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With just five ingredients and five minutes of prep, Crockpot shredded chicken tacos are a meal you’ll reach for again and again! Make a big batch—Mexican shredded chicken freezes well and is delicious in tacos, bowls, enchiladas, and salads.
Taco night is a menu staple, and even better when the main component essentially cooks itself. The trusty slow cooker is the perfect way to make this reliable meal almost completely hands-off. Just a handful of ingredients and five minutes prep, then let it simmer away while you take care of the day, knowing dinner is covered.
Why You’ll Love Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Chicken comes out full of flavor thanks to a long dunk in salsa and spices
- Low and slow cooking also makes chicken super tender, so it’s extra easy to shred and delicious to eat
- Simple, everyday ingredients only
- Versatile and terrific for meal prep; make it once and enjoy all week, or freeze extra
- Wonderful for feeding a crowd; even a really big batch is little extra work
Love this but don’t have time for the Crockpot? Try my Instant Pot salsa chicken instead.
What Others Say:
“This was DELICIOUS. Will become a staple in my kitchen for sure.” -Annelise
“This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly. All of your tips and suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.” -Imsen
Ingredient Notes
Taco Seasoning On the Fly
If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, season this chicken instead with 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1+1/2 teaspoons each paprika and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each dried minced onion and kosher salt, and a pinch each garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Just mix these into the salsa.
That said, if you have all these spices on hand, you almost as easily can make a batch of your own seasoning to use on this chicken and future tacos. Read all my homemade taco seasoning tips; it’s a staple in our house.
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Taco Meat
Slow cooker meals simplify meal prep and minimize clean up—yay! This recipe is especially easy because there’s no searing or other prep on the stovetop.
Mix and season. To start, combine salsa, diced onion, and taco seasoning in the bowl of your slow cooker. Nestle in the chicken breasts, then spoon some of the salsa mixture on top so they are more or less covered. Set it, forget it, and let the slow cooker work.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easy to pull apart with two forks. Don’t overcook or your chicken will turn dry!
Options To Shred
When the chicken is cooked through, pull it apart into bite-sized pieces. There are a few ways to do this; the only right answer is whichever is easiest for you.
- Forks in pot. My go-to method is to shred chicken directly inside the slow cooker, just using two dinner forks to gently pull the meat apart.
- Forks on cutting board. You can also remove the chicken to a cutting board, pull apart with forks, then return the shredded meat into the juices in the pot.
- Stand mixer hack. Transfer cooked chicken to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed and watch it shred the chicken for you! This method is fast and easy, but you do have to wash out the bowl afterwards. 🙂
You can leave shredded Mexican chicken in the slow cooker on low or keep warm for at least an hour. I actually like doing this before serving; the flavors deepen as it rests, and the chicken absorbs more of the salsa mixture.
Serving Suggestions
Keep it simple. Serve this chicken as a basic taco filling with soft or hard shells plus classic toppings: lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado.
Pro Tip
If a lot of juice is left in the bottom of the Crockpot, use tongs or a slotted spoon to serve. This is a simple way to make sure you get the juicy chicken but not so much extra liquid that your tacos’ texture is off.
Make it special. Make this part of a taco or burrito bowl bar with all the fixings: homemade tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, bean salad, street corn, etc. This is a really fun way to feed a crowd!
More Easy Mexican Favorites
- Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
- Light and Healthy Fish Tacos
- Simple Black Bean Tacos
- Crispy Chickpea Tacos with Sunset Slaw
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups salsa
- 1/2 medium onion, diced, can use red, yellow, or white
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4-6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- tortillas, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc., for serving
Instructions
- Add salsa, onion, and taco seasoning to the bowl of your slow cooker. Stir to combine.1 and 1/2 cups salsa, 1/2 medium onion, 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- Nestle chicken into the pot and spoon a bit of the salsa mixture on top of each piece.4-6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easy to pull apart into bite-sized pieces. Shred in the slow cooker, on a cutting board, or in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Return chicken to the slow cooker, add lime juice, and stir well. Serve right away or leave on the low or keep warm setting; it will be good for at least one hour. Enjoy in tacos, burrito bowls, wraps, or as desired.1 teaspoon lime juice
Notes
- Taco Seasoning Sub: If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, season this chicken instead with 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1+1/2 teaspoons each paprika and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each dried minced onion and kosher salt, and a pinch each garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Just mix these into the salsa.
- Salsa: This recipe works well with just about any kind of salsa you like, including homemade pico de gallo or blender salsa. The salsa really influences the finished flavor, so use your favorite: mild, medium, or hot with discretion!
- Instant Pot Option: Try this faster Instant Pot salsa chicken instead.
- Serving Tip: If a lot of juice is left in the bottom of the Crockpot, use tongs or a slotted spoon to serve. This is a simple way to make sure you get the juicy chicken but not so much extra liquid that your tacos’ texture is off.
- OK to start with frozen chicken? Although placing frozen chicken in the Crockpot is a gray area, I don’t recommend it. From a food safety perspective, it will spend more time in the “danger zone,” where unsafe bacteria can grow. From a practical perspective, it makes it more difficult to estimate the correct cooking time. Thaw the chicken first for best results.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight container; it will keep for at least 3-4 days. Reheat as much as you need at a time in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
- Freezing: Mexican shredded chicken freezes very well. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, or defrost quickly in the microwave on 50% power, stirring frequently.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on November 4, 2021; it has been updated with more helpful tips and to remove extraneous information. The recipe itself is unchanged and still highly recommended!
I run frozen meat through a dishwasher cycle when I’m in a rush.
It works beautifully.
Made these and the whole family loved them. My husband likes spicy so he would have liked a little more flavor but they were perfectly seasoned for my little kids so I just told him to add hot sauce.
So happy to hear that! Yes, we do the same for our different kids – nice to have the flexibility. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
I’ve never made chicken tacos in my crockpot before but I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing another great recipe
This is such an easy and flavorful way to make chicken tacos! Loved it.
I love how quick and easy this is – and perfect for meal prep for the week!
Everyone at home loved these tacos. They are easy to make and so yummy!