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.
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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.
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Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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.
I accidentally used crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes but it still came out delicious! I put mine on a tortilla with some sour cream and grated cheddar and ate it as a fajita. This recipe is a keeper!
I about tripled the seasoning, and it was really yummy!(:
This recipe looks yummy! I am doing keto, so I always check the carb count. For this recipe without the rice, the nutrition info is below if anyone else is interested:
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 328
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11.6g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.1g 16%
Cholesterol 135mg 45%
Sodium 347mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2.5g 9%
Total Sugars 4.8g
Protein 45.5g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 700mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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Would love to try this! Do the veggies come out smushy ? I prefer them on the firmer side.
Thank you
I’ve found that they come out just right! But if you’d like to wait and add them closer to the end of the cooking time you could do that.
KELLY! I had served this juicy CHICKEN ROPA VIEJA dish to my in-laws and guess what!!! They absolutely fell in love with it. But I actually served them this dish along with some tortillas and chapatis instead of the rice. Would you recommend to use this dish for a regular diet plan? Since rice contains carbs!
Can you use frozen chicken breast in slow cooker??
Yes you can!
Beth says no to that in other posts. Frozen chicken is fine in a pressure cooker, not a slow cooker. It might not cook evenly or all the way. Don’t want you to get sick!
No, don’t do that. A slow cooker uses lower Temps and the time it takes to thaw and cook the chicken is way to long and not safe.
Made this today and it was fantastic. I agree about adding extra amounts of the spices. I also put in a can of tomatoes with chilis rather than using the canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Served it over pasta, with a sprinkling of cheese.
Thanks Edina!
Agreed that this is DELICIOUS… if you double the spices. Beth’s spice cabinet is maybe just way fresher than everyone else’s? I tried making it in the slow cooker as documented and in the Instant Pot (saute chicken, 8 minutes manual). Good both places, maybe slightly better texture in the slow cooker.
I do agree with some other reviewers that it came out bland. But I guess that’s why she emphasizes to add salt to taste. Being Hispanic, instead of adding salt, I chose to add adobo (which contains mostly salt in it so I guess same thing lol). Adding adobo to taste did the trick for me! But definitely add some sort of salt at the end. If not, it will look AMAZING and taste like nothing lol
This turned out really great, I made this and we ate with tacos. Like other reviewers I HIGHLY recommend doubling up the spices, it was just right. It was another hit! Such a quick recipe! I also cooked it in the slow cooker for 8 hrs
I made this yesterday and it turned out really delicious! I am a novice with my slow cooker and used the low setting for 8 hours. I used 2 lb of skinless boneless thighs and added a lot of garlic salt at the end, which seemed to bring out the flavors of the veggies and chicken. This is a great hot weather recipe since you don’t have to use the oven or stove at all if you don’t want to.
Yum
I was very disappointed with how this turned out. It was very bland. Unfortunately, I had planned to use this meal for my meal prep for the week. Served with cilantro rice and ample taco sauce for more flavor.
My husband and I absolutely loved this meal. I was looking for something different from the usual chicken crockpot meals I’ve tried, and this hit the spot with the different seasonings and bell peppers. It was a hit with my husband so a definite success in my book. Tasted great with cilantro, extra red pepper flakes, and guacamole!
Was excited about making this recipe because I grew up eating Ropa Vieja almost every week. I Loved how this recipe came out! I trippled the seasoning, didn’t bother trimming the fat and it tasted perfect. I also got that shredded effect I was worried wouldn’t come through. This recipe made me fall in love with my slow cooker again and Me and my partner were looking forward to eating the leftovers the next day.