5/05/21

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

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I’ve seen at least two dozen recipes for crock pot chicken tacos and they all have one thing in common: salsa (or Rotel or something similar).

While I was eager for a recipe for easy chicken taco meat, the recipes with salsa always put me off a bit. Blogger buddies, please don’t hate me now!

Unless you’re raising and processing your own chickens OR you have a killer local source for fresh, farm raised chicken (which by the way, if you have either of these, I am sooooooo jealous!) the chicken you’re cooking is going to put off a lot of liquid when cooked in the slow cooker.

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

Adding a jar of salsa or a can of Rotel is going to add even more liquid. Which means that chicken is going to end up submerged in boiling liquid. And boiling chicken breasts (or any super lean meat) that long is going to yield dry, tough chicken. Sure, it’s going to be sitting in liquid when you shred it, but the chicken itself will be dry and the texture will be tough and stringy. 

Which leads me to the other conundrum I had with the salsa chicken recipes. I want my taco meat to be moist, but I don’t want my tacos to get soggy once I assemble them. So, having the meat swimming in liquid wasn’t going to work for me.

I was thinking about giving it a try anyway then stepped back and approached things from a new perspective. 

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

I have to do that sometimes. When we see a thing over and over and over we start to think that it’s just the way. The way it is, the way it’s done, the way it’s best, the way it must be.

And I ain’t just talking about recipes.

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

So, OK. What did I want?

I wanted chicken taco meat that was:

  1. Very EASY to make
  2. Moist but not submerged in liquid
  3. Tender with maybe a crisp bit here and there
  4. Flavorful and delicious
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

Alright. Got it.

So, how do you get that?

  1. Very EASY to makeuse the crock pot and use minimal ingredients
  2. Moist but not submerged in liquidlet it cook in its own juices and don’t add liquid
  3. Tender with maybe a crisp bit here and thereadd butter since chicken breasts are so lean
  4. Flavorful and delicioususe a taco seasoning packet!
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

So I threw everything in the crock pot and hoped for the best. And it was! It was THE BEST! The chicken was so delicious and tender and the family LOVED it!

I made a double batch then used leftovers two nights later in baked burritos (I assembled burritos, placed them in a baking dish then covered them with shredded white American cheese and whipping cream – the cream and cheese melt together to make a queso sauce).

WHAT TO SERVE WITH 3-INGREDIENT CHICKEN TACOS

  • Mexican Restaurant-Style Rice -A simple recipe with just a few ingredients just like the rice at our favorite Mexican restaurant!
  • Borracho Beans - Savory, saucy pinto beans cooked low and slow with pork, spices and beer. The PERFECT side dish for your next Mexican feast! 
  • Taco Rice with Queso - A one-pan skillet meal with ground beef and Mexican style rice drenched in an easy queso sauce.
  • Mexican Street Corn - An easy recipe for Esquites served off the cob as a side dish or warm salad with Mexican crumbling cheese, a creamy spread, fresh cilantro and chili powder. 
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

NOTES ABOUT MAKING CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS

  • Use the chicken in burritos, rice bowls, soft tacos, crunchy tacos, taco salad and anything else you might use traditional beef taco meat.
  • This recipe doubles beautifully. The only change would be to assemble ingredients in layers rather than to add all of the seasoning and butter to the top. Literally assemble the recipe twice (half of the chicken, 1 packet taco seasoning, 1/3 cup butter then repeat).
  • Trim all the fatty bits and any other undesirable parts from the chicken breasts before cooking.
  • You can absolutely use chicken thighs in this! 
  • The chicken is so much better if you have time to let it rest before shredding so try to plan for that!

Recipe for 3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Taco Meat

3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Taco Meat
Yield: Filing for 12 tacos
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 5 M
A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1/3 cup butter

Instructions

  1. Spray the inside of a small crock pot with cooking spray (optional but makes for easier clean-up). Place chicken breasts in the crock pot.
  2. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken breasts.
  3. Slice butter into pats then arrange on top of seasoned chicken.
  4. Cover then cook on Low for 5-7 hours or High for 3-4 hours.
  5. If time allows, turn off heat then let chicken rest, covered, for 30-45 minutes.
  6. Using two forks, shred chicken then serve with taco shells and favorite toppings.

Notes

  • Use the chicken in burritos, rice bowls, soft tacos, crunchy tacos, taco salad and anything else you might use traditional beef taco meat.
  • This recipe doubles beautifully. The only change would be to assemble ingredients in layers rather than to add all of the seasoning and butter to the top. Literally assemble the recipe twice (half of the chicken, 1 packet taco seasoning, 1/3 cup butter then repeat).
  • Trim all the fatty bits and any other undesirable parts from the chicken breasts before cooking.
  • You can absolutely use chicken thighs in this! 
chicken, breasts, mexican, shredded, taco meat, tacos, burritos, filling, easy, butter, taco seasoning, no salsa, best, how to, slow cooker, crock pot
main dishes, supper, dinner, crock pot, slow cooker
Mexican
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3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos! A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more made with only three ingredients.


