These Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are quick to prep, easy to make, and filled with tons of flavor!
Slow cooker chicken tacos are a great quick and easy meal for busy weeknights. Toss the handful of ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, and then all you have to do when dinner comes around is shred the meat and assemble some seriously good tacos.
Upgraded Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
In college, the classic way I learned to make chicken tacos in the crockpot was just to top chicken breasts with salsa, press “start,” and call it a day. And they were *fine* if a little boring.
But these days, we don’t have to settle for just “fine.” Let’s make some tacos we can be excited about. This recipe uses a combination of canned tomatoes with honey or brown sugar for a hint of sweetness, classic taco spices for a kick of flavor, and a little vinegar to finish things off with a little bite of acidity.
You end up with deliciously juicy chicken packed with a ton of flavor that is anything but boring.
Ingredient Notes
- Your choice of chicken: You can use either 3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe, OR a mix of 1½ pounds of each. I really like the combo of thighs and and breasts because you get the richness of the dark meat without it being *too* rich.
- Diced canned tomatoes: If all you have on hand is canned whole tomatoes, roughly chop them before adding them to the slow cooker. I do not recommend substituting crushed tomatoes here.
- Taco spices: All spices and the salt can be replaced by 3 tablespoons of store-bought taco seasoning. If using homemade taco seasoning without salt, add the salt called for in the recipe.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
1. Add onions and chicken to slow cooker: Dice your onion, and then spread the onion over the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the chicken in an even layer over the top of the onion.
2. Add canned tomatoes, honey OR brown sugar, and all spices: You can stir everything on top of the chicken together if you want, but skip if you’re running short on time.
3. Start your slow cooker: Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F for chicken breasts and 175°F for thighs.
4. Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken from the slow cooker to a cutting board, and shred the chicken.
5. Add the remaining ingredients: Add white vinegar to the cooking juices before returning the chicken to the slow cooker. Then stir in shredded chicken and cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Make your tacos, and enjoy!
Variations
For spicier tacos, try substituting Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies for the diced tomatoes or take canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce and add a couple diced peppers and tablespoon of the adobo sauce for more of a smokey spice.
For creamy chicken tacos, try stirring in 1 cup of sour cream to the finished taco meat.
How to Store Your Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Chicken taco meat stores quite well in both the refrigerator and freezer, making this an excellent make-ahead meal.
- Refrigerator: Store the chicken taco meat in its juices in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store in individual portions in quart-sized freezer bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Use within 3 months for best results.
Can I use frozen chicken in the slow cooker?
Although many people will just add an extra 30 minutes to 1 hour to their cooking time and toss their chicken in frozen, it is not recommended. Current USDA guidelines recommend only using thawed chicken in the slow cooker because the food will spend too much time in the “danger zone” while thawing, making it potentially unsafe to eat.
What are the best toppings for these tacos?
These tacos don’t need a ton of toppings. I like them best with a little sour cream and extra chopped cilantro, but feel free to add your favorite toppings like cheese, diced onions, or avocado.
Related Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ medium white or yellow onion diced
- 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs OR a mix of 1 ½ pound of each
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes *
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons chili powder *
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon table salt plus more as needed
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro plus more for topping
- 12 taco-sized tortillas
- Sour cream for topping
Instructions
- Spread the onions over the bottom of your slow cooker and then place the chicken in an even layer over the top.
- Add canned tomatoes with their juices followed by the honey or brown sugar. Then sprinkle all spices and salt over the top.
- Place the lid on your slow cooker, and cook until the chicken reaches at least 165°F for chicken breasts and 175°F for thighs, about 2-3 hours on high or 3 to 6 hours on low.
- Transfer chicken from the slow cooker to a cutting board, allow to cool until cool enough to handle and then and use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
- Before returning the chicken, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the cooking juices. Stir in shredded chicken and cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the taco meat with your favorite tortillas and a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the chicken taco meat in its juices in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Store in individual portions in quart-sized freezer bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Use within 3 months for best results.
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