These easy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos are cooked up tender and flavorful with salsa-style tomatoes, onions, and taco seasoning. Then the mixture is spooned onto lightly blackened corn tortilla and topped with lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, corn, and chipotle ranch.
These crock pot tacos are so easy to make and always so full of flavor. Customize the toppings to suit your individual taste. Better yet, set up a taco bar so everyone can choose their own toppings, leaving you free to enjoy your meal. Or use the chicken taco meat in taco salad, over rice, or over tortilla chips for nachos.
How to make Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Add the onions, chicken, salsa-style tomatoes, and taco seasoning to a crock pot. Cover and cook on low for several hours or until the chicken is fork tender. Then using two forks, shred the chicken. Spoon the mixture onto charred corn or flour tortillas, or taco shells, and top with chopped romaine lettuce, chopped red onion, sweet corn, and chopped tomatoes. Finally, drizzle with the easy two-ingredient chipotle ranch.
Helpful Tips for Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
- Cook the chicken in the crock pot until fork tender and easily shreddable with two forks. This is about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
- Use the shredded chicken in salads, nachos, burritos, lettuce wraps, and enchiladas.
- Customize the toppings to suit your taste. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. If you don’t like corn, replace it with black olives. Other toppings to try include sour cream, avocados, guacamole, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.
- For a burst of citrus flavor, add a little lime juice to the slow cooker or include fresh lime wedges with the tacos.
- You can use salsa-style tomatoes or any tomato-based salsa.
- For extra flavor, try my homemade taco seasoning without all that added salt. It is out of this world good with the fresh flavors of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and more. Or add a small can of green chiles.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze the cooked chicken, first cool. Then, add it to a sturdy freezer container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
How to char tortillas
For that authentic Mexican restaurant, look and flavor char those tortillas. There are three easy ways to char corn and flour tortillas.
Gas stove – using tongs, place the corn or flour tortilla right on top of the lite burner. I turn the flame on medium-low, and it takes about 30 seconds to lightly char each side.
Skillet – heat a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat, and using tongs, add the tortilla. Char for about 1 minute, then flip and char the other side.
Broiler – Turn the broiler to high. Then place the tortillas on a broiler pan and place them under the broiler for about 1 minute. Flip and brown the other side. Keep a close eye on them so they do not overcook, as broilers are somewhat unpredictable.
Where do I find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Chipotle peppers are jalapeno peppers that have been aged, dried, and smoked. They are earthy, robust, and smoky yet still incredibly spicy, so only use a little bit. You can find them canned with adobo sauce in the Hispanic food section of most local grocery stores. Adobo sauce is a slightly sweet, tangy, rich, and reddish brown sauce made with ground ancho and guajillo chiles.
The combination of the two is a taste sensation. One chopped chipotle pepper with a little bit of the adobo sauce can take your Mexican and southwestern recipes over the top. Store the remaining chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month or freeze them for up to 3 months.
More tasty taco recipes for you to enjoy!
Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
Tasty and tender Crock Pot Chicken Tacos made easy in the slow cooker. Customize with all your favorite toppings and drizzle with chipotle ranch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 120 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: main meal chicken
- Method: crock pot
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can salsa style tomatoes (or salsa)
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Corn tortillas
- 2 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion chopped
- ⅔ cup corn
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- lime wedges
Chipotle Ranch
- ⅔ cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
Instructions
- Add the onions, chicken, salsa-style tomatoes, and taco seasoning to a crock pot. Cover and cook on low cooking for 4 hours or high for 2 hours or until the chicken is fork tender. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ranch and adobo sauce.
- Spoon the mixture onto charred corn or flour tortillas and top with romaine, red onion, corn, and tomatoes.
- Drizzle the tacos with the chipotle ranch and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Cook the chicken in the crock pot until fork tender and easily shreddable with two forks. This is about 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
- Use the shredded chicken in salads, nachos, burritos, lettuce wraps, and enchiladas.
- Customize the toppings to suit your taste. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. If you don’t like corn, replace it with black olives. Other toppings to try include sour cream, avocados, guacamole, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.
- For a burst of citrus flavor, add a little lime juice to the slow cooker or include fresh lime wedges with the tacos.
- You can use salsa-style tomatoes or any tomato-based salsa.
- For extra flavor, try my homemade taco seasoning. It is out of this world good with the fresh flavors of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, and more.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: how to cook chicken in the crock pot for tacos, chicken taco crock pot recipe, chicken for tacos
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Frank
We love this recipe. These are our favorite tacos. I make them at least once a month. Thanks for the great recipe.
Gavin
Love this! My favorite chicken recipes! Thanks for sharing this
Mike
oh I totally love Chipotle peppers! even though I can’t handle too much spice these days….i just love the smokey flavor. and even though we are vegan, we are going to try your recipe with some plant-based chicken….so excited!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks. Mike! I sure hope you enjoyt the tacos.
