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Use this healthy and versatile 5-ingredient crockpot Mexican chicken for quesadillas, casseroles, enchiladas, chicken burritos, nachos, rice bowls, and crockpot chicken tacos!
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, 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:
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
- 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
Place ½ of the tomatoes, half of the chilies, and half of the onion in the bottom of an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Place chicken on top.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Add remaining tomatoes, chilies, and onion on top of chicken.
Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve.
Select “Poultry” or “Manual” setting. Set the time to 8 minutes for fresh chicken breasts, or 13 minutes for frozen chicken breasts. (These times are for typical 6-8 ounce chicken breasts. If yours are larger, add a couple of minutes.)
When done, let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes. After that, you can turn the valve to “vent” for quick release if you’re in a hurry, or continue natural release.
Shred with two forks. Return chicken to pot, stir, and serve.
Serving: 1/6 of the recipeCalories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 33gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 731mgPotassium: 749mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 593IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg
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
This recipe was originally published in February, 2018. It was updated in February, 2025.
