My 3-ingredient recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos is sure to be your new go-to recipe for taco night. This recipe takes 5 minutes to prep and slow cooks all day. After a busy day out, arrive home to a delicious smelling home. Shred chicken in slow cooker, add to tortillas, and enjoy chicken tacos with those you love!
If you love Mexican food like me then you’ll love my easy 3-ingredient recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos. When I was pregnant with my son I started craving shredded chicken tacos during the end of my first trimester. It could not be chopped chicken or ground beef. It had to be shredded chicken! I have no clue why, its just what I was craving.
I think I ordered take out at our local Mexican restaurant multiple times a week for a good month. It was getting very expensive and to be honest I was kind of embarrassed to keep going in there day after day picking up my shredded chicken tacos.
That’s when I decided I would try to come up with my own restaurant quality shredded chicken taco recipe. I knew I wanted to use my slow cooker, because that’s how I was going to achieve the shredded chicken part. It took me a good month of experimenting, but I finally achieved shredded chicken that I felt was restaurant worthy. And even better… you can make a lot of it at one time and then freeze whatever leftovers you have. Check out my Tips & Tricks below on how to freeze. Every time I make my slow cooker shredded chicken tacos I freeze a batch or two and then defrost after a busy days work to have a quick Mexican dinner.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – I like to use chicken breast, but you could use boneless chicken thighs.
- Tomato Sauce – I buy tomato sauce by the case so I always have this on hand in my pantry.
- Taco Seasoning – You can use a store bought packet of taco seasoning or homemade.
Directions
- Mix sauce and taco seasoning together in the slow cooker. Then place the chicken breast in the slow cooker.
- Using tongs, flip the chicken breast over so that it has been coated in the tomato sauce mixture. Then spoon on additional sauce on top.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, shred the chicken breast*. Mix the shredded chicken in the sauce. Place a small amount of shredded chicken in a tortilla, add toppings like my homemade salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, and enjoy.
FAQs
Yes, it is okay to place raw chicken in the slow cooker. It’s safe to cook it low and slow. However, some people prefer to brown the chicken prior to placing it in a slow cooker.
As long as you don’t overfill the slow cooker with chicken breast it will take 6-8 hours on low to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have three ways to prevent the chicken from drying out in a slow cooker. 1. Lots of sauce will help keep the chicken moist and flavorful. 2. Do not overcook the chicken. 3. For the best results use chicken thighs as they tend to not dry out as much.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making Crockpot chicken tacos.
- *Shredding Chicken – it’s easiest if you remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker to shred, but you can keep it in if you like—its all about preference. You can use two forks to shred the chicken or place in a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place on stir mode for 30 seconds.
- Frozen Chicken – It is not safe to place frozen chicken in the slow cooker/crock pot. The chicken must be thawed before cooking.
- Substitutions – For an additional layer of flavor you can use a can of enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce. Use 1 tablespoon of homemade taco seasoning instead of a packet of taco seasoning for a cleaner healthier version.
- Instant Pot – If you want to make this shredded chicken recipe in the Instant Pot make sure you head over to read my recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken.
- How to use – This shredded chicken is perfect for tacos, burritos, chimichungas, enchiladas, flatbreads, taco salads… the options are endless.
Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipes
If you love shredded chicken I have a few more ways to use it up.
Whether you make this for Cinco de Mayo on Monday or for a quick and easy dinner any day of the week I know your going to love this easy slow cooker shredded chicken taco recipe.
If you make my slow cooker pulled chicken tacos, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 15 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
Instructions
- Mix sauce and taco seasoning together in the slow cooker. Then place the chicken breast in the slow cooker.
- Using tongs, flip the chicken breast over so that it has been coated in the tomato sauce mixture. Then spoon on additional sauce on top.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, shred the chicken breast*. Mix the shredded chicken in the sauce. Place a small amount of shredded chicken in a tortilla, add toppings and enjoy.
Notes
- *Shredding Chicken – it’s easiest if you remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker to shred, but you can keep it in if you like—its all about preference. You can use two forks to shred the chicken or place in a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place on stir mode for 30 seconds.
- Frozen Chicken – It is not safe to place frozen chicken in the slow cooker/crock pot. The chicken must be thawed before cooking.
- Substitutions – For an additional layer of flavor you can use a can of enchilada sauce instead of tomato sauce. Use 1 tablespoon of homemade taco seasoning instead of a packet of taco seasoning for a cleaner healthier version.
Nutrition
Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!
Christine from Cook the Story
What’s not to love about keeping the oven turned off?! This is a delicious looking recipe!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I need to use my slow cooker more! This looks fantastic, Katie!