Sally
These crock pot chicken tacos sound absolutely delicious! The combination of salsa-style tomatoes, taco seasoning, and tender chicken is sure to be a hit. I love how versatile this recipe is, allowing you to customize the toppings to your liking. The idea of setting up a taco bar is brilliant, making it a fun and interactive meal for the whole family. And let’s not forget about the Chipotle ranch drizzle; it’s the perfect finishing touch to bring all the flavours together. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sally! I sure hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Deb
Now that fall is on the horizon – I’m all about my crock pot. These chicken tacos were so yummy! My husband and kids already want me to make them again.
★★★★★
Rosey
Oh wow, I never thought to use the crock pot for tacos. What a good idea we may try this weekend. Why not?!
Nina
The best chicken tacos ever and so easy to make. I set up a taco bar so all the kids and their friends could customize their own tacos.
Richard
I love chicken tacos., I’d have to tone down the spices though. My stomach can’t take them anymore.
Jacqueline Debono
Best chicken tacos recipe ever! I can’t buy taco seasoning here in Italy but make my own. This is such an easy and delicious weeknight dinner recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Jacqueline! So glad that you like the chicken tacos!
Jen
This recipe is going to be life saver on busy weeknights. Everyone in my family loves tacos and it will be easy to feed everyone even if they eat at different times. I can’t wait to try your homemade taco seasoning too!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Jen! Enjoy!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Thank you so much! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
★★★★★
Justine
This is one of my favorite easy chicken recipes! We had it for dinner last night and my kids asked me to make it again next week!
★★★★★
Ali
I hate cooking chicken.. except for when it’s in the crock pot — This taco recipe is so easy to make and incredibly delicious, definitely a staple!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ali! So glad that you like the chicken tacos. They are so easy in the crock pot!
Deanna
I put black beans in too. Also we added nacho cheese and of course sour cream. So good!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips, Deanna!
Gervin Khan
Wow! This Tacos recipe looks absolutely delicious and yummy! The presentation and the color it gives make it enticing and tempting. Got to try this at home.
★★★★★
May
Curious to try your homemade taco seasoning. I use most of the seasonings you added — except oregano. That’s one thing for me to check out.
★★★★★
Neely Moldovan
Oh we make something similar at least once a week! So good and so easy!
April
Definitely trying these! Chicken tacos sounds amazing right now!
★★★★★
Ej Requina
This looks absolutely delicious. I am a sucker for tacos and Im definitely making this recipe over the weekend!
Crystal Carder
These look delicious! I always love anything you can make in the crockpot, especially during the summer.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Crystal! I agree 100%!
Ivan Carlo Jose
I like to make chicken tacos for my family. My family absolutely loved this recipe. I used some of the leftover chicken on some nachos! They were delicious!
★★★★★
Sam
I love to make chicken tacos for my family. This is a delicious recipe! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kat
I wonder if I can use pulled pork instead? well… only way for me to find out is to try the recipe! I might replace the dressing with garlic ranch tho.
Christine
We LOVE Tacos and this recipe looks so good! I can’t wait to try it. I like cooking just about anything in the crock pot.
★★★★★
Beeb
These were absolutely amazing! I love chicken tacos, and making them in a crock pot is such a time saver.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Yes it really is.
Julie
Was so tasty and easy! This was a hit on our table for sure!
Erin
This was really yummy. My mom and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the great recipe.
Joe
This was incredibly delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. My family really enjoyed it.
Juliane
Such a delicious meal! My family loved this a lot!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Julian! So glad that they loved it!
Sandra
This is so good and delicious!! It is so easy to make and perfect any night of the week!
★★★★★
Melissa
Such a perfectly delicious meal for my family! A new favorite for weeknights!
★★★★★
Tayler Ross
We had these tacos for dinner last night and OMG were they amazing! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine Tayler! So glad that you liked them!
Erik
Wonderful flavor, and so easy to make! Amazing that this is done with a crock pot!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
So happy that you liked them Erik!
Gina
These are the perfect Taco Tuesday meal! Easy to make, full of flavor and delicious! Going to make these often!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Gina! So happy that you liked them!
Catalina
These chicken tacos are so rich and flavorful! Can’t resist them!
Jess
So easy and perfect for Taco Tuesday!
★★★★★
Amanda
My kids love these tacos! Especially that sauce!
★★★★★
Mahy
My family loves these!! we can never say no to tacos and those are so easy and delicious to make! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine!
Beti
These are my kind of tacos!! The chicken was so tender and flavorful!
★★★★★
katerina
Wow!! These chicken tacos were incredible!! My family enjoyed these so much!! Thank you!
★★★★★