It’s hot outside, y’all. Too hot to turn on the oven and make my AC work overtime. So, today I let my slow cooker do all the work and it made me this wonderfully delicious Chicken Ropa Vieja.
I had Chicken Ropa Vieja for the first time at a restaurant recently and loved how it was both extremely flavorful and very uncomplicated. This delicious dish is basically just chicken stewed down with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices until everything is tender and flavorful. Almost like chicken fajita stew. How can that NOT be good? Once I realized it would be an excellent candidate for the slow cooker, I knew I had to make some of my own.
What is Ropa Vieja?
Wait, let me start with what it isn’t. Ropa Vieja is not traditionally made with chicken. It’s a Cuban braised beef dish that translates to “old clothes” because everything is just kind of thrown together like a pile of old clothes and braised until tender and flavorful. But since I loved the flavors and cooking method so much, I wanted to see if I could apply it to chicken, and that’s how we got to this Chicken Ropa Vieja, or chicken “in the style of” ropa vieja.
If you want to try a traditional ropa vieja recipe and learn more about the roots of this awesome dish, check out these authentic recipes:
- Ropa Vieja from Chef Zee Cooks (Youtube)
- Ropa Vieja from Hispanic Kitchen
- Instant Pot Cuban Ropa Vieja from Latin Mom Meals
How to Serve Chicken Ropa Vieja
I served my Chicken Ropa Vieja over rice, but you could also use it to fill a taco or burrito. OR, if you’re doing the low-carb thang, just eat it in a bowl on its own! A little dollop of sour cream would be awesome on top, too. (I added a little cilantro to liven up the photos, but the dish has plenty of flavor on its own.)
What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because that was the best price at the store yesterday. You can easily sub boneless skinless chicken breasts with no further modifications to the recipe. If you have bone-in chicken, that will also work. Just be sure to remove the skin first (if any) and remove the bones after cooking.
Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja
Servings 6 (3/4 cup each)Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lb.s chicken pieces (boneless skinless) ($3.41)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp oregano ($0.15)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.37)
- 1 medium green bell pepper ($0.69)
- 1 medium red bell pepper ($1.79)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.75)
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.22)
- Salt to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp) ($0.02)
Instructions
- Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat, if desired. Place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker (4qt. or larger). Mince the garlic and add it to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper over the chicken.
- Slice the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper into strips. Place the onion and bell peppers on top of the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the can of diced tomatoes (with juices) and tomato paste to the slow cooker. The tomato paste can be added in dollops and will be stirred in after cooking.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours. After four hours, remove the lid and use tongs to stir the contents. Break the chicken into shreds as you stir the slow cooker. If the juices in the slow cooker are too thin, allow the pot to continue simmering on high without the lid for about 15 minutes to reduce the liquid. Taste and season with salt as needed (I added 1/2 tsp).
- Serve the ropa in a bowl, over rice, or in a warm tortilla.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
How to Make Chicken Ropa Vieja – Step by Step Photos
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe simply because that was the best price at the time. I used one pack, which was 1.75 lbs, but you could use anywhere from 1.5 to 2 lbs without any further modification. Or, if you want to cut the meat in half and replace it with some black beans, that would work as well. Boneless, skinless chicken breast can also be used.
Trim the fat from the chicken if you want (honestly, I don’t bother), then place the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker (it should probably be 4 quarts or larger). Add four cloves of garlic (minced), 1/2 Tbsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a mill).
You’ll also need a yellow onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Cut each one into strips.
Place the peppers and onion on top of the chicken in the slow cooker.
Add one 15oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juices) and 3 Tbsp tomato paste. You can just plop the tomato paste on top because it will get stirred in later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours.
After four hours the chicken and vegetables will let off quite a bit of liquid that the chicken then stews in. YUM. You can see that the tomato paste is still in clumps on top, but you may notice its darker color. The natural sugars in the tomato paste have caramelized a bit and given it a deeper flavor.
