Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

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With just a handful of ingredients and the option to freeze for later these Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are a weeknight favorite in our family!

A plate with a tortilla, chicken taco meat, lettuce, and sour cream on it.

I’ve been using my slow cooker a lot more since my son was born.  It’s nice to be able to throw a handful of ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and have dinner ready whenever we have time to eat.

Since kids are so unpredictable this is really nice.  I never know if we are going to be home or running around to practice, birthday parties, or some other place.

Plus, slow cookers often make large quantities of food so we always have leftovers for the next day.  That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe.

One of my favorite and easiest slow cooker meals are these slow cooker chicken tacos.  There are only a few ingredients and it’s super tasty.

Ingredients:

  • chicken breasts
  • enchilada sauce
  • green chilies
  • taco seasoning
  • salsa
  • soft taco shells

To Make the Tacos:   Place the chicken in a slow cooker.  Pour the enchilada sauce, green chilies, and taco seasoning over top of it along with one cup of water.  Mix and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Shred the chicken, add the salsa, and cook for 30 more minutes.  Serve in taco shells.

All you need to do is dump everything into the slow cooker, heat on low all day, and at the end of the night chicken tacos are ready to go!

Pin Image:  A plate with a tortilla, chicken taco meat, lettuce, and sour cream on it, text title, a cutting board with a pack of chicken, a container of salsa, a can of enchilada sauce, a can of green chilies, and a packet of taco seasoning on it.

These are really flavorful and don’t need much put on top of them.  You can put them in hard shells or soft shells and put on your favorite toppings.  I like to put on cheese, sour cream, and jalapenos.

Can I make these in the Instant Pot?

Yes!   It’s easy to adapt this for the Instant Pot.   Add in all the ingredients, including the 1 cup of water and the salsa then cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.   Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then release the remaining pressure.  Shred the chicken and serve on tortillas.

What else can I make with this chicken?

One of my favorite things about slow cooker meals is I can cook once and eat twice.  Often I’ll put the leftover chicken on top of tortilla chips and top with cheese for a tasty chicken nachos dish.  You can also use the shredded chicken on buns as chicken sandwiches along with fries.

What toppings can I use?

Some of my favorite toppings on this include cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, grilled peppers and onions, and cilantro.  However, feel free to use any of your favorite taco toppings!

How do you shred the chicken?

There are two ways to do this.  The first is to put the chicken on a cutting board and use two forks to pull it apart.  This takes a few minutes but it works well.  The easier way is to put the chicken in a large bowl and use a hand mixer.  Put it on medium low speed and your chicken will be shredded in seconds!

If you want to make this a complete meal you can serve rice or refried beans on the side.  I love buying the microwaveable rice because it’s ready in under two minutes and really compliments these tacos.

Two bags of frozen chicken taco meals.

Looking to make this a freezer meal?  Place all of the ingredients, except the tortillas, in a gallon size freezer bag.  When ready to make you can thaw in the refrigerator over night, add to the slow cooker with 1 cup of water, and cook according to the directions.

If you don’t’ thaw it in the refrigerator over night the good news is that it will be fine!  Go ahead and cook it for 8 hours in the slow cooker or for 25 minutes in the Instant Pot and it will still be cooked and delicious when you are ready to eat.

A plate with a folded tortilla on it with chicken taco ingredients inside.

More Slow Cooker Recipes:

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Have a busy night? Try these Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Yield: serves 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

A handful of ingredients make delicious chicken tacos in the slow cooker!

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 (12 oz) can enchilada sauce
  • 1 (4 oz) can green chilies
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 c. salsa
  • 12-16 soft tortilla shells

Instructions

  1. Put the chicken in a slow cooker.
  2. Add in the enchilada sauce, green chilies, taco seasoning, and 1 cup of water. Mix the ingredients together.
  3. Place a lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
  4. Shred the chicken and add in the salsa. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
  5. Serve with tortillas and taco toppings.

Notes

Recipe from Katie's Cucina

A plate with a tortilla topped with chicken taco ingredients.

Taco About It


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6 Comments

  1. You know my kids are grown and I’ve started doing some more in the slow cooker lately! This looks so good–I’ll have to add it to my repertoire!

  2. I love making slow cooker chicken tacos! They’re so easy and so delicious. And super quick for weeknight meals. Even using the instant pot if you forget to take the chicken out of the freezer, like I do.

  3. I am definitely going to have to throw this in the slow cooker this week. I love chicken tacos but this sounds perfect for me!

    1. No I don’t freeze the bags ahead of time. I agree though, I’m looking forward to using my slow cooker this winter!

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