Crockpot chicken tacos only take 3 ingredients to make. Easy, versatile and delicious. It’s a great weeknight meal, and perfect for entertaining, too!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It’s a super easy dinner and makes a lot!
How long it takes: 6 hours
Equipment you’ll need: Slow cooker or crockpot
Servings: 10 servings
EASY. If you’ve spent any time at all on my blog, you know that easy is my favorite word.
Oh wait, no it’s not.
POPCORN is my favorite word.
But easy is important too. We all need more hours in the day to do everything we need to do, so easy home cooked meals are a priority.
And slow cooker meals are also a lifesaver. Add the three ingredients to your slow cooker in the morning before work, before school, before heading to the zoo, whatever. Then when 4pm rolls around and you’re completely exhausted, dinner is already ready.
But I don’t have to tell you the charms of a slow cooker — everyone knows they are awesome.
Other things I love? Food that can be frozen and food that is versatile. This recipe covers alllll those things:
- EASY
- Slow Cooker
- Freezable
- Versatile
Oh yeah, and it tastes great too. Clearly that’s of major importance. This recipe uses my homemade taco seasoning which I’m beyond obsessed with (no additives or preservatives, or tons of added salt). I even use the taco seasoning for homemade flour tortillas.
Ingredients needed
You guys, this could not possibly be more simple. Here’s what you need:
Chicken: I use chicken breasts. You can use frozen or thawed. Chicken thighs would also work, or a combination of the two.
Salsa: Hot, mild, medium, this part is up to you! Pick your favorite.
Taco Seasoning: We love to use my homemade but you could also use store-bought seasoning.
How to Make Crockpot Mexican Chicken
So, how do you make this easy Mexican chicken? Simply put uncooked chicken breasts (thighs are fine, too) in your crockpot.
Add a jar of your favorite salsa, mild, medium, or hot, doesn’t matter. Mix in a few tablespoons of taco seasoning, cover, and cook. You can totally ignore it for 7 to 8 hours.
Then remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred it with a couple of forks, and put it back in.
I like to cook the shredded chicken in the sauce for another hour so it gets really saturated with flavor. If the sauce seems too juicy, drain some of the excess moisture off before serving, or use a slotted spoon to scoop it out.
As I mentioned, one of the great aspects of this slow cooker shredded chicken is its versatility. Make regular tacos for your family or put it on a baked sweet potato with other taco toppings. It will be the best sweet potato you’ve ever eaten (and perfect for a Whole30 compliant dinner).
I also like to make enchiladas, nachos, or tostadas with this easy shredded chicken and it works great in quinoa bowls. Or mix it with Mexican rice and pinto beans for a hearty dinner.
This slow cooker shredded chicken is also a make ahead/meal prep recipe. Make a large batch and then freeze it in dinner-sized portions. Perfect for nights when you don’t have a clear plan in mind for dinner. Simply take a bag of this shredded chicken out of the freezer and use it for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, or loaded sweet potatoes, or whatever your fridge, pantry or stomach dictates. Delicious!
More Taco Fillings
- Healthy Taco Meat (in 30 minutes, a ground beef and turkey combination with lots of healthy vegetables)
- Slow Cooker Pork Tacos
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Slow Cooker “Refried” Beans
- Southwestern style Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Restaurant Style Salsa (so easy!)
- Shrimp Tacos with Avocado, Mango, and Pineapple Salsa
- Pickled Red Onions
Crockpot Chicken Tacos – 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 jar (16 ounce) salsa
- 3 tablespoons [taco seasoning]
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Shred using two forks, and mix with sauce.
- If desired, cook for another hour on low before serving or freezing.
Notes
- I use medium salsa but use whatever type of salsa you like best.
- Meat will be a little juicy. If you want, drain some of the juice off before using.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can I make this chicken in an Instant Pot?
I do, no less than once a week! 10-12 minutes depending on size of the chicken breast, quick release. Enjoy!
Hi…how much is 48 oz in grams n kilos?
Hi! I usually use this to convert measurements – it might help you! http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking.htm
Do you put the chicken in the crockpot frozen? I want to make this for a family fiesta we are having this weekend.
Either way! If you put them in frozen, you might need to increase cooking time slightly. Hope you love the recipe!
Have you tried this with thighs? My husband is pro thigh and anti breast. That didn’t come out right….
I’ve done similar recipes with thighs or a combination of thigh and breasts and it turns out great! Shouldn’t be an issue. You can always drain some fat/juice out if need be.
Thank you so much for your help. They turned out great!
I love this! Easy, versatile, and freezer-friendly? Yes please! This is totally pinned and I’ll be making it very soon.
This so easy, that it makes me suspicious. Aaaaah just kidding. I like tacos. Everyone pretty much makes their own dinner. No complaints. They can tailor it to fit them completely. You are so correct about the number of hours in the day. Daylight savings time is such a misnomer. Heaven help me, if I only did things during the daylight hours. With that restriction I would certainly be up the proverbial creek.