Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos: Pulled and Shredded

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos that are easy to make, tender, flavorful and delicious! Have a fiesta at home with shredded chicken that’s perfect for great meals like burritos, tacos, soup or salad!  Make this shredded chicken and you’ll enjoy a different meal every night of the week! This post has been updated from Feb. 8th, 2015 to improve the reader experience.

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Chicken Tacos are easy to make in your crock pot!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

You guys love great Mexican food, right? Of course, you do, because you’re following my blog!

I always say Fresno serves up the BEST Mexican food and I’ve made it a point to share my favorites with you! Authentic Posole or Green Chili Chicken Posole – pick your favorite! There’s the BEST Enchilada Sauce or Baja Fish Tacos – YUM!

Today I’m going to have you grab your slow cooker because it’s fiesta time! This meal starts with chicken tacos and is fabulous! But leftovers? Just as good. No boring leftovers here, right? We’ll repurpose leftovers into two new meals – this is great food.

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos are a family favorite!

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos

Grocery List for Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

• boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• picante sauce
• chicken broth
• onion chopped
• cilantro minced
• cumin
• garlic powder
• bay leaf
• salt
• pepper
• tortillas

What are the best toppings for tacos?

In Fresno, we keep it simple: cabbage, white onion and radishes – but there are many toppings you can add!

• cabbage
• lettuce
• shredded cheese
• diced tomatoes
• olives
• jalapenos
• sliced radishes
• minced cilantro
• salsa
• sour cream

Are corn or flour tortillas the best for tacos?

• Use your favorite, it’s really your personal preference! If I use corn tortillas I always toast them over a flame first. Flour tortillas are heated to make them more pliable. My favorite for tacos are always street taco shells.
• These shells topped with beef, chicken or pork are traditionally served with cabbage, white onions and radishes – delicious!

Pulled or shredded chicken, is there a difference?

You’ve seen it before, right? Some recipes say pulled chicken tacos, the next one says shredded chicken tacos. But is there a difference between shredded and pulled? Not really, the terms are interchangeable.

How long to cook Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos?

• It will take 6 hours on high or 8-10 ten hours on low in the crockpot for tender shredded chicken.

What’s your favorite topping for tacos?

Steps to make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

1. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
2. Top with the spices, chicken stock and picante sauce. 
3. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 6 hours.
4. When the meat is tender, remove it from the slow cooker (save the liquid in the slow cooker – this is important!)
5. Shred the meat with two forks.
6. Save 3 cups of the shredded meat for meals two and three.
7. Pile the tacos high with meat on corn or flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.
8. Depending on the size of the tacos, you’ll get 8-10 large tacos or 12-16 small tacos from this meal. 

This is the beginnings of a great fiesta! Take the chicken meat out of the sauce.

• Take 1 1/2 cups of the shredded meat & put it back in the slow cooker.
• Put an additional 1 1/2 cups of meat in another container for the third meal. Turn off the slow cooker, let everything cool and tuck it into the refrigerator for meals two & three. (I’ll send you these recipes later this week)  Keep  refrigerated or freeze to enjoy at a later time.

With the remaining chicken (you’ll have 4-5 cups of chicken meat), it’s time to make some tacos! 

Chop up some cabbage or lettuce, cilantro, onions, tomatoes – whatever toppings you put on your taco. I also added sour cream mixed with a chipotle chili. For the shell, I like using the small street taco tortillas, but use what you like; flour soft shell, crunchy corn shell, whatever you enjoy most on taco night! 

Pretty sure the only thing we’re missing here is a big pitcher of Sangria!

These are seriously good and easy! Slow cooked, moist and delicious, these are perfect for a weeknight meal or a party – everybody loves a great taco! 

Don’t forget the containers in the refrigerator! I’ll be sending additional emails with recipes for an AMAZING Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chimichangas! Three meals in one? Yes! This will make your weeknight cooking easier!

• Slow Cooker Meal Two: Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Slow Cooker Meal Three: Chimichangas!

A few more of my favorite easy Mexican Food meals to enjoy!

• Homemade Barbacoa Beef Tacos
• 30 Minute Skinny Taco Salad Bowl
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Dirty Rice Black Bean Tacos

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Street Taco Tortillas – not all stores carry street taco tortillas but you can grab them online!

Love this recipe? Please leave a comment with a five-star rating below, or pop me a note. I love hearing from you! If you make this, be sure to tag me on Instagram @bowl_me_over or #bowlmeover – thank you for supporting the blog, trying and sharing my recipes!

Print Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos: Pulled or Shredded

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos are easy to make, flavorful and delicious! If you love a great slow cooker meal, you need to make this today!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Total Time8 hrs 15 mins

Course: Slow Cooker

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Servings: 10 -12 Tacos

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Souper Chef Deb

Ingredients

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 16 oz jar picante sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• For the tacos - tortillas cabbage, sliced tomatoes, jalepnos and salsa

Instructions

• Add all of the chicken and onion to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf and top with picante sauce and chicken stock. 
• Set heat to low, cover with lid and cook for 8-10 hours.
• When the meat is tender, remove it from the slow cooker (save the liquid in the slow cooker - for the next meal) and shred the meat with two forks. You'll have about 8 cups of shredded chicken.
• For tacos simply pile the meat on corn or flour tortillas with your favorite toppings; cabbage, salsa or pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapenos. 
• Use the toppings that you like best! You'll have the meal on your table in 30 minutes. Flavorful, but not too spicy, this is an easy weeknight meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 952mg | Potassium: 552mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5.4% | Vitamin C: 8.1% | Calcium: 3.8% | Iron: 9.9%