36 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious - I don't like when the meat is swimming in juice either and this seems like a great solution

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    Replies
    1. Does anybody know what the directions for the oven?

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  2. I think you might be a genius! Tacos are always so mess anyway, who needs all that extra liquid?

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  3. I love this idea! I usually use my own mexi-spice mixture - can you give a measurement of the taco seasoning in the packet? Ounces, tablespoons - doesn't matter. I know I can adjust it to suit my taste, but it will give me a starting point.Thanks - love 'South your Mouth'!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!! I use a 1-oz packet which is about 2 tablespoons.

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  4. I can't wait to make this, Mandy. My husband doesn't like tomatoes/salsa, so I know he will like it. Thank you.

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  5. I really dislike the taco seasoning mixes. I think it's the chili powder. Anybody know of an alternative to the mixes in the stores?

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    Replies
    1. Try Fajita Seasoning

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    2. Use McCormick BBQ Seasoning. Buy it in the spice aisle.

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  6. Mandy, This was freakin awesome!!! I love reading your posts and this one was no different but I thought in my head, this is not gonna be flavorful, with just a packet and some butter, but let me tell you, it all went in 1 night, it was so good - thanks for another great meal! Jess

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  7. Can you use frozen chicken breasts in this recipe or should they be thawed? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. You can use frozen! Cooking times should be the same.

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    2. It's in the crock pot right now. So looking forward to it! Thank you!

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    3. Thanks for this recipe! I have a double batch in the crock pot now!

      How do you know when they are done? I have them in high

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    4. It doesn't take long for boneless breasts to cook but you want them to cook long enough that they can be easily shredded with two forks.

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  8. In the crock now! Thanks for this awesome idea

    How do you know when it’s ready? I have a double batch on high.

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  9. Can you instant pot it? Would you need to add water?

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    Replies
    1. Meghan E, Most InstaPot's have a slow cooker setting, so you shouldn't need to add water on that setting.

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    2. Use 3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock

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  10. How big is the crock pot you used?

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    Replies
    1. I use my "large" one since I always double the recipe. I don't know how many quarts it is. Any size will work so long as everything fits.

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  11. I LOVE this chicken so much!! I totally agree that soaking your chicken in a bunch of liquid makes it stringy and this fixes the problem. It is delicious, impossible to mess up and can be used for more than just tacos. I've just made it for the 3rd time and the 3 hungry men I feed are excited about what I'll use it for next. I plan to thicken the sauce a bit and top baked potatoes with it tonight.

    Give your child a crockpot and this recipe and send them out into the world. Life will be tough sometimes but at least their chicken won't be. Enjoy!

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  12. I was looking for a chicken taco recipe without tomatoes as my husband has kidney disease and has to watch his potassium. I did add 1/4 cup of water, and some thinly sliced jalapenos, mini sweet peppers and a small onion. I've got it in the slow cooker right now and he's so excited to taste it.

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  13. Yes… you are totally speaking my language with this recipe. I’m going to make it for dinner tonight.

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  14. If I have legs and thighs how many of them do I need to use to equal the chicken breasts??

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  15. Can you share the recipe for the baked burritos? It sounds amazing!

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  16. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! for a chicken taco recipe without salsa! I really don't care for it in recipes...this looks fabulous and perfect for my low-carb diet!

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  17. I use chicken taco mix. Makes for excellent burritos and nachos! I also add cream cheese the last half hour. My husband loves this recipe!!!!

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  18. I have always hated how watery and liquid-heavy chicken gets when adding salsa. Thanks for the solution to my crock pot woes!

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  19. Would this be ok for freezing in individual bags after cooked for ease of future meal prep?

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  20. Can you post the nutritional facts for this recipe?

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  21. Yes. I freeze some almost every time I make it.

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  22. Don’t look for any other recipe!! I tasted a bit of this & then ate one entire chicken breast immediately! Incredibly flavorful, moist, and absolutely delicious!

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  23. Hi, just a quick question, I'm all out of butter, can I use margarine on top instead? Thanks so much

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Hi there! While I’m not able to respond to every comment, I try hard to answer any questions that haven’t been addressed in the post, recipe or in other comments.

I can tell you now 1) I have no idea if you can substitute Minute Rice or brown rice in my recipes because I’ve never used them and 2) If I know how to convert a recipe to a Crock Pot version, I will make a note about it (otherwise, I don’t know).

And though I may not respond to them all, I do read each and every comment and I LOVE to hear from you guys! Thanks, y’all! - Mandy