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+ servings
4 Crockpot chicken tacos topped with avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, and red onion lined up in a row on a platter.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Avocado-Cilantro Sauce

Simple, perfect Crockpot chicken tacos topped with an easy and flavorful avocado-cilantro sauce. Awesome for a weeknight dinner or for a crowd.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield:8 tacos

Equipment

  • Crockpot or similar slow cooker
  • Tongs or large wooden spoon
  • Large bowl or cutting board
  • Hand mixer or 2 forks
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Food processor or blender
  • Paper towels
  • water
  • Microwave-safe plate
  • Microwave

Ingredients

For the Crockpot Chicken

  • 1 cup salsa of choice
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning store-bought or homemade
  • salt to taste
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 6-8 ounces each

For the Avocado-Cilantro Sauce

  • 1 large avocado pit removed, peeled
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper stem removed, seeds removed, quartered; see Notes
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • salt to taste

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • 8 8-inch taco tortillas flour or corn
  • crumbled queso fresco
  • diced red onion
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • diced avocado
  • sour cream

Instructions

For the Crockpot Chicken

  • Add 1 cup salsa of choice, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, and salt (only if your taco seasoning doesn't contain salt already) to Crockpot. Stir to incorporate ingredients.
  • Add 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Flip chicken to coat with salsa mixture, then place lid on Crockpot.
  • Cook chicken on LOW 5 to 6 hours, or on HIGH 3 to 3 ½ hours.
  • When cook time is up, transfer chicken to large bowl (or cutting board). Shred cooked chicken with hand mixer (or 2 forks), then return shredded chicken to Crockpot and stir to incorporate with salsa mixture.
  • Cook uncovered on LOW 60 minutes or on HIGH 30 minutes.

For the Avocado-Cilantro Sauce

  • Add 1 large avocado, 1 medium jalapeño pepper, ½ cup cilantro leaves, ½ cup water, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons white vinegar, and salt to food processor or blender. Pulse until ingredients are fully combined and mixture is very smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired.

To Warm the Tortillas

  • Wet paper towel and wring out majority of excess water. Spread paper towel out on microwave-safe plate, then place one flour tortilla on top of paper towel. Repeat, layering damp paper towels and tortillas on plate, until all tortillas have been stacked on plate. Cover last tortilla with one damp paper towel.
  • Place plate in microwave. Microwave 20 to 30 seconds or until tortillas are warm and softened, then carefully remove plate from microwave.

To Serve the Tacos

  • Portion shredded chicken into warmed tortillas. Drizzle avocado-cilantro sauce over chicken as desired, then top tacos with preferred toppings. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • To drizzle avocado-cilantro sauce, fill a plastic sandwich bag with prepared sauce. Snip off a small piece of one corner and drizzle sauce over chicken in tacos.
  • Shred Chicken: Watch this quick video to see how to shred chicken with a hand mixer.
  • Make it Whole30: Use a Whole30-compliant taco seasoning and salsa. Replace tortillas with lettuce cups. Omit any cheese and sour cream.
  • Make it Paleo: Use paleo-friendly taco seasoning and salsa. Replace tortillas with lettuce cups, or use grain-free tortillas. Use paleo-friendly cheese.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Make sure your taco seasoning and salsa don't contain any hidden gluten. Replace tortillas with lettuce cups or use corn tortillas or gluten-free tortillas.
  • Make it Low Carb/Keto: Use a keto taco seasoning and a salsa without any added sugars or sugar substitutes. Replace tortillas with lettuce cups, low-carb tortillas, or homemade keto tortillas.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 taco (flour tortilla with sauce, no toppings) | Calories: 290cal | Protein: 23g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 583mg | Total Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Net Carbs: 26g | Vitamin A: 363IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik