Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos in Crockpot
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If you are ever looking for a crowd pleaser, then I have just the recipe for you! These shredded chicken tacos are cooked to perfection and only require 5 minutes of your time to mix the ingredients together! How do we do it? With a slow cooker! Come home on a busy weeknight to a delicious batch of slow cooker shredded chicken tacos or use this recipe for your next large gathering!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
5 minute prep: Just 5 minutes is all it takes to whip this chicken tacos recipe up. Then just set it and forget it…until you get hungry that is!
Slow Cooker: Using the crockpot is a great advantage for making pulled chicken tacos on days when you know you will be gone all day but still want to have a hot and healthy meal for dinner.
Bold flavors: The bold flavors of fresh chili peppers, tomatoes, and a cheesy sauce make these crockpot shredded chicken tacos one of my favorite weekly recipes.
Healthy: The lean chicken breast is a nice healthy, low fat protein that makes these shredded chicken tacos perfect for low fat, low carb, or keto diet.
If you love Mexican dishes, you’ll need to try my ; Halloumi Tacos, Vegetable Tacos With Chipotle Sour Cream and Loaded Veggie Tacos
Why Use a Crockpot for this recipe? (Slow cooker)
The slow cooker does several fantastic things for this recipe, but the number one thing is that it cooks the chicken slowly. That means you can place the chicken in the crockpot in the morning and have it finished for you as soon as you get home from a busy day. There is no worrying about having to still make dinner after a long hard day.
This slow cooking also comes in handy if you are having a get-together where you want the main dish to cook while you are doing other things…like decorating and cleaning.
Because the slow cooker cooks so low and slow, it actually creates very tender, easy to pull apart chicken. Also, cooking the chicken low and slow means the flavors you are adding to the crock pot have longer to cook into the meat to create bold, flavorful shredded chicken tacos meat.
Need inspiration for some other slow cooker recipes? Try my Slow Cooker Beef Curry, Slow Cooker Gammon Joint and Simple Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
What chicken is best for shredding?
For this recipe, I am using boneless skinless chicken breast because it is lean and it shreds easily when it comes out of the slow cooker. However, you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. They have a bit more fat to them, which may affect the flavors of this dish (only for the better), but overall they will work just as well for shredding after leaving to cook in the crockpot.
Satisfy your cravings for other tasty chicken recipes and try my: Sliced Chicken Breast in Oven, Sauteed Chicken Breasts and Chicken Legs.
Ingredients
Chicken breast: As stated above, I like using chicken breast for this shredded chicken tacos recipe because it is lean and easy to shred.
Tomatoes: The tomatoes in this dish lend some bright acidity to the cooked shredded chicken.
Flavors: Garlic, onion, chilis, and coriander bring the flavors and aromatics of Mexico to this dish.
Seasonings: For a little kick, I also add some Cayenne pepper on top of chili powder, fennel, salt, and pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Best Toppings for Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Making shredded chicken for tacos in the crockpot is super easy and brings loads of flavor! But the flavor doesn’t have to stop there. I love adding different toppings every time I make chicken tacos. Here are a few you may want to try.
- Cilantro/coriander Lime Slaw
- Shredded Cheese
- Guacamole
- Tomato Salsa
- Sour cream
- Kimchi
- Lettuce
- Feta cheese
- Chipotle mayonnaise
Variations/ Adaptations
Chicken taco bowls: Serve the shredded taco chicken from the crock pot over a bowl of rice, quinoa, or even farro. Then add your favorite toppings.
Use thighs: No chicken breasts? Try using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. They are cheaper and lend more flavor to the taco meat.
Change up the tortillas: For this recipe I am using soft flour wraps but you could also use soft corn tortillas, or corn hard shells.
Vegan/Vegetarian: Make this crockpot shredded chicken taco recipe vegan by using vegan chicken, lentils, or black beans and then use vegan cheese.
Keto: The taco meat is already keto friendly, you can make your wraps keto friendly by using butter lettuce or a keto friendly wrap.
Gluten free: To make these tacos gluten free, use gluten free corn tortillas or corn hard shells, gluten free wraps, or lettuce wraps.
How to make these shredded chicken tacos
- Start by adding the chopped tomatoes, garlic, fresh chillies (I left the seeds in for extra spice but you can remove if preferred) spices, a small handful of coriander and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until combined (Image 1).
- Add the chicken breast into your slow cooker/crock pot, along with the olive oil and seasoned tomato mix (Image 2).
3. Stir to combine in the slow cooker and close lid down securely (Image 3).
4. Cook for 3 hours on high, or 4 hours on low (Image 4).
5. Once ready, use two forks to shred the chicken, then stir to evenly coat in the sauce (Image 1).
6. Combine the creme fraiche/sour cream with a squeeze of lime juice, some finely chopped coriander and stir to combine (Image 6).