Use tongs or another utensil to stir the chicken ropa vieja. Shred the chicken as you stir. It should be so tender that it just falls apart when its touched. The mixture will be a tad soupy, but if you want a thicker sauce you can let it simmer without a lid for 15 minutes or so longer. Taste the dish and season with salt to your liking. I added about 1/2 tsp.
TIP: Adding salt at the end helps it be more pronounced, thereby allowing you to use less. If it was added before cooking, the saltiness would be much more subdued and you’d probably need to add more.
There are several ways to serve this chicken ropa vieja. It can be spooned over rice to soak up that extra yumminess, or it can be stuffed into a warm tortilla like a taco or burrito. It’s so good, though, that I wouldn’t mind eating it straight out of the bowl! A little sour cream would also be awesome.
Delicious and easy! What more could you ask for? :)
Being a huge fan of the chicken taco bowls, I was excited to try this as well. It was a huge it. While superficially similar to the taco bowl, if was quite different in taste and adds a great option into my easy meal line up. I used my electric pressure cooker: I used bone-in chicken thighs (no skin) and followed the recipe with two small changes. I added an extra TB of tomato paste as pressure cooker meals tend to be moister since the water doesn’t evaporate like in a slow cooker. After cooking I added a splash of red wine vinegar. I cooked it under high pressure for 20 minutes, natural release for 10, then quick release. It shredded beautifully. If I used chicken breast I’d probably cook it for less time.
Getting ready to try to Instant Pot this recipe. It was a slow cooker hit. Wish me luck! I have no idea what I’m doing!
What are your thoughts on using frozen bell peppers for this recipe? I have a lot that I need to use up. Thanks!
That would actually probably work well! The peppers will get soft in the slow cooker anyway, so it doesn’t matter that they’re going to be soft from freezing. :)
Thanks for responding so quickly.
The frozen bell peppers worked perfectly, and it tastes amazing! Thank you! :)
This was so easy to make, and super flavourful. Yet another delicious recipe from your site. Thanks so much!
I’ve been in a cooking funk lately and haven’t really had a good recipe in a while. This was delish and loved by the whole family! So easy and so tasty! Thank you for sharing.
just made for dinner,enjoyed by all. thanks for another great recipe.
Beth,
I’m not even trying to cook on a budget, but I find myself constantly drawn to ALL of your recipes!! Thank you so much for doing what you do!! I love to cook, but hate it when I put forth a lot of effort and my family doesn’t like the result. We LOVE everything on your site that I have tried! Your new BIGGEST FAN!! Mother of three boys: ages, 23,21,and 11. Everyone LOVES your FOOD!
Thank you so much!
Kelli
This had all the makings of a fantastic week day staple. 1) cheap 2) quick 3) guilt-free 4) delicious! I served it a little soupy over rice but it would work perfectly as a taco/burrito filling. I doubled the chili pepper flakes because me and my husband like a little more heat. I will make this again.
This is the first time I used my crockpot! It’s easy and so tasty and it works amazingly in a burrito bowl! I used frozen bell peppers since they are 1/10 of the price of fresh and it was still super tasty. Next time I will add some of the salt in the beginning so that it seasons the chicken thoroughly.
Winner, winner, spicy chicken dinner. Another home run recipe.
This recipe sounds delicious and have been reading that people put it with rice, beans tacos, etc. Has anyone tried anything else as a side? Just drawing a blank is all.
Wow. Made this for dinner tonight and it is amazing! I served it over a baked potato and sprinkled some Mexican cheese over it. Delicious! I’m so excited I have stumbled upon your website.
Umm- what can I say? In 3 days I’ve made 6 of your recipes!! this being my 6th I thought I should post how awesome your blog is. I LOVE cooking- and am typically not a by the recipe kinda girl- but your site is inspiring and the food is delicious! This recipe didn’t dissapoint either! It’s ready for dinner tonight. Made on stove top on simmer for a couple hours. Can’t wait for hubby to bring home the tortillas ;-) thanks for all you do!
In the beef ropa vieja I make (with a chuck roast), the recipe calls for some red wine vinegar. Do you think that would also work with the chicken recipe?
I do, yes. That would add a nice bright finish to the dish. :)