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!
Love this meal? Be sure to try slow cooker al pastor tacos next!
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.
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.
Steps to make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Top with the spices, chicken stock and picante sauce.
- Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 6 hours.
- When the meat is tender, remove it from the slow cooker (save the liquid in the slow cooker - this is important!)
- Shred the meat with two forks.
- Save 3 cups of the shredded meat for meals two and three.
- Pile the tacos high with meat on corn or flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.
- 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 ½ cups of the shredded meat & put it back in the slow cooker.
- Put an additional 1 ½ 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!
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!
More crockpot chicken recipes
- This Crockpot Chicken and Gravy is a simple meal to make when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This easy recipe will quickly become one of your favorite comfort foods!
- This easy slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe makes the most yummy shredded chicken and you can use the leftovers to make delicious chicken fried rice!
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken - tender chicken in a tangy broth. Easy and delicious!
- Ranch Chicken in the Crockpot is perfect for busy weeknights!
- Loaded with cream cheese and bacon, Crockpot Crack Chicken is perfect on a burger bun for an easy meal.
- Crockpot Angel Chicken has the creamiest gravy. It's so savory and delicious! Super easy, when you want to get dinner on the table quickly.
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
Some of the items below contain affiliate links; I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. However, I only promote things that I love and think you will love, too. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
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!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos: Pulled or Shredded
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 ½ teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- For the tacos - tortillas cabbage, sliced tomatoes, jalepnos and salsa
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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
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Kathy
There is nothing better than a good taco and these chicken tacos are pure perfection! I love them and I am making them this weekend!
michele
I never think to make slow cooker chicken for tacos and ILOVE how good it is. Your recipe calls for everything I happen to already have in my kitchen so Im pretty excited that I'll be having it for dinner tonight! Thanks
Jennifer A Stewart
I love chicken in the slow cooker and made a double batch so I could have tacos and burritos!
Bowl Me Over
YOu're a gal after my own heart! So smart!!
Angela
Wow, what's not to love about this! We love doing taco nights here and this recipe sounds great with the ease of the slow cooker and all that deliciousness!
Amy Nash
These were so, so good! I love how easy they were to make also! So much that we are making them again this week!
Sandra Shaffer
That shredded chicken looks delicious and not only perfect for tacos, but great in burritos, enchiladas or tostadas! It's time to put my slow cooker to work!
Michaela Kenkel
That chicken is perfectly done!! Secondly -- WHY have I never put radishes on my tacos?!?!?! I am so trying that!!
Brandi Burgess
Just added this to our menu for next week!
Bowl Me Over
Wonderful, enjoy Brandi!
Julie Menghini
We just love tacos and making the meat like this makes it versatile for so many other recipes. I think I like chicken in tacos more than the standard ground beef too!
Bowl Me Over
Most definitely, you can use the meat for so many meals! Thanks Julie!
Liza
Loving this recipe so much! It's easy and so yummy!
Bowl Me Over
Tacos are one of our favorite meals, enjoy Liza!
michaela
You had me a tacos ... then reeled me in the rest of the way at slow cooker!! Love these!
Bowl Me Over
Gotta love a great slow cooker meal! 😀
Nettie
These look amazing! Nettie
Bowl Me Over
Thank you Nettie, I hope you give them a try!
Linda (Meal Planning Maven)
Oh my these look sooooo good! Plus they are so fun and easy to make...fantastic Debra!!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
Love all your flavors in this! Sounds so tasty. I really need to use my slow cooker more -- this is a great way to put it to use!
Bowl Me Over
Same thing here Patricia! I'm not sure why I don't utilize it more! Thanks so much for stopping by, much appreciated!!!
Nicole Neverman
These chicken tacos sound like a fantastic dinner idea! I love using the slow cooker so this is great 🙂
Bowl Me Over
Awesome Nicole - give them a try and let me know what you think! Thanks so much for stopping by!!!
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets)
I love all of the options you have with this versatile taco meat recipe. I need to use my slow cooker more often for all of our busy nights.
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Sandi,me too! The slow cooker is such an easy option.
Loriann
Looks delicious! I love crockpot meals!
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Loriann!
Michelle
Great idea....and thrifty...would be good to make on Sunday and have enough for 2 more dinners.
Bowl Me Over
Thank you Michelle!
Elena@as easy as Apple Pie
These chicken tacos look super delicious!
Bowl Me Over
Yes, super delicious and super easy, haha! Gotta love that!!
Lois
Such a great idea. Thank You. Will be trying it very soon.
Bowl Me Over
Thank you, please let me know what you think Lois!