Crock Pot Chicken Tacos (Mexican Chicken)
Posted Apr 26, 2020, Updated Sep 30, 2024
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Crock Pot Chicken Tacos are an easy and nutritious recipe that only takes 5 minutes to prepare! Mexican shredded chicken is delicious served in tortillas, over rice or on top of a salad, and is a great way to meal prep chicken for the week!
I never, ever have trouble getting my kids to eat dinner when tacos are on the menu! These slow cooker chicken tacos are a healthy recipe that is easy to prepare, and can be served many different ways.
Seriously, this Mexican shredded chicken only takes 5 minutes to prepare. It’s delicious served in tortillas, over Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice, or on top of a salad, or with your favorite Mexican Recipes!
Plus, it’s a great meal-prep recipe that can be made once and enjoyed all week long. And it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and Paleo – just like these ground chicken tacos!
Crock Pot Chicken Tacos: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes about the ingredients in this crock pot Mexican chicken recipe, as well as possible substitutions:
- Salsa. Use your favorite salsa (or make your own homemade salsa).
- Onion & minced garlic. 1 teaspoon each- onion powder & garlic powder – is a good substitute for onion and minced garlic.
- Spices. This recipe is mild, to increase the heat add chili powder, a dash of cayenne, or diced jalapeños. You can also substitute all the spices and use 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning instead.
How to Make Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
I love these slow cooker chicken tacos because all the work is done in the pan of your slow cooker – which means minimal dirty dishes. This Mexican shredded chicken is easy to make, but as always we will walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Begin by adding the salsa, onion, minced garlic, lime juice and seasonings to the container of a slow cooker & stir to combine.
Then, add the chicken breasts and turn ot coat in the salsa mixture.
Next, cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily shredded.
Then, shred the the slow cooker chicken tacos with two forks in the slow cooker and stir it into the salsa mixture. Some people prefer to transfer the chicken to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to shred it by turning it on to medium speed for 15-30 seconds. This works well too
After shredding, cook the Mexican chicken for an additional hour with the lid slightly ajar. This allows some of the moisture to escape so you do not have runny chicken tacos!
Serve
Serve the crockpot Mexican shredded chicken as chicken tacos, wrapped up in tortillas with your choice of toppings and sides. Here are some of our favorite Mexican recipes:
- I make this easy homemade guacamole on repeat. Taco night isn’t complete without it.
- Blender salsa and black bean & corn salsa only take 5 minutes to prepare.
- Cilantro lime rice and Mexican rice are easy & delicious.
- Skip the can and make your own homemade refried black beans, they only take 10 minutes to prepare!
- I always make this sweet potato and black bean taco filling to go with our chicken tacos for extra veggies!
- Use this Mexican chicken instead of beef on this Nachos Recipe or this Mexican Casserole recipe.
- Use it in the filling for these Chicken enchiladas – one of my family’s favorite meals!
Store/Freeze
To store, simply put the chicken tacos it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. If freezing, I recommend portioning it out into the amount you would eat in one sitting or meal.
Crock Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe FAQS
Yes! As the chicken cooks it will reach a temperature above 160 degrees F, which ensures it is safe to eat.
Another yes. You can place frozen chicken in a crockpot, but I suggest doing so only if you will be cooking it on low heat for a longer period of time. If chicken changes temperature too quickly it can become rubbery. To avoid this, cook frozen chicken breasts slowly on the low setting.
Yes, I suggest cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
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Crockpot Chicken Tacos (Mexican Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 16 ounces salsa
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- Tortillas, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In the container of a slow cooker, add onion, minced garlic, salsa, lime juice and seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Add chicken breasts and stir to ensure they are covered with the salsa mixture.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily shredded.
- Shred chicken with two forks in the slow cooker and stir it into the salsa mixture.
- Cook for an additional 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar (to let moisture escape).
- Serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings!
Video
Notes
- Salsa. Use your favorite salsa (or make your own homemade salsa).
- Onion & minced garlic. 1 teaspoon each- onion powder & garlic powder – is a good substitute for onion and minced garlic.
- Spices. This recipe is mild, to increase the heat add chili powder, a dash of cayenne, or diced jalapeños. You can also substitute all the spices and use 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How many servings/ tacos would this fill?
Being stuck home for almost 3 months due to the outbreak in NY, we have grown tired of making the same old food. I had boneless chicken and no idea what to do with it. I googled chicken recipe ideas and this came up.
Wasn’t planning on making tacos but I am so glad I did!! I used boneless chicken breasts and sliced them very thin and cooked them after letting them sit in the spice rub for a couple hours. I didn’t have fresh pico but salsa was good as well. My younger son even tried them and ate 2 tacos himself, which is highly unusual because he eats almost nothing new even though we try! These will be made again and again! Thank you!
This recipe looks amazing. Would the cooking time be the same if using an instant pot?
What kind of salsa is recommended?
Any salsa works well in this recipe! I use a mild variety because I am cooking for kids. But choose your favorite salsa and you can’t go wrong!
I have a cast iron dutch oven. Can I put that in the oven at 160 for 3hrs? Would that work?
yum! These look so delicious and easy! Always so good to have some great crockpot recipes up your sleeve for those busy days! I can’t wait to try these tacos. 🙂
This was so easy and delicious. My husband normally is not a big fan of chicken (he finds it boring) but he absolutely loved this chicken. With the combination of salsa and added spices this is very flavorful and is excellent is soft tortilla shells. So happy I found your website and recipes!
Thank you Sarah!!! I’m so glad this made a chicken-believer out of your hubby! LOL! 🙂
Oh wow! I love Mexican meals, and shredded chicken sounds incredible in soft tacos!
Laura
This is such an amazing recipe and it gives a chance for me to put my crocpot to the best use and I like the way you have used tacos with the shredded chicken. I can’t wait till I try this for a weekend dinner. Thanks
Really enjoyed this chicken taco recipe! It’s quick, easy & tasty. I used a chunky salsa & used the same spices, but increased the spices to suit our taste. It was terrific! The lime juice really adds a nice flavor. I appreciated having only 1 dish to wash. I highly recommend.
I will have to give this a try, I am in the process of getting a slow cooker. This will definitely be one of my first meals to cook.