This recipe for Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos creates incredibly tender, flavorful shredded chicken for easy tacos on a busy day. It’s super versatile and works perfectly for a variety of Mexican entrees.
More Mexican-inspired favorites include my Mexican Shredded Beef and Carnitas.
This recipe for slow cooker chicken tacos is one of the oldest, most beloved in my collection. As a busy working mom with a house full of hungry teenagers, I relied on it over and over again.
Our boys’ water polo games were frequently scheduled right at dinner time and I dreaded the idea of getting takeout for our big family a couple of times a week. If you have a child that is involved in sports or any extra-curriculars, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
When you’re walking in your door at 6:30 or 7:00 at night, you need a plan.
My slow cooker was my savior during those hectic times and still to this day. A good Crock-Pot recipe is as good as gold!
Table of contents
Recipe Highlights
- Easy Prep – This is an easy dump and go slow cooker recipe. Dicing a small amount of onion is the only advance prep required.
- Hands Off – The slow cooker does all the work. When you get home, toast some tortillas, prepare the toppings, and dinner is served!
- Big Batch – This recipe makes a big batch of delicious shredded chicken. Cook once and eat twice OR freeze half the recipe for an easy future meal.
- Versatile – I’ve used this recipe for everything from tacos, to burrito bowls, enchiladas, and more.
The Best Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
What sets this recipe apart from others is that it does not call for a jar of store-bought salsa. I’ve made it that way and I think it ends up with an overwhelming jarred salsa flavor that just isn’t great.
Instead, I use a can of diced tomatoes and diced green chiles which yields a fresher, more authentic flavor. Save the salsa to use as a topping for the tacos instead!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – You’ll need 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Although just 3 large pieces of chicken are pictured here, you will likely need 4 to 6 pieces of chicken to reach this weight.
- Taco seasoning – I always have a small jar of my Homemade Taco Seasoning in my pantry. I like to mix it up myself to control the amount of salt and tweak it just how I like it. You can substitute with store-bought taco seasoning and the result will still be wonderful.
- Onion – A little diced yellow or white onion.
- Diced tomatoes – I normally use a can of regular diced tomatoes with the juice but fire-roasted or the fire roasted garlic flavor work very well too.
- Diced green chiles – A small can with the juice.
- Cilantro – Optional be we love the flavor of cilantro mixed in to the cooked, shredded chicken.
How to Make Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning evenly over the chicken.
- Next, top with the diced onion.
- Then, pour the undrained diced tomatoes and diced green chiles with the juice over the top. Don’t stir. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until tender.
- When the cooking time is up, test the chicken by piercing it with a fork to see if it’s tender enough to shred.
- Then, use two forks to begin shredding the chicken into the cooking liquid.
- Continue to shred the chicken, mixing it with the liquid, until it reaches the texture you’d like.
- Add the cilantro, if you’re cilantro fans, and you are ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
- Soft Tacos or Burritos – Toast flour or corn tortillas (or some of both) in a dry skillet and transfer them to a tortilla warmer. Load them up with chicken, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, hot sauce, and anything and everything else!
- Crispy Tacos – Cook the tortillas in vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute per side then transfer to paper towels to drain. Load up the crispy taco shells with toppings and devour!
- Burrito Bowls – Pile this Mexican-inspired shredded chicken on top of Restaurant Style Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice. Top it with black or pinto beans, Easy Corn Salsa and any other toppings you love.
- Enchiladas– This Crock-Pot Chicken Taco meat is the basis for my recipe for my favorite Easy Chicken Enchiladas.
- Nachos – Layer the chicken over tortilla chips with whole or refried beans and top with melted cheese and your favorite toppings – Blender Salsa and Corn Guacamole are both awesome choices. This is a great way to make use of leftovers for an easy lunch or dinner.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerate – Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze – I like to store the chicken in freezer-safe plastic storage bags to save freezer space. Press out as much air as possible, seal the bag, and freeze flat. Once frozen, bags can be stacked and kept frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw safely in the refrigerator before warming.
FAQ and Valerie’s Tips
You should not cook chicken from frozen in a slow cooker due to food safety concerns. In addition, frozen chicken lets off a lot of liquid as it thaws so the end result would be very watery and not as flavorful.
The juice from the canned tomatoes and green chiles is enough liquid to get this recipe started. As the chicken cooks, it will let off enough juice for the chicken to cook and become tender and easy to shred without burning.
Cooking the chicken low and slow is key to breaking down the tough connective tissue and fat. If the chicken is too tough to shred, it needs to cook longer. I recommend using the low setting for these slow cooker chicken tacos for the best result.
It shouldn’t take more than 6 to 8 hours on the low setting to cook chicken until tender enough to shred. If you cook it longer, it can dry out or the texture can become rubbery. The exact cooking time can vary depending on how much chicken you are cooking.
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more cooking inspiration!
Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 heaping tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix, or store-bought
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, regular, fire-roasted, or fire-roasted garlic tomatoes, undrained
- 4.5 ounce can diced green chiles, undrained
- ½ cup chopped cilantro, optional
For Serving
- Tortillas, corn or flour
- Vegetable oil, if frying tortillas
- Toppings like cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, hot sauce, etc.
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Sprinkle the taco seasoning evenly over the chicken. Top with the diced onion and then pour the tomatoes over the top. Finally, top with the undrained green chiles. Don't stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
- Remove the lid from the slow cooker and shred the chicken with two forks. Add the cilantro and mix to combine.
- Serve on tortillas or burrito bowls with the toppings of your choice. Also delicious in enchiladas and nachos!
Notes
- For soft tacos – Toast flour tortillas in a dry skillet over MEDIUM heat for about 30 seconds per side. Just long enough to get them slightly toasted and warm.
- For crispy tacos – Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a small frying pan over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. When the oil is good and hot (but not smoking) carefully add a corn tortilla. Cook about 1 minute per side then transfer to paper towels to drain. Blot the top of the tortilla with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Refrigerate – Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze – I like to store the chicken in freezer-safe plastic storage bags to save freezer space. Press out as much air as possible, seal the bag, and freeze flat. Once frozen, bags can be stacked and kept frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw safely in the refrigerator before warming.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published November 3, 2012. Since then it has become one of the most popular recipes on the blog and in my own kitchen. The photos and text have been refreshed but the recipe remains unchanged.
I will be joining the club of sports parents this coming school year. I’ve not been part of this club before, so this will be new for me. Not that I’m not busy enough as it is, but hey, what’s wrong with a little variety right? LOL I love my slow cooker, and I do use it at least once a week. It’s nice to have one day where I almost don’t have to cook. This recipe is an absolute gem. Our favorite foods around my house are Mexican, it gets the #1 spot, and Italian at #2. I could live off of these tacos for the rest of my life!
You and me both, Christine! I really did find this to be one of the best dinner ideas on those game days. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Hello – can this be made the night before and reheated for a party the next day?
Absolutely! It reheats very well.
This looks amazing! Trying it tonight! If I have a smaller crockpot and can’t put all the breasts on the bottom of the crockpot can you stack one or two on top and have it cool well?
Excited to try it.
I don’t think it will be a problem at all if you stack some of the pieces of chicken. This is one of our favorites, Kamika. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe! I just finished it up. It’s too late to go full on with the tacos, but I had a bowl of just the chicken and it’s delicious! Tacos will be for dinner tomorrow and the meat will be even better second day. This is getting graduated to my list of successful Pinterest recipes. 😀 Thank you again!
That’s awesome, Sara! The chicken is fantastic for leftovers and can be frozen as well. I hope you get lots of tasty meals out of it 🙂
What is the best way to reheat this chicken the next day? Hoping to serve again for dinner tonight!!
It reheats wonderfully in the microwave. I’m always very happy to have those leftovers!
I’ve got this in my slow cooker now and can’t wait to go home and smell my house! Can you suggest other things to make with the chicken instead of tacos? Tacos tonight, but I’d love to be able to keeping eating the chicken for lunch and dinner later on in the week.
Hello Ella! The possibilities are practically endless! Burritos, tostadas, enchiladas, nachos, and taquitos. One of my very favorite ways to use it is in chicken burrito bowls. Cook up some rice and spoon the chicken over it with all the toppings you love. I hope you’ll let me know how it works out for you 🙂
Would I be able to double this recipe? If so, can I put all ten chicken breasts in the same crockpot? What would be the cook time? Trying to plan (last minute, hehe) for the superbowl tomorrow! Thanks!
I typically use a value pack of boneless breasts, which equals approximately 3 pounds – give or take. You might be able to fit one or two more in there but I don’t think you could double it. It really does make quite a bit of meat and if you’re making tacos and have lots of toppings out, it can definitely be stretched to feed a pretty good sized group. I’m not sure how many people you’ve got coming but if you use 3 to 3-1/2 pounds of chicken, you’d be ready to serve about 10 or more.
Hi! Are you able to freeze this meal after you fix it? Would you add the cilantro in before you froze it or after?
Hi Randi. Yes, I think it would freeze quite well. I’d add the cilantro after it is thawed for the best result.
I’m making chicken in the crockpot as I write this and came across your recipe — this looks amazing, Valerie! I love a good crockpot recipe!
Hi Amy! I hope you’re going to post what you’re cooking today 🙂 Can’t wait to see it!
Making this recipe for the second time today! I just dumped a jar of salsa into the crock pot instead of using the onion, garlic tomatoes, and green chiles. Chicken came out so tender and moist. Love this recipe!
That’s awesome, Alyssa! It’s fun to get creative with it and I love the idea of adding salsa.
I tried this recipe today and it was DELICIOUS. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed it, Sadie 🙂
This recipe looks great but i have a question can i do 3 to 4 hrs on high instead?
I have a feeling it would need at least 4 hours (or longer) on HIGH to cook it to the point where the chicken is easy to shred. I typically get this going early in the day and have never tried the faster cooking method. Let me know how it works out for you.