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A favorite recipe in my house for well over a decade now, this slow cooker Mexican chicken is a total dream. It’s completely hands-off and made with only 3(!) store-bought ingredients, plus it’s perfect in tacos, salads, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, or nachos. I’ve always got the ingredients for this one on hand!
This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly.
Before You Get Started
- Store-bought salsa keeps this recipe unbelievably easy, and you can use any brand, variety, or flavor you like. I recommend a salsa that’s on the thinner side, with a good bit of liquid, as opposed to a chunkier, less-liquid blend like a pico de gallo. That extra liquid helps ensure your chicken stays moist and juicy throughout the slow cook!
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Add the Ingredients.
Mix together the salsa and taco seasoning, then add the chicken – or just toss everything straight into the slow cooker. Either way works fine, though I tend to mix the spices into the salsa first.
Set it and forget it.
For a little while, at least! Set your Crockpot to 5 hours on low heat or 3 hours on high heat. Check on the chicken occasionally, and flip it over or spoon salsa on top of it as needed to keep it moist.
All Crockpots behave differently, so you may not need the full cook time! Check your chicken with an internal meat thermometer so you don’t overcook it by accident.
Shred the chicken.
When it reaches an internal temperature of 155° Fahrenheit, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and let it rest, then shred it using your favorite method. I prefer the hand mixer or the two-forks method – you can read about all 5 methods in my post about The Best Shredded Chicken Ever!
Finishing Touches.
Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and stir it into the salsa, making sure every bite of chicken is completely covered. Once that’s done, finish cooking the chicken for another 30-60 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s inspired by the shredded chicken from our favorite local Mexican restaurant, but it’s a much more budget-friendly option than taking the fam out once a week. I mean, you go to a Mexican restaurant, you’re like, legally obligated to order queso, and then before you know it, you’ve got a whole queso-margarita-fajita-churro situation on your hands. Multiply that by 2-5? Eek.
- This slow cooker salsa chicken is quite possibly the easiest chicken recipe you’ll ever make. Literally just put everything in the Crockpot, cook on high or low, then shred and stir. No standing over a stove, no perfectly-timed flips, no marinade or dry rub. Plop. Cook. Shred. Stir.
- It’s really versatile! The brilliance of keeping things “basic”. Since the chicken comes out tasting like spices and salsa, you can pair it with absolutely any of your favorite toppings. Serve it on nachos, in tacos, as part of a burrito bowl, wrapped up in a burrito, whatever you’re in the mood for.
Recipe Variations
- Get Creative: All the flavor in this recipe comes from the salsa, so definitely choose one that you LOVE! Don’t be afraid to opt for a more “adventurous” flavor of salsa, either. Slow cooker Mexican chicken is a fantastic way to use peach mango salsa, fire-roasted habanero salsa, salsa verde, tomatillo salsa, pineapple salsa… you get the idea.
- Make it Gluten Free: Double check the labels and make sure both your taco seasoning and your salsa are totally gluten free.
- Make it Whole30 or Paleo: Use a store-bought salsa and taco seasoning that don’t contain any sweeteners or other incompatible ingredients. If you’re unsure or having trouble finding compliant store-bought versions, you can make your own Whole30 salsa or Whole30 taco seasoning!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
Equipment
- 6-quart Crockpot or similar slow cooker
- Large wooden spoon
- Tongs
- internal meat thermometer
- tools for shredding chicken see Notes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa store-bought or make your own; any brand, any variety
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning store-bought or make your own
- salt to taste, optional
- 3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 pounds total
Instructions
- Add 1 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning to slow cooker. Stir well to combine. If desired, add salt to taste.
- Add 3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts to slow cooker. Flip chicken breasts over to coat in salsa, or spoon salsa on top of chicken.
- Secure lid on slow cooker. Set slow cooker to 5 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH.
- After 4 hours on LOW or 2 hours on HIGH, carefully uncover slow cooker. Insert internal meat thermometer into center of chicken breast. If internal temperature of chicken is lower than 155° Fahrenheit, replace lid on slow cooker and continue cooking chicken until temperature reaches 155° Fahrenheit.
- Once internal temperature of chicken reaches 155° Fahrenheit, remove chicken from slow cooker and place chicken on cutting board or in large mixing bowl. Let chicken rest 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, shred chicken using desired method (see Notes). Return shredded chicken to slow cooker.
