican shredded chicken dinner will become a new family favorite one pot meal.
You have got to try poblano chicken tonight! You can choose to add all sorts of different peppers to add into this dish. Not only do they add color and texture but if you love heat there are many choices to do that too. Just one of many Crock pot recipes we have on our site with very little prep. (affiliate links present)
Slow Cooker Poblano Chicken Recipe
Love stuffed green peppers? Us too!! You donโt have to spend all afternoon preparing all the ingredients to stuff the insides. Instead dice or slice them up and cooked with meat they really add a lot of flavor. Choose one or a few different types to make this classic Mexican dish.
But wait, we are making this a creamy Crockpot chicken recipe version with some cheddar cheese and cream cheese too, that is right. I mean you canโt go wrong with those two added ingredients right? Need it to be dairy free? NO problem, I have done it that way too for my husband who needs lactose free foods.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken boneless skinless thighs or breasts
- 1 onion sliced we love
- 1/4 c taco seasoning in a jar makes it easy
- 1 tbsp minced garlic are in everything we make
- 3 poblano peppers roasted, seeded, thinly sliced
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 c cheese shredded
with frozen chicken
As for meats you can use either breasts or thighs, but I love tender dark meat really. Have a forgetful moment and need to throw Crockpot frozen chicken for this? Yep, that isnโt an issue either. I have been there yโall and have done it all. Just make sure they are separated and boneless.
Our frozen chicken thighs in slow cooker work too. Believe it or not the timing stays the same. The only thing you need to make sure of is that your pieces are apart. If not run cool water over them and break apart with your hands so they cook evenly.
Substitutions
Poblano peppers are the only ones we used here but there are so many options out there to use. If you love bell peppers you could slice and add some of those too. Red, yellow and orange are more on the sweeter side whereas green is more savory of the 4.
Then you could go into the spicy options, some are green like roasted jalapenos where others may be red. Know the scoville level of what you are adding. Once you add heat you really canโt take it back.
How to Cook Chicken Poblano in Slow Cooker
- Prepare a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bottom layer the onions and chicken.
- Top with other ingredients; the taco seasoning, garlic, and poblano peppers.
- Dot the cream cheese over the top.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Shred the chicken thighs with two forks.
- Stir the chicken and vegetables until the cream cheese is melted if you want to make creamy poblano style.
- Serve topped with cheese and freshly chopped cilantro.
Another substitute we have used when it is the right time of year has been a few diced smoked chiles!! I mean those have incredible flavor but you are only in season quickly during the summertime so not always fresh and available.
Cook time for this is about 6 hours, depending on the size of the meat. If you use breasts like in our parmesan chicken slow cooker it may be an additional hour. Bone-in works but will be more work for you at the end as you pull the meat off and shred.
How to serve
There are many ways you can serve this up really, I mean you donโt have to use our suggestions but we are pretty amazing so why wouldnโt you. ๐ lol. Usually this will be served over a bed of rice if I am in a pinch. If I think ahead to have all the things I will make chicken tacos out of it with cool cole slaw on top.
For more of a Chicken Poblano Soup you would just add more broth or thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch whisked with liquid. Add 30 minutes before, or some heavy cream will make it creamier.
To make this on the stovetop use a deep pan with a lid. Add some olive oil into your pan with medium size defrosted chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Allow to cook for bout 20 minutes, turning over after 10 until it can be pulled apart easily with two forks. Then add all other ingredients and stir occasionally to coat all pieces.
Frequently asked questions
1. Preheat your broiler to high heat.
2. Rinse and dry the peppers, and place them on a baking sheet.
3. Roast the peppers for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the skin is charred and blistering up.
4. Remove and place them in a paper bag or into a glass or metal bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let them steam for 10-15 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the skin.
5. Once the peppers have steamed, remove and peel off the skin.
If you want to remove the seeds and membranes, cut off the top of the pepper and gently scoop out the insides.
Yes, on the scoville rating bells are at a zero, nothing, where as poblanos are at about 1,500. If you want a mild substitute to poblano peppers you could use green bells instead.
If you remove all the seeds they will become a bit milder. But you would need to remove the rib and scrape the flesh out of the insides to remove more of the capsaicin which makes them spicy.
Chicken Poblano
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken, boneless skinless thighs or breasts
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/4 c taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 poblano peppers, roasted, seeded, thinly sliced
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 c cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Prepare a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In the bottom layer the onions and chicken. Top the chicken with the taco seasoning, garlic, and poblano peppers.
- Dot the cream cheese over the top. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Shred the chicken thighs with two forks. Stir the chicken and vegetables until the cream cheese is melted. Serve topped with cheese and freshly chopped cilantro.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