7. Lightly toast your wraps and add a layer of the tangy creamy sauce (Image 7).
8. Serve the wrap with a layer of the tangy creamy sauce and a portion of chicken. Top with diced onion, fresh coriander, sprinkle of optional cheese and a squeeze of lime juice (Image 8).
Need inspiration for some main meal recipes? Try my; Steak Pasta with Creamy Sauce, Best Gammon Joint in the Air Fryer and Air Fryer Ribeye Steak
Tips for the best result
Don’t overcook the chicken– If you know you will be out all day, put the slow cooker on low or the chicken could dry out.
Make ahead – For an even easier weeknight meal or lunch all week long, you can make this taco chicken ahead of time and then store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Make ahead Instructions
To make ahead, follow the recipe as laid out in the recipe card. Then place the shredded chicken into an airtight container. If refrigerating the meat, it will last up to 5 days. If freezing, the meat will last up to 3 months in the regular freezer and 1 year in a deep freezer.
If you want to make individual portions, scoop out one serving size and place it into an airtight container. Do this for each day you plan to eat the shredded chicken taco meat. You can freeze or refrigerate the meat based on the above referenced times.
To reheat frozen shredded chicken, place the meat in a microwave safe container and microwave until heated through (fastest method), stirring occasionally. If you have a large amount, you can either reheat it in a pot on the stove over low-med heat (this could take about 30 minutes) or place it back in the crock pot on high until it is heated through (this could take around 4 hours).
Here are some other easy recipes, using chicken ; Chicken Patties in Airfryer, Chicken Mince Stir Fry Recipe and Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Best sides for shredded chicken tacos
When it comes to choosing a side dish for shredded chicken tacos, I like to keep it pretty traditional. Black beans and rice are always delicious. I also like corn on the cob as a side and a nice simple salad with dressing as well.
Other ways to use shredded chicken taco meat
Want to use up leftover taco meat? Or maybe you just don’t feel like having tacos tonight? Here are some other fun ways you can use shredded chicken taco meat and still have a great meal.
- Nachos
- Taco bowls
- Chicken Tortilla soup
- Chicken taco salad
Leftover Shredded Chicken Storage and Reheat instructions
To store shredded chicken I recommend storing the chicken with the cooking liquid to make sure the chicken stays moist and also keeps a lot of flavor.
Refrigerate the shredded meat for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freeze the shredded chicken for up to 3 months in an airtight container. And if you plan to use a deep freezer, the shredded chicken will last up to 1 year if in a nice airtight container.
Reheating the shredded chicken in the microwave is the fastest way to reheat.
Serve any leftover shredded chicken with; Sauteed Savoy Cabbage, Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes and Mexican Street Corn Off the Cob
FAQs
Yes, you can use frozen chicken for this recipe, however the cooking times may be longer.
Yes, shredded chicken and pulled chicken are the same thing.
You can shred the chicken hot or cold. Normally shredding the chicken hot while still in the slow cooker is easy but be careful not to burn yourself. Cold chicken may not shred quite as easily, but there is less heat coming from the chicken for which to burn yourself.
Absolutely cook your chicken before shredding it! Shredding chicken before cooking will not work. Plus, you risk contaminating your kitchen with salmonella.
Explore More Recipes
If you tried this Shredded Chicken Tacos, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken breast (£4.25)
- 400 g 1can of chopped tomatoes (£0.32)
- 2 cloves of garlic (£0.39)
- 2-3 whole fresh chillies (£0.55)
- 1 red onion (£0.10)
- 1 lime, slice into wedges (£0.25)
- Fresh coriander (£0.55)
- 8 mini tacos (£0.90)
- Few dollops of creme fraiche or sour cream (£1.20)
- Optional sprinkle of cheese of choice
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Start by adding the chopped tomatoes, garlic, fresh chillies (I left the seeds in for extra spice but you can remove if preferred) spices, a small handful of coriander and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until combined.
- Add the chicken breast into your slow cooker/crock pot, along with the olive oil and seasoned tomato mix. Stir to combine and cook for 3 hours on high, or 4 hours on low.
- Once ready, use two forks to shred the chicken, then stir to evenly coat in the sauce.
- Combine the creme fraiche/sour cream with a squeeze of lime juice, some finely chopped coriander and stir to combine.
- Lightly toast your wraps and add a layer of the tangy creamy sauce. Then serve with a portion of chicken. Top with diced onion, fresh coriander, sprinkle of optional cheese and a squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking by setting the slow cooker on low if you’ll be out all day to prevent the chicken from drying out.
- Prepare the taco chicken in advance for an easy weeknight meal or to store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
Nutrition
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