Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Our slow-cooker Tex-Mex chicken recipe delivers big flavor with minimal effort. It’s hearty and healthy, chock-full of boneless chicken thighs, pinto beans, red bell pepper, and onion. Its depth and complexity come from two store-bought time savers—canned chipotles in adobo and jarred salsa. They bring layers of flavor without you having to raid the spice drawer or prep a ton of produce. Serve this satisfying stew with your favorite toppings, like tortilla chips, sour cream, avocado, and shredded cheese. It’s an easy dinner you’ll want to make again and again.

Key Ingredient Needs

Pinto beans: Dry beans are not only more affordable than canned, but they often have a better texture, too. It's crucial to soak them, though—either overnight or using the quick-soak method outlined in step 1. You can use black beans or cannellini beans in place of the pintos.

Salsa: Use a good quality jarred salsa for this recipe. It adds plenty of flavor to the finished dish, so you'll want to opt for a brand you'd be happy to eat on its own.

Chipotles in adobo: One of our favorite pantry staples, chipotles in adobo are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers that have been rehydrated and canned in a savory, tomato-based sauce. They pack a lot of flavor and heat in a small package—if you're sensitive to spice, you may want to add one tablespoon of the chopped chiles instead of two.

Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are less likely to dry out during long cooking than chicken breasts. You can use skin-on, bone-in thighs instead if you prefer, just remove the skin before serving.

Onion: We love the depth a red onion gives this recipe, but you can swap in a yellow or white onion instead.

Bell pepper: Red bell peppers are the sweetest of the bunch and lend a delicious flavor to the finished dish. You can use yellow or orange bell peppers instead, but avoid green bell peppers for this dish, as they are more bitter and vegetal.

How to Make This Recipe in the Oven

You can make this recipe in the oven rather than the slow cooker. To do so, swap in canned beans for dried. And, though it sounds counterintuitive, you should double the water. That's because slow-cookers trap moisture better than other cooking vessels and methods, and the extra liquid is needed to keep the beans and chicken from drying out.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain and rinse two (15-ounce) cans of pinto beans. Place them in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Add salsa, chipotles, flour, and 2 cups of water. Top with chicken, season with salt, then add onion and bell pepper.
3. Cover pot and bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer to the oven and bake until the chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 4.