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Saucy tender shredded chicken is what these Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are all about. Pop them under the broiler with cheese before serving!
Perfect Tacos for Entertaining—or for Lazy Days!
These slow cooker chicken tacos are almost too simple. The ingredient list is short and the prep is minimal, making them perfect for feeding a game day crowd—or even for those slow days you crave comfort food but don’t want to do much to get it.
Even on low, I find that chicken cooks rather quickly in my slow cooker. So I only recommend about 4 hours—6 at the most—with this recipe.
If you want a good weeknight dinner and work outside of the home, you can pop home on your lunch break and quickly throw this together so it’s ready when you get home.
This taco recipe really does cater to any scenario.
Feeding a Crowd? Or Just Your Family?
This recipe will feed a potluck or game day crowd—or a really large family! If you’re feeding 4 people or less, go ahead and half the recipe. The shredded chicken really does go a long way.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a great side to any tacos.
- If you’re a fan of sweet potatoes, this honey and lime variation is a fantastic choice.
- And of course you’ll want some chips, guac, salsa, and queso!
Only 6 Ingredients Required!
- Chicken breasts
- Salsa
- Canned green chiles
- Taco seasoning
- Hard corn taco shells
- Cheese
The Gist on How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Place the chicken breasts into your slow cooker.
- Pour the salsa over the chicken, followed by the green chiles, and then sprinkle the taco seasoning over it all.
- Give everything a good stir to distribute the seasoning and cover the chicken breasts.
- Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- When the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF, carefully transfer the breasts to a cutting board and, with two forks, shred the chicken.
- Pop the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir it back into the sauce that’s formed. Let the chicken sit in the sauce for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler in your oven.
- Stuff the taco shells about halfway with the shredded chicken and place them into a baking dish; the size of the baking dish will depend on how many tacos you’re making, but you want to make sure your tacos don’t fall over, so make sure it’s a snug fit.
- Sprinkle cheese over the tacos, then pop them under the broiler for a few minutes—literally only until the cheese has melted.
- Remove them from the oven and top them with your favorites!
Useful Tools for This Recipe
- Slow cooker
- Cutting board
- Meat thermometer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Forks, for shredding
- Baking dish
Recipe Tips + Tricks
- Because we love baking these before eating, I suggest hard shell tacos. If soft shell is your preference, you could use those as well. They’d be easy to place and fit in a baking dish that way. The hard shell tacos are a bit trickier, but oh-so-worth it if you prefer hard shell like I do.
- A lot of folks like to use the hand-mixer method to shred chicken, but I wouldn’t recommend it in this case. The chicken is fall-apart tender at the end of it’s cooking time here, so simply transferring it to a cutting board and shredding it with forks is perfect. Running a hand-mixer in the crock would make a mess with all of that salsa.
- Broiler times vary depending on your oven model, so keep a close eye on the tacos. Remove them once the cheese is bubbling and melted.
- This chicken keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days; in the freezer, 4 months.
Leftover Chicken?
If you have leftover chicken, this is a great opportunity to make yourself some of these Healthy Burrito Bowls!
Have You Made This Recipe?
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You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
Other Taco Recipes You’ll Love:
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos with Mango Habanero Salsa
- Instant Pot Ground Turkey Tacos
- Healthy Breakfast Tacos
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup jarred salsa
- 1 7 oz can of green chiles
- 2 TBSP taco seasoning
- Hard taco shells, You can use soft flour tortillas if preferred
- Shredded cheese
Recommended toppings:
- Pickled red onion or minced white onion
- Chopped lettuce
- Chopped tomatoes
- Diced Avocado
- Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Put the chicken breasts into your slow cooker crock.
- Pour the salsa and green chiles over the chicken, followed by the taco seasoning. Stir well to mix the seasoning in and cover the chicken breasts.
- Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 4-6 hours. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, transfer the breasts to a cutting board and shred them with two forks. The meat should fall apart very easily.
- Transfer the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker crock and stir it into the sauce. Let it sit in the sauce for another 30 minutes or so.
- Preheat the broiler in your oven; stuff the taco shells about halfway with shredded chicken, then place them into a baking dish (size will depend on how many tacos you're making, but you want to make sure your tacos don't fall over, so make sure it's a snug fit.) Top the tacos with shredded cheese, then pop them under the broiler for a few minutes, only until the cheese has melted.
- Remove from the oven and top them with your favorite taco toppers!
Oh hey, guess what is cooking in our slow cooker as we speak? Yep! These tacos! I just LOVE how easy you made this recipe! We had all the ingredients!
The slow cooker is a perfect way to cook chicken for tacos. I’m feeding a crowd this weekend and this recipe is on the menu. Thank you!
MmmMMMM. These look good. I love chicken tacos, but what I love even more is ridiculously easy chicken tacos. You have a winner here for sure.
Enjoyed these for dinner last night and it was the perfect dinner for a lazy Sunday! Easy, delicious and hearty; definitely a new favorite way to enjoy tacos!
This looks delish! I’m always looking for new slow cooker recipes and this one is calling my name!
Love how simple and easy this chicken is to make. The saucy meat is wonderful and I can’t wait to dig in to some tacos again!
Oh my goodness, this is my new favorite way to make this recipe! I had no idea it was so easy and now we’re going to have it once a week!