- Stir shredded chicken into salsa, then replace lid on slow cooker. Set slow cooker to 30 minutes on HIGH or 60 minutes on LOW.
- When cook time ends, portion chicken into preferred serving sizes. Serve shredded chicken as desired in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, salads, or bowls.
- Leftovers: Let shredded chicken cool completely. Refrigerate chicken and liquid from slow cooker in an airtight container. Consume within 5 days of cooking.
Shredding Methods
- Hand Shredded: Using your hands/fingers, pull the chicken apart until completely shredded. Pieces can be as big or as small as you like.
- Two Forks: Use one fork to steady the chicken while shredding the chicken with another fork. Work in small, short strokes, moving forks away from each other.
- Hand Mixer: Break the chicken into manageable chunks and place them in a large bowl. Use the standard attachments on your mixer and set mixer to a medium speed. Mix until chicken is completely shredded.
- Stand Mixer: Use the standard paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until chicken chunks are completely shredded.
- Food Processor: Break up the cooked chicken breasts into chunks first, and work in multiple batches. Add chicken to food processor and use the plastic dough blade attachment to avoid your chicken turning to mush. Process for 30 seconds or until uniformly shredded. Repeat until all chicken is shredded.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
More Delicious Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- The Best Shredded Chicken
- Mexican Chicken Salad (Ensalada de Pollo)
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Top 30 Shredded Chicken Recipes
- Shredded Beef Tacos
- Chicken Tacos in Lettuce Wraps (Paleo, Whole30, Low Carb, Keto)
- Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Best Sheet Pan Fajitas with Steak
- Steak Taco Bowls (Street Taco Style)
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Blackened Fish Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa and Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Mexican Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
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How many tacos does this recipe make approximately?
Hey, Becky! That would depend on a few things like the size of your tortillas (6-inch vs. 8-inch) and how much chicken you put in each taco. I would guess you could get 8 tacos out of this easily, but you may be able to get as many as 16 or more depending on the amount of chicken you put in each one.
Does anyone know how long the cooked meat can safely stay warm in the crockpot to serve at a party?
Hi, Cali! In general, once the chicken is fully cooked, it should only be kept in the slow cooker on warm for 2-3 hours. After that it should be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated, then reheated as needed.
Thanks for your reply. The wedding reception goes for 4 hours with the food being prepped for serving beforehand. Not sure how this will work to keep the shredded chicken food safe for that long…if you have any helpful ideas, I’d appreciate it.
Oh, I’m so sorry, Cali, but we won’t be much help here! I’d recommend reaching out to a caterer or someone with experience feeding a large number of people over a long window of time and see if they could offer any suggestions.
Looks delicious! Thank you! I will be trying this next weekend. I don’t like any store bought salsa, but I love the salsas they use at the Mexican restaurant. Do you have any good recipe for a good homemade salsa to try this with? Thanks again!
Absolutely! This one would work well with this recipe: https://40aprons.com/roasted-salsa/.
If tripling the recipe (birthday party) do you also have to increase cooking time? If so by how much?
You shouldn’t need to increase the cook time, no. Keep an eye on everything though and stir/flip the chicken periodically so everything cooks evenly.
If I were to double this recipe would the chicken cook correctly if it’s stacked on top of each other?
Hey, Emma! Thanks for the question. That should work out fine – you may want to give it a stir halfway through the cook time just to rotate the chicken and ensure they cook evenly.
Can you use chicken thighs? Will it be the same cooking time?
Yes and yes!
Great tasting easy recipient.
So glad you enjoyed it!
if I don`t have slow cocker, how do I cook it in a simple pot?
As directed, but cook over low and allow it to simmer.
You can’t call it three ingredients when one ingredient is salsa and another one is Mexican seasoning! That’s around ten ingredients right there and you haven’t even bothered to give recipe for them. This is useless.
Hey, Mark! It’s intended that you’d use store-bought salsa and taco seasoning so no need for a recipe for those, and they do each count as one ingredient for this recipe. Of course, you’re more than welcome to make your own salsa and/or taco seasoning if you’d rather. Hope you’ll give it a try!
This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly. All of your tips and suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.
So happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing. 🙂