Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos – only 5 minutes of prep is required for this easy Mexican dish! Place everything in slow cooker, set it and let it do it’s magic!
This slow cooker chicken is perfect for tacos but also burritos, taquitos and my Easy Chicken Enchiladas!
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TACOS
These chicken tacos have been on our weekly menu for the past few weeks and I’ve used the slow cooker taco meat in enchiladas, burritos and taco casseroles. It’s so easy because all of the prep consists of throwing everything into a slow cooker and let it cook away for a few hours. It’s ready by dinner time and all it needs is toppings.
The final product – flavorful and tender chicken that shredded can be used in tacos, burritos, taquitos and enchiladas. So versatile, you will find yourself making it a few times a week.
How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos?
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs. Place them in slow cooker.
- Pour crushed tomatoes and salsa over chicken.
- Mix seasoning and sprinkle over chicken.
- Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours.
- When done, shred chicken and stir in with tomato salsa sauce.
- Serve in flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Crock Pot Chicken Tacos ingredients (your shopping list):
- chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- crushed tomatoes
- salsa
- ground cumin
- chili pepper
- salt and pepper
What are the toppings for chicken tacos?
For the topping, feel free to use your favorite taco toppings, like shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream or Picco de Gallo. I used my recent favorite: a Black Bean and Corn Salad. It’s absolutely fantastic and I will be sharing the recipe in the next post!
Are Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Healthy?
This dish is a great healthy option for the whole family. Use fresh veggies for toppings and make your own homemade taco seasoning (free of all the preservatives).
Can I use chicken breasts to make this dish?
As you can see in the recipe box, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this dish. I like to use them in my slow cooker dishes. Because they are a mix of white and dark meat, they have a lot of flavors and are juicier than chicken breasts. You won’t need any additional water because they will release enough on their own. When the chicken is cooked, it may look as there is too much liquid in the slow cooker. But when you pull all of the thighs apart and shred the meat, stir it all together – it will be perfect saucy meat for the tacos!
More easy Mexican recipes:
Black Beans and Quinoa Enchiladas
If you make one of my recipes, share it on INSTAGRAM and tag me @crunchycreamysweet ! I would love to see what’s happening in your kitchen!
Only 5 minutes of prep is required for this easy Mexican dish! Place everything in slow cooker, set it and let it do it's magic!
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
- Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir all of the remaining ingredients. Pour over the chicken.
- Cook on HIGH setting for 4 hours or on LOW setting for 6 hours.
- When done, pull the meat apart with two forks and stir everything together.
- Serve in taco size soft tortillas topped with your favorite taco toppings, picco de gallo or Mexican corn salad.
If not using salsa, add 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the mixture. This chicken can be used in enchiladas, burritos (just add beans), and Mexican casseroles.
This post was originally published on May 2nd, 2015 and updated on June 1st, 2019.
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
May 4, 2015 at 9:33 pmAny excuse to breakout the crockpot sounds great to me! Can’t wait to try these. Definitely pinning!
Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me says
May 4, 2015 at 6:20 pmI love tacos, can’t wait to try out this recipe. Love that I can use the slower cooker.
Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says
May 4, 2015 at 5:48 pmI love how easy this is! And I’m totally with you on all the Mexican food these past few weeks, although I could easily see us having this slow cooker chicken as an easy meal no matter the occasion.
Kate @ Diethood says
May 4, 2015 at 2:11 pmI’m dying over this taco overload – my ultimate weakness! This is so perfect in so many ways!!
Jordan @ Smile Sandwich says
May 4, 2015 at 12:53 pmLove this idea for Cinco de Mayo! I can throw it in my slow cooker before work. 🙂
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets) says
May 4, 2015 at 11:11 amYou had me at 5 minute prep…perfect for a busy school night!
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds says
May 4, 2015 at 10:25 amThis is so my kind of food! LOVE that you made them in the slow cooker!
Stephanie says
May 4, 2015 at 10:18 amPerfect for Taco Tuesday and Cinco De Mayo!!! I loveeee tacos, and making them in the slower cooker is not only easy, but keeps the house cool! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Marye says
May 4, 2015 at 7:13 amI love cooking the meat for tacos in the slow cooker! It really does make it so simple. These look fantastic! Pinning.
Amanda says
May 3, 2015 at 8:54 amThese are going in the taco night lineup for sure!!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
May 3, 2015 at 9:36 amThank you, Amanda!