Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are great for those days that you know are going to be super busy but you still want to come home and have dinner as a family. Everything gets tossed in the crock pot and cooks all day until you’re home and ready to eat it!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos only take 10 minutes to throw in the crockpot. Delicious shredded chicken tacos in a jiffy!
About a week ago I polled my readers on Facebook to see if they preferred tacos to burritos. I think the proof was in the numbers when an overwhelming number of individuals responded back with a strong “TACOS!!!!” Pulled chicken tacos, to be more specific.
Make sure you PIN Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos!
I also know that my fellow foodies love a good chicken crock pot recipe, so Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos were born. For obvious reasons, they were actually called Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos in their beginning. Since, they have become a favorite, and staple, in our home.
Taco Tuesday is nearly a national, weekly holiday, at this point, so you have to have some fabulous tacos recipes in your repertoire, don’t you agree?
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are perfect for any family who loves good flavor, but also loves to save time. All your ingredients get dumped in the crock pot to simmer on low all day, marrying the delicious spices and flavors.
It only takes 10 minutes to throw all of the ingredients into the pot. No browning meat, or expensive chopping. None of that nonsense, it goes against my core slow cooker values that it should be faster and easier.
My mornings are super hectic, as I am sure yours are as well. So keep in mind that you can combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker the night before. Top it with the lid, throw it in the fridge and in morning just plop it in the pot and set it on low.
Shredded chicken tacos are also great for potlucks and other parties. Just prep ahead of time and have it ready to go for your guests. Even better just throw a taco party because everyone would come to that. I mean, who would say no to a taco bar?
Don’t forget to have all your toppings ready to go to load up your slow cooker chicken tacos. Here are a few of my favorite taco toppings:
- Fresh lime wedges
- Sriracha
- Salsa verde
- 3 Minute Salsa
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Crema Mexicana
I also use soft flour tortillas with this recipe, but if you’re a hard taco kind of person then feel free to use those instead. Corn tortillas are acceptable as well.
PRO TIP: For parties, get small tortillas, corn or flour. These are known as street tacos and easier to manage and eat as finger food.
This crock pot taco recipe is also perfect for a taco salad. Use a crunchy tortilla bowl or just a big bowl of leafy greens. I love it with Romaine lettuce and a little hot sauce; it doesn’t even need salad dressing!
More taco recipes:
- Crispy Pork Tacos
- Tropical Beef Tacos
- Korean Beef Tacos with Chipotle Aioli and Sriracha (Bulgogi)
- Best Fish Tacos
- Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken and Rice
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Jalapeno Lime Beef Tacos
- Even more fabulous taco recipes!
Tools for making Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos:
Slow Cooker – You’ll need one to make this recipe! You can also use the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot.
Wood cutting board – wood won’t dull your knives like plastic and if treated properly, has natural antimicrobial properties.
Good knife – Global is my favorite! They are worth the price, I promise. I am kind of obsessed with them and store them tucked away so no one else can use them. Including hubby. Hands off my good stuff!
Questions you might have about how to make chicken tacos:
What salsa goes best with soft chicken tacos? These pulled chicken tacos can use any salsa recipe you like. They are also flavorful enough to not really need a salsa if you prefer to not use one.
Salsas don’t have to be hot or spicy. In fact, the word salsa just means chopped up produce. Here are a few of my favorites:
Can I use chicken thighs for this slow cooker chicken taco recipe? You sure can use boneless chicken thighs instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts for crockpot tacos. In fact, I might actually prefer the dark meat of chicken thighs. Use the same 1.5 pounds and trim them of excess fat.
Can you make these chicken tacos with cream cheese? The original recipe does not call for cream cheese, but you can 1/2 cup at the very end to make super creamy shredded chicken.
Can I cook this recipe on high? You can cook it on high for 3 hours instead of low for 6. It will actually cook even faster if you cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Just make sure they are no longer pink before shredding. Cooking times may vary.
Are these healthy chicken tacos? It really depends on your definition of healthy and your portion sizes. I am not a registered dietitian. What I will say is that they are loaded with fresh wholesome ingredients and a lean protein. But after you add tortillas and cheese, I suppose things can get a bit wonky.
If you wanted to make this into a lower carb recipes, you can make a chicken taco bowl (sans a tortilla) or even use the shredded chicken mixture to top a leafy green salad.
Can I free shredded chicken? After making the shredded chicken mixture, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 4 months.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast , boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 bunch cilantro , large stems removed
- 15 ounces canned corn , drained
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 red onion , chopped
- 15 ounce black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 2 tablespoons chicken stock
- 1/2 cup instant rice
- 12 small flour tortillas
- hot sauce , optional
- 1 cup queso fresco , crumbled
- lime wedges , for spritzing
- salsa verde
Instructions
- Combine chicken breasts, lime juice, cilantro, corn, garlic, red onion black beans, cumin, fine sea salt, black pepper, chile powder and chicken stock in a slow cooker.
- Set for 6 hours on low.
- Thirty minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return to slow cooker with instant rice, stir well, cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, fill flour tortillas, top with a spritz of fresh lime juice, Sriracha, salsa verde and queso fresco.
- If you try this recipe, make sure to come back and let us know how you liked it.
Clicked on this for the lemon blueberry cake.. Why did it take me to slow cooker tacos 🙁
Hi Eva, I am sorry to hear there. Sometimes people steal photos that are doing well and link them to other content. I don’t even have a lemon blueberry cake on the site, so it wasn’t even my recipe. The closest I can get ya is my Lemon Pound Cake or Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Both links below. Good luck!
https://www.savoryexperiments.com/blueberry-cream-cheese-coffee-cake/
https://www.savoryexperiments.com/lemon-yogurt-pound-cake/
OMG! OMG! OMG! This is one of the best recipes I have ever tasted. I made a mango salsa to go with it and will add a few slices of avocado. Can’t wait to run the stats. This is going to be the ultimate of a healthy meal. Thanks so much for the recipe!
The addition of mango salsa is a great idea! I LOVE that you LOVE it so much! And thank you for sharing- it means the world to me that people are using my recipes, loving them and taking time out of their busy days to swing by and leave a note.
I am making these tacos today. I had weight loss surgery and these are perfect for a bariatric diet. High lean protein and lots of fiber. I will eat mine in a bowl without the tortilla but I bought Old El Paso Stand and Stuff Taco bowls for the rest of the family.
How did you like them Marci? I actually eat them as a “bowl” a lot- too much tortilla for me!
I love soft tacos and yours look absolutely fabulous! Thanks for sharing a Simple Supper Tuesday.
Soft tacos are my favorite, yours look fantastic full of yummy chicken and toppings. Thank you for linking up at Simple Supper Tuesday! Nettie
I love soft tacos and these look tasty! Pinning!
These look amazing! Do you deliver? 😉
I love cilantro and lime on everything especially tacos! One of my favorite places to eat has tacos just like these so I’m definitely going to have to try these! Thanks for sharing on the DBB! Headed over to pin right now for later!