Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos combine tender chicken with a variety of mouth-watering spices to make a delicious dinner full of Mexican-inspired flavors.
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Why this Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe is a Keeper
- Easy Ingredients: All the ingredients for this easy shredded chicken recipe can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Family Friendly: Taco Tuesday has never been easier than with these simple shredded Mexican chicken tacos.
- Adaptable: Make this recipe with whatever toppings you’d like.
If you’re looking for more dishes inspired by Mexican style recipes, try these: Black Bean and Corn Salad, Easy Mexican Rice, and Easy Pico de Gallo.
Why is My Chicken Tough?
Chicken cooks quickly because it has little connective tissue, meaning it has the tendency to get tough in the slow cooker. To keep your chicken from getting too tough, make sure you use the right size slow cooker and avoid using one that’s too big so that your chicken is tender.
Chicken Ingredient Notes for Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Tacos
- Frozen Chicken Breasts: Thaw and cut 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half.
- Taco Seasoning: To make your own taco seasoning from scratch, try our recipe.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Shredded Chicken Crock Pot Tacos
- Shredded Chicken for Tacos: You can make this crockpot Mexican chicken recipe with skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Use leftover chicken to make chicken enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup, and all your favorite Mexican chicken recipes.
- Instant Pot: Use a Dutch oven pressure cooker, or Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker to make pulled chicken.
- Salsa: Instead of using salsa from a jar, try making homemade salsa instead.
- Taco Shells: You can make hard or soft tacos with this slow cooker shredded Mexican chicken recipe.
Special Equipment Needed for Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker A slow cooker will make the chicken tender so that it falls apart easily.
Pro Tip for Crockpot Mexican Chicken
Cooking slow produces a more tender finished product. Bring your crockpot up to temperature quickly, even when you are going to cook at low.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos
These crockpot Mexican chicken tacos are filled with tangy salsa and flavorful chicken. They’re made in the slow cooker, so you can easily add them to the crock pot, forget about them, and come back later to a delicious chicken taco meal. Follow these easy steps to learn how to make this easy slow cooker Mexican shredded chicken recipe.
These are the basic steps for making shredded chicken tacos. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Season the Chicken
In a small bowl, combine chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over all sides of the chicken. Then, lay chicken breasts on the bottom of crock pot.
2. Add Salsa and Cook the Chicken
Cover chicken with salsa. Slow cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken breasts are tender. Then, remove chicken from the crock pot.
3. Shred Chicken and Serve
Use two forks to shred the chicken directly in your crock pot. Transfer the chicken to hard or soft taco shells, and top with toppings of your choice. Serve the cooked chicken tacos with restaurant style Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice.
Easy Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos FAQs
Store the chicken taco meat and taco toppings in the refrigerator in airtight containers. The chicken should last for up to 3-4 days.
Warm in the microwave, on the stove top, or in the crockpot.
Top the tacos with shredded cheese, lettuce or shredded cabbage, sour cream, tomatoes, and more.
Expert Tips for Making Shredded Chicken Mexican Tacos
- Add Cheese: Cheddar, Mexican blends, and Cotija cheese are all great choices.
- Toppings: Buy your toppings pre-cut in the grocery produce section.
- Rotel: Try adding a can of Rotel in place of the salsa.
- Low Carb: Serve over cauliflower rice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a low carb option.
What to Serve with Shredded Chicken Crock Pot Tacos
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Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Tacos
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 4 Large Chicken Breasts , cut in half
- 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, or to taste (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 16 ounces Salsa, a jar
- Taco Shells
Optional Toppings
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Avocado
- Olives
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Shredded Cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Sprinkle evenly over all sides of the chicken.
- Lay chicken breasts on the bottom of crock pot.
- Cover chicken with salsa.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken breasts are tender.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken directly in your crock pot.
- Serve in taco shells with topping of your choice.
Christina’s Notes
- Add Cheese: Cheddar, Mexican blends, and Cotija cheese are all great choices.
- Toppings: Buy your toppings pre-cut in the grocery produce section.
- Rotel: Try adding a can of Rotel in place of the salsa.
- Low Carb: Serve over cauliflower rice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a low carb option.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
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This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.