Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken - super easy and flavorful shredded chicken cooked in a slow cooker! Use it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos and dips!
I use this chicken for my Easy Chicken Enchiladas recipe with the quick and easy 5-Minute Blender Enchilada Sauce.
Forget the meat and seasoning in a packet mix and meet my favorite way to make super flavorful chicken for all of our Mexican dishes, like tacos and enchiladas. Bonus, it cooks in your slow cooker! Just mix everything together and let it cook away. This is a perfect shortcut to delicious Mexican dinner night at home. Cook the chicken in a slow cooker with spices, crushed tomatoes, salsa and green chiles. It's easy, smells amazing while cooking and makes the best Mexican chicken I have ever had!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 1 can green chiles
- crushed tomatoes
- salsa
- ground cumin
- chili powder
- salt and pepper
- brown sugar
- lime juice
- garlic
How to make Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken?
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Place chicken in slow cooker.
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Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Top with green chiles, salsa, crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, lime juice and garlic. Stir together.
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Cover slow cooker with lid and set to cook for 4 hrs on HIGH setting or 6 to 7 hrs on LOW settings.
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When done, pull chicken apart with two forks.
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Use in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos or dips.
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Best tips:
- You can adjust the spiciness of this dish depending on how hot is your salsa. I usually use mild for our kids but my Hubby will always ask for additional chili powder or will top the tacos with spicy salsa.
- I absolutely love the addition of lime juice and brown sugar in this recipe but if you don't have it on hand, feel free to skip it.
More easy Mexican recipes:
- 5-Minute Blender Enchilada Sauce
- Instant Pot Fluffy Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Taco Seasoning
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz (1 can) green chiles
- 14 oz .crushed tomatoes
- ¾ cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 and ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Top with green chiles, salsa, crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, lime juice and garlic. Stir together.
- Cover slow cooker with lid and set to cook for 4 hrs on HIGH setting or 6 to 7 hrs on LOW settings.
- When done, pull chicken apart with two forks.
- Use in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos or dips.
Mary says
SO good and super easy to make! I make it once a week. Great high protein meal.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Mary! I am so glad you enjoy this dish!
Anjali says
Can I use frozen chicken? I plan to cook it in my instant pot. Thankyou!
Ronda says
Is this a recipe that may be made ahead and then warmed when ready to use? Was thinking of making several batches for a reunion. So I would like to make ahead and freeze it until that weekend.
Anna says
Hi Ronda! Absolutely! You can make a batch of this chicken, cool completely, divide into freezer-safe containers and freeze for later use.
Brunilda Williams says
Hello, I love your site. Can I use my instant pot to make the same slow cook chicken. How long and on what setting?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you so much, Brunilda! I actually have a recipe for Mexican chicken in the Instant Pot. You can use it for tacos, enchiladas, etc. Here is the link: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/instant-pot-chicken-tacos/
Irma says
This looks delicious, but is it spicy hot with adding the can of green chiles and salsa?
Cassie says
Green Chile’s and Salsa can both be purchased in Mild. 😊
Agness says
Yummy! I can even prepare this recipe from a leftover chicken, Anna!
Brandy says
I've been so busy lately that I've really had to rely on my slow cooker! I need to add this to my list!
Krista says
I need to let the slow cooker do the work tomorrow!
Erin says
I love slow cooker meals! Especially ones like this. 🙂
Kimberly says
That sounds terrific! I've been trying to utilize my slow cooker more often lately and this sounds like a great one to try!
KalynsKitchen says
Wow Anna, you really nailed it on these photos. This has to be one of the hardest possible dishes to photograph but yours looks delicious! Thanks for the shout-out for my Mexican Red Lentil Stew!
Erin says
I love, love, love the sound of this chicken and basically using it in all the TexMex dishes I can imagine! And I wish I had all the ingredients because we'd totally be having this tonight!
Amanda says
I love great all-purpose recipes like this... so perfect for tacos, burritos, etc 🙂