Say 'hello' to the easiest taco night ever! This Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos recipe is the 'dump, set, and forget it' solution you'll want to make on repeat. Juicy and perfectly seasoned chicken, ready to pile high in taco, salads, and burrito bowls!
If your weeknights are anything like mine, this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos is about to become your new best friend.
With just a few simple ingredients and almost no prep, you'll have tender, flavorful taco filling waiting for you at dinner time. Healthy, delicious, and kid-approved!
Better than restaurant chicken tacos - not even kidding!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe This is one of those 'fix it and forget it' recipes. You literally just put all of the ingredients in your crock pot and let it cook for 3-4 hours. That's pretty much it aside from shredding the chicken before serving!
- Simple Ingredients Chicken, salsa verde, and taco seasoning. I like to make my own taco seasoning to keep the ingredients super simple, but store-bought taco seasoning will work, too.
- Kid-Tested My youngest enjoyed this chicken taco meat most when I added it to a cheese quesadilla, while my son preferred having is as part of a burrito bowl (with rice, and guacamole).
- Parent Approved I mean, what's the point of making an entire meal that we, as parents, don't enjoy eating? 😉
Dietitian Tip
Chicken tacos are one of those meals that allow kids to get creative and have some ownership over what they eat.
Serve chicken taco meat separate from the tortillas, taco shells or tortilla chips, and sides (like guacamole, cheese, diced tomatoes, fruit salsa, or sour cream). Then, allow your family to assemble their own tacos or taco salads.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Excellent source of protein. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs. I like to use a combination of both when making this recipe.
- Salsa Verde Use mild salsa Verde. Salsa Verde can be found in the salsa section (International or Tex Mex) of the grocery store. Can use regular tomato-based salsa instead.
- Taco Seasoning Use storebought taco seasoning or make your own!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa verde to your slow cooker (or crockpot, whatever you want to call it 😉). Place the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- Take two forks and shred the chicken. Serve right away or reduce the heat to warm and leave in the crockpot for up to another two hours, until you're ready to eat.
- Place the shredded chicken taco meat on top of a flour tortilla and top with your favorite toppings, like black beans, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh tomato, fresh cilantro, avocado, or guacamole.
Helpful Tips
- Regular salsa can be used in place of salsa verde.
- If you don't have taco seasoning, feel free to leave it out.
- Use kitchen tongs to serve the chicken taco meat.
- If you make your own taco seasoning, consider cutting back on the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Cooking times will vary depending on the size of chicken breasts as well as the temperature of your slow cooker. If you cook it on high, 3-4 hours should be more than enough time to get the internal temperature to 165 degrees F.
- You can also use a high-speed blender to shred the cooked chicken. This is what I do with boiled chicken all the time!
Questions You May Have
Yes, you can! If you use frozen chicken breasts or frozen chicken thighs to make this recipe, cook the taco meat for 4-5 hours instead of 3-4.
Yes, I'm sure you can! I'd recommend using pork tenderloins, being sure to cut them in thirds before adding the pork to the slow cooker. Cook in your slow cooker for 4 hours on high.
Yes! Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature before storing. Freeze leftover taco meat in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to three months.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker also known as a crock pot
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs
- 16 oz salsa verde at least 12 oz. can use regular salsa instead.
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning use less if you don't like heavily seasoned food.
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a slow cooker.3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, 2 tablespoon taco seasoning, 16 oz salsa verde
- Place the lid on your slow cooker and set the temperature to high. Cook for 3-4 hours.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, use two large forks to shred the chicken.
- When serving, place the shredded chicken taco meat in the center of each flour tortilla and top with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Regular salsa can be used in place of salsa verde.
- I like to use a combination of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and skinless chicken thighs.
- If you don't have taco seasoning, feel free to leave it out.
- Use kitchen tongs or a slotted serving spoon to serve this taco meat.
- If you make your own taco seasoning, you might want to cut back on the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Cutting off visible fat from raw chicken is an easy way to reduce the amount of saturated fat in a recipe. I use kitchen shears to do this.
- Cooking times will vary depending on the size of chicken breasts as well as the temperature of your slow cooker. If you cook it on high, 3-4 hours should be more than enough time to get the internal temperature to 165 degrees F.
- You can also use a high-speed blender to shred the cooked chicken. I do this with boiled chicken all the time!
- Let the chicken cool to room temperature before storing leftovers in refrigerated in an airtight container.
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