Use this healthy and versatile 5-ingredient crockpot Mexican chicken for quesadillas, casseroles, enchiladas, chicken burritos, nachos, rice bowls, and crockpot chicken tacos!
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If you’re looking for even more crock pot chicken recipes, don’t miss this popular crockpot white chicken chili, crock pot chicken and potatoes, Crock Pot brown sugar chicken, and Crock Pot whole chicken, too!
Delicious! Will definitely make it again! You can use it in so many different ways! I’m having fun experimenting with this one! So versatile for many different ways to eat it!
– Marianne
The Entire Family Will Love these Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Use this crockpot Mexican chicken to make the best crockpot chicken tacos! The easy dump-and-go slow cooker dinner makes mealtime easy — even on busy weeknights. There’s no prep work necessary, and it takes advantage of just a handful of simple pantry staples.
Use the zesty, flavorful shredded chicken in other ways, too. It keeps everyone at the table happy, whether it’s tucked inside tortillas or taco shells, served on top of rice, piled high on salad, used on taco pizzas, or melted into chicken quesadillas.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes are gently roasted over an open fire for a great smoky, Southwestern flavor. You can substitute with regular canned diced tomatoes if you prefer.
- Use frozen chopped onions as a shortcut so that you don’t even have to pull out a knife or cutting board!
- Use either boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I’ve shown chicken breasts here, but the dark meat boneless chicken thighs tend to be more forgiving and stay juicier if left in the slow cooker for extended periods.
- I grab a packet (or two!) of prepared low-sodium taco seasoning mix for ease, but you can substitute with about 2-4 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning mix if you prefer. Use two packets of seasoning for the 2 lbs. of chicken if you like your meat really zesty (as shown here). The sauce packets also thicken the sauce so that you don’t end up with watery Mexican chicken.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
This recipe comes from a blog reader, who kindly shared it with me because her family loves the meal so much. I’ve since tested the Mexican chicken in the Instant Pot too, which works equally well. Both sets of instructions are included in the recipe box at the bottom of the post. Here’s the overview:
- Place half of the tomatoes, half of the chiles, and half of the onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. Arrange the chicken on top.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken.
- Add the remaining tomatoes, chiles, and onions to the slow cooker. You do not need to add any extra liquid to the Crock Pot. The juices from the tomatoes and chilies go into the pot, and the condensation from the slow cooker will accumulate as well. There should be more than enough liquid by the end, and you don’t want to water-down the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Be careful not to overcook your chicken. I find that the chicken breast or thighs have the best texture when cooked in my slow cooker on HIGH for about 2-3 hours (at most — sometimes they’re done in just 90 minutes). That keeps them moist and juicy, and prevents them from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Shred the chicken with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the juices.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to the fact that it’s easy and healthy, this Mexican-inspired dish is incredibly versatile. Here are just a few ways to enjoy the perfectly tender, juicy, and zesty meat:
- Piled on top of a bed of lettuce with black beans or pinto beans for a chicken taco salad;
- Stuffed inside of burritos;
- Tucked into taco shells, corn tortillas, or soft flour tortillas for chicken tacos;
- Toasted inside cheesy chicken quesadillas;
- Sitting in a bowl on top of fluffy white rice, easy Spanish rice, or cauliflower rice;
- Baked in chicken enchiladas;
- Topping a giant tray of chicken nachos;
- In baked chicken taquitos;
- For taco soup (in lieu of beef);
- In a chicken taco casserole.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead for Meal Prep: crockpot Mexican chicken is a great make-ahead option if you need a meal that you can prep in advance to enjoy on your busiest days. You can even assemble the ingredients for a freezer meal. Just place all of the uncooked ingredients in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the night before you plan to cook it.
- How to Store: leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: warm the shredded chicken in a saucepan or skillet over low heat on the stovetop (or in the microwave).
I tried this last night and it was soooo amazing!!…
– Mira
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crockpot Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, not drained
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, not drained
- 1 cup diced onion (I use frozen diced onion as a shortcut)
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning (increase to 2 packets of seasoning for more flavorful, zestier chicken)
- Optional toppings for serving: tortillas or taco shells, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, avocado or guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeños, lime juice squeezed from fresh limes, sliced olives, sliced green onions, minced red onion, or quick pickled red onions
Instructions
- Place ½ of the tomatoes, half of the chilies, and half of the onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Arrange the chicken on top.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Add the remaining tomatoes, chilies, and onion on top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Use two forks to shred the meat. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce and cook for a few more minutes, until warmed through.
Notes
Nutrition
Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Recipe Variations
- To feed a larger family (or to have even more leftovers), double all of the ingredients. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
- Add even more flavor to the shredded chicken by using a second packet of taco seasoning or by seasoning the meat with additional chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Use an electric stand mixer to shred the cooked chicken if you don’t want to do so by hand.
More Crockpot Mexican Chicken Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Fiesta Crockpot Chicken
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in February, 2018. It was updated in February, 2025.
