Skip take-out for your next Taco Night, and make your own fantastic meal from scratch. This easy-to-prepare, hands-off slow cooker Mexican shredded chicken recipe takes just a few minutes to throw together but tastes a heck of a lot better than anything you can order at a drive-thru.
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Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
Start cooking in the morning, and by the time dinner rolls around, you’ll be serving up some of the most tender and flavorful chicken tacos you can imagine. This recipe makes the perfect amount for a family of four or a couple with plenty of leftovers. You can easily double this crockpot chicken tacos recipe if you are cooking for a crowd!
Hard Shell vs. Soft Shell Tacos
Are you the kind of person who likes the crunch of a hard shell taco? Or maybe you prefer the pillowy texture of a soft shell instead? The hard vs. soft taco shell divide is vast, and at the end of the day, you should eat any taco shell you want. However, whether you are a soft shell or hard shell eater, you may want to consider a few of the following hints.
Eating a hard shell taco will always be messy, but you can significantly reduce the food on your lap to the food in your mouth ratio if you learn the proper technique.
- Begin by grabbing the middle of the taco from underneath between your thumb and first two fingers. Make sure to hold the taco straight up and down, and drop your neck to one side.
- Now bite off the very end of the taco.
- Your next bite should be the top portion, followed by the lower one.
- Now comes the genius part. Rotate the taco in your hand and repeat.
- At this point, you wind up with just a little bit of taco between your fingers. Pop it in your mouth and be proud of your clean plate and hands.
Eating a soft shell taco, on the other hand, is easier because they don’t break, but this style of shell presents a whole different problem, mainly, choosing between a flour tortilla and a corn tortilla.
If you are a traditionalist, stick with corn tortillas since they are the most authentic. But many people in the US find the taste of corn tortillas a little off-putting at first, so feel free to use flour tortillas.
If you decide to go the corn tortilla route, remember you have to heat them in a dry pan over medium heat on both sides before using them. Heating dramatically improves their flavor and texture.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need to make this slow cooker shredded chicken tacos recipe:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Minced onions
- Cayenne pepper
- Oregano
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced green chilies
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Salsa con queso
- Taco shells
How to Make Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot in a single layer.
- Mix chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, paprika, minced onions, cayenne pepper, and oregano in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Add the diced tomatoes, green chilies, and chipotles (if you’re using them), to the crockpot.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or cook on low for 8 hours
- Remove the chicken and place it in a large bowl.
- Shred the chicken.
- Drain liquid from the crockpot, leaving a few tablespoons.
- Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and add the salsa con queso, stirring to combine.
- Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes on low.
- Serve on taco shells with toppings of your choice.
Perfect Toppings for Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Tomato
- Shredded Cheese
- Onion
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Lime
- Hot Sauce
- Queso
- Salsa Verde
- Cilantro
- Tortilla chips
Tips For Making and Serving Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Don’t overfill your tacos. Use about a quarter cup of chicken per taco.
- Go easy on the taco toppings. You can use lots of different ingredients to top a taco, but don’t get carried away. Too many toppings make it even more challenging to eat.
- Double up on the tortillas. Two tortillas per soft shell taco not only keeps it from falling apart but helps to fill you up.
- Store any remaining shredded chicken in the fridge for a few days. Keep in an airtight container and reheat in the microwave.
Check out our videos on YouTube.
Popular Crockpot Recipes
More Taco Recipes
- Taco Bell Tacos
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco
- Wendy’s Taco Salad
- Taco Casserole with Tortillas
- Fresco Taco
- Taco Wontons
- Easy Taco Soup
- 8 Layer Taco Dip
Be sure to check out more of my easy Crockpot recipes and the best Mexican food recipes right here on CopyKat.com!
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skiness chicken breast chicken thigh meat is also ok to use
Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry minced onions 2 tablepoons of fresh chopped onions can be used
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Remaining ingredients
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes fire roasted are highly recommended
- 4 ounce can of diced green chilies
- 7 ounce can of chilis chipotle optional, but highly recommended
- 15 ounce jar of salsa con queso
Toppings (Optional)
- diced tomatoes
- shredded cheese
- diced onion
- sour cream
- avocado
- guacamole
- slices of lime
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Please the chicken in the crockpot in a single layer.
- Combine chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, dry minced onions, caynne pepper, and oregano in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken breasts.
- Add the diced tomatoes (do not drain), green chilies (do not drain), and chilies chiptole to the crockpot.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or cook on low for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken and place in a large bowl to shred (I usually just use two forks.)
- Drain excess liquis from the crockpot, leaving a few tablespoons.
- Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot and add the salsa on queso, stirring to coombine.
- Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes on low.
- Serve on taco shells, tortilla chips, or on a bed of lettuce with the toppings of your choice.
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