Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Crockpot Chicken Tacos are one of the most simple no prep dinner meals that taste delicious and are always a crowd pleaser with the entire fam!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Make Chicken Tacos in the Crockpot
This recipe is honestly one of the most simple recipes that I ever make. The best part is, there is no prep required for this meal. Just grab all of the ingredients and put them into your crockpot! There are really only 3 main ingredients for this recipe:
- Chicken. You can use thighs or breasts. I like to use thighs in the crockpot because they turn out more moist than breasts. Chicken thighs have more fat than breasts which is one of the reasons they are more tender especially when you cook them in the slow cooker. I also like to brown the outside of the chicken thighs before putting them into the crockpot to bring out the flavor and lock in some of the moisture.
- Taco Seasoning. Buying the taco seasoning packets is great, super quick and convenient. But if you have a little bit of extra time, making your own is really delicious and a bit more versatile in flavor. Here is our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Salsa. The type of salsa you use in the recipe will really make the flavor. There are so many different types of salsas – chunky, smooth, blended, spicy, mild, more smoky…..on and on. Choose your favorite salsa for this recipe and you will love the flavor of the chicken!
How Long Do you Cook Chicken Tacos in the Crockpot?
Chicken is one of those meats that cooks really fast in the crockpot. If you are using chicken breasts, definitely don’t cook on high unless you like dry meat 😉 For this recipe, I like to cook on low for 3-4 hours. I always use a meat thermometer to check if my meat is done rather than just trying to guess. That way it doesn’t get overcooked.
My favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. I love this thermometer because it gives you a super accurate temperature in only 2 to 3 seconds, it has an auto-rotating display that flips right side up no matter the direction it is turned, and it is always on when you are using it and then sleeps when you set it down.
All poultry (breasts, whole bird, legs, thighs, wings, ground poultry) should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Chicken Taco Toppings
The best thing about tacos, is adding toppings! Some of our favorite crockpot chicken taco toppings are:
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Cheese
- Cilantro
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Squeeze of lime
- Red Onion
I hope you enjoy this amazingly simple go to dinner! If you love crockpot chicken tacos, you might also like:
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Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 cup salsa
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 8 medium tortillas corn or flour
Toppings
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese
- 1 medium avocado
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, yellow
- 2 cup shredded lettuce
- 5 tbsp Greek yogurt, plain
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs, taco seasoning and salsa to a crockpot.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Once cooked through, shred chicken in the crockpot and mix well.
- Grate the cheese; dice the avocado, tomatoes, and bell pepper.
- Add chicken to tortillas, then add toppings as desired.
Nutrition
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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can you use chicken breast?
My favorite kind of meal. 🙂
How do you do your tortillas? My kids only like them fried and oil. Yours look healthier. 🙂
Vennessa- If I’m making homemade corn tortillas, I too fry them in some oil.. I do try to only use a tiny bit though. 🙁
Yes Christy- I would just include maybe a 1/4 cup of water with it, since they tend to be a little more dry.
I tried to fry my corn tortillas,and they turned out soft and greasy. Yours look crispy?? How do I get those to work better?
How long did you cook the chicken?
Chicken cooks pretty quickly in the Crockpot- I probably had mine in for about 3-4 hours.
Hi PK! This is one of my husbands fiotraves, so I fix it often! I prep it in a crock pot liner, and set in the refrig the night before, and put it on at the time that is needed to have it ready for the meal I am preparing! Happy Crocking!
Tortilla recipe please. Looks yummy!
Yes! Please!
Hey Kelly and Maggie- I wish they were homemade shells! they are raw corn tortillas that I quick fried 🙁 I’ll practice some homemade ones though! It’s tricky to get them thin enough!
I also want to know how you got your taco shells crispy and bent into the taco shape! They look yummy!
They actually aren’t that crispy! I still have a lot to learn to make those just like store bought!
I’m going to try this recipe tonight! If I use chicken breasts – how many lbs should I use with the 1/2 cup salsa and 1 T seasoning? And is the 3-4 hours on high or low? Thanks!
Hi Jen- I usually cook chicken on Low. It cooks very quickly in my crockpot!
Thanks Amy! How many lbs of chicken is your recipe written for?
I think the standard package I buy is 3 lbs!
Hello Amy,
Did you use skinless, boneless chicken thighs for this recipe? Or, do you recommend bone-in?
Skinless, boneless!
I really liked the chicken and veggies. The tortillas threw me a little. We called it burritos. The picture looked crunchy, but there aren’t directions how to do that.
This was great for Taco Tuesday. I used a different taco seasoning recipe that I already had made up. I added refried beans, sour cream, and dried cilantro. It was good!
Very moist with chicken thighs, I used pineapple salsa and Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, very good
Very delicious and easy. Both husband and I loved it!
I made in the pressure cooker and added bell peppers. Very quick and easy
Big hit!
A hit for the whole family.
Very good and easy, making again
I did use chicken breasts that I already had on hand. 2/3 of my kids devoured this and loved the build your own taco toppings we had on table! Hubby and I were bummed we didn’t have leftovers for lunch!
Tender chicken, great flavor, kids liked it
Phenomenal
This was so good. Family loved it. Will make it again.
Family loved it. Budget friendly very easy and delicious.
Super easy! And tasty!
Was a hit at dinner time, Miss Picky even ate it. -1 star as the Chicken was a little too spicy for the children even after I omitted the chilli powder.
Our family really liked this. Hubby grilled the chicken rather than cooking it in a crockpot, but it was delicious!
The kids loved this – I substituted most of the spices taco seasoning which made it even simpler and still delicious
used ground turkey, can of tomatoes, can of black beans, was delicious and more like chili
Used leftover chicken, so I just reheated it in a cast iron skillet, but I used the same ingredients otherwise and it turned out delicious!
Delicious and easy!
This was wonderful. The chicken was full of flavor and super moist. Even hubby enjoyed it, and he is super picky.
I really loved it. I didn’t put it in a crockpot because I didn’t have time, so I cooked it in a pan. I was scared because it was too spicy, but once it gets in the tortilla, the flavor is amazing (I still would use less spicy flavor).
So easy and delicious. A bit on the salty side though.
Kids loved it!
I was super excited about this simple recipe, but as I was distracted by the kids when preparing it and put most of the taco seasoning on the chicken before I realized I was only supposed to put 1 tbsp. We’ll see how it goes!
Yum. And easy.
Simply simple and delish!
This was a hit! Everyone loved it! We ended up having to do the chicken in then oven, so it was a little on the dry side, but still great!
How did you make the shells? I hate buying hard shells from the store because they are always stale. Those look like they are fried corn tortillas? Would love any tips so they don’t turn out an oily mess.
Hi Lauren! You can make your own baked corn tortilla shells by putting a little oil on them and baking them on a baking sheet. When we do this, they’re still pliable enough that we can fold them over into tacos (especially if you add a pinch of cheese to the middle) but they have a bit of crunch, too. Try them for just about 5 minutes in a 400 F oven.
I don’t feel like this made very much food but other than that, what can you hate about a taco?
How do you make thus in an instant pot?
I wrote a guide for doing just this! https://www.superhealthykids.com/the-ultimate-guide-for-making-any-crockpot-recipe-in-an-instant-pot/.