Mmm what a delicious meal for taco Tuesday, or any other day! I’ve made a similar version in my slow cooker, but I’ve got to try this in the instant pot. Sounds perfect for a weeknight meal!
Totally! I’m having so much fun experimenting with my Instant Pot. It’s not a replacement for my beloved slow cooker, but it’s a great tool to add to the mix!
I will go for For the Instant Pot:, with pressure cooker, because i wont have that patience to wait too much.But the other will taste more good than the one made with pressure cooker. its slow cook so will definitely be more tastier than this with press cooker
It’s delicious both ways, Bruce! Enjoy! 🙂
Is this easy to freeze?
Yes! I just put the cooked chicken (with veggies and sauce) in an airtight container, label it, and freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
What are the cooking/reheating instructions after pulling it out of the freezer?
Hi, Betsy! If you freeze leftovers and thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, you can reheat the chicken in a saucepan over low heat, just until warmed through. If you’re heating up a smaller portion, just place it in a microwave-safe dish, cover, and microwave for a few minutes (or until warmed through). Hope that helps, and enjoy!
I tried this last night and it was soooo amazing!! I only changed a thing. I used chicken bouillon cubes here since I had it. Still worked great! Yum yum yum!
Thak you so much for sharing !
Always Love your recipes!
Hi, Mira! Thanks for your note! Glad to know that it works with the bouillon cubes as well. 🙂
Delicious! Will definitely make it again! You can use it in so many different ways! I’m having fun experimenting with this one! So versatile for many different ways to eat it!
Exactly! It’s so versatile! Thanks, Marianne! 🙂
good post.thank you
One of your comments said bullion cubes, but it does not state in the ingredients that stock is needed ?
Hi, Jayne! The recipe does not call for the bouillion cubes or broth — and you certainly do NOT need them. The reader that commented above said that she added some bouillion since she had it in her kitchen, which is fine. She said it worked fine! Probably just added a stronger flavor to the dish. 🙂
Hi, I am a complete instapot novice. How do I change the time if I want to triple this recipe?
Hi, Michelle! Honestly, I’ve never tried tripling this recipe (or any other recipe) in the Instant Pot, so I’m afraid I’m no more experienced with that than you are! That said, I would guess that you don’t need to adjust the cooking time too much. Maybe add a few minutes? It might take the pot longer to build pressure and come to temperature, but once it starts cooking, I think the chicken should still take roughly the same amount of time. 🙂
As someone commented above regarding stock, is no liquid needed? Not used my slow cooker very much but all recipes have received liquid. Just want clarification please that no liquid is required. Thanks in advance. Claire
No, you don’t need any additional liquid. You don’t drain the tomatoes or chilies before adding them to the pot, so you’ll have some liquid from those cans in your pot. As the meat cooks, the pot gathers condensation, so there will be plenty of liquid when it’s done. 🙂
This is in my instant pot right now with a few changes – used black olives instead of chilies (didn’t have chilies),, regular tomatoes. It was good. Next time I’ll use more taco seasoning.
Hi i have bone in chicken thighs will this be fine for this recipe
Can you cook the chicken first? Won’t it be watery if you don’t?
Hi, Dawn! If you cook the chicken first, you don’t really need to put it in the slow cooker. There’s definitely sauce in the pot when the chicken is done, since a slow cooker’s lid stays on and the condensation falls back into the pot. That’s not really a problem, though. It keeps the meat moist, and you can just leave any extra sauce in the pot when you serve the chicken. Hope that makes sense! Enjoy!
Thank you! Make sense and I will follow your instructions. ????
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it, Dawn! 🙂
As a bachelor, I always look for recipes that are simple to prepare and easy to cook. I have used this recipe as a base to create all sorts of things, and I just wanted to take the time to thank you sincerely. I’ve taken a look just now at the other Instant Pot recipes you have on the site, and the Root Beer Chicken looks like it’s right up my alley – I’ll be trying that one next! Meal prep is simple and easy with recipes like these and make my life much easier. Thank you very much!
Jeff, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you’ve enjoyed the recipe. That’s so kind — you totally made my day!
WE had this tonight the only thing I changed was I used homemade taco seasoning due to sodium restrictions and added a ton of crushed red peppers. It was great! The only reason I am giving it 4/5 stars is because of the insane amount of sodium per serving. My husband had it in tacos and I ate it as a soup and it was TASTY
Glad that you both enjoyed it, Haley! 🙂
If you have frozen chicken breasts can you put them in frozen? Maybe just cook longer?
Hi, Jaymee! Technically, food safety experts say that you shouldn’t put frozen meat into the slow cooker since it takes too long to come to a safe cooking temperature (and therefore bacteria can grow). That said, I know that a lot of folks do this all the time without issue. So, if you do decide to cook the chicken from frozen, you’ll just need to add some extra time (and do so at your own risk). 🙂
Hope you enjoy the meal!
I used thighs and they were delicious and tender. There was a lot of juice left so I added beans and leftover rice and we had chili for another day. I will use this recipe again so quick and easy.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jenni! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review!