These slow cooker chicken tacos are so delicious and healthy. Dump your ingredients into a slow cooker and in just a few hours you will have mouth-watering chicken tacos! Pairs perfectly with Instant Pot yellow rice and our favorite black beans recipe.
My family and I are HUGE taco fans. Whether it’s easy spicy salmon tacos or Korean beef tacos and bowls or black bean and corn salsa tacos, we’ve never made a taco that we didn’t like.
One of the reasons why I personally like tacos so much is because you can tailor what goes inside to accommodate even the pickiest of eaters.
You can also customize the tacos based on what you have in the pantry, or what’s on sale that week at the grocery store.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can use your Instant Pot or slow cooker to do all the work for you, so you can spend just 15 minutes pulling out toppings, and BOOM! Dinner is done!
The Best Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are especially near and dear to my heart because they’re some of the most affordable tacos you can make.
Chicken breasts can be pricey, but you can regularly find chicken thighs or drumsticks for under $1 per pound. Considering my husband isn’t a fan of ground beef (or any ground meat, for that matter) this is a huge win!
Plus chicken cooks SO FAST in the slow cooker, it’s perfect for when I forget to get dinner started first thing in the morning.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Chicken. I recommend using either boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs. You can use bone-in chicken, but it requires a little more work to remove the bones when the chicken is done.
- Salsa. We like to make our own homemade salsa, but you can use that half jar of salsa in the fridge from your last chips and salsa binge. Salsa verde, pineapple salsa, black bean and corn, lime and garlic salsa… they’d all go really well!
- Taco Seasoning. We make our own homemade taco seasoning too since it’s much cheaper than buying it at the store, but you can use store-bought as well.
- Lime Juice. This is optional, but we really liked the flavor it added to the chicken. If you have it, go ahead and add it!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Step 1. Pour the salsa into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Step 2. Add the chicken, nestling the pieces into the salsa so as much of the chicken is covered as possible.
Step 3. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with taco seasoning and lime juice (if using).
Step 4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred in the slow cooker using two forks, or follow this method to shred using your stand mixer.
Note: There’s no need to add additional liquid other than the salsa. The juices from the chicken will come out as the chicken cooks, and if you add more liquid, your chicken will be too liquidy!
FAQs
The best chicken for shredding is boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast. Chicken thighs are moister but either works great!
After the chicken is finished cooking, wait a few minutes for it to cool down. Then you can start shredding the meat.
We like to have Instant Pot yellow rice with our tacos or our favorite bean recipe. We also enjoy chips and homemade salsa or steamed veggies on the side. The options are endless!
Tips and Tricks to Customize Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Salsa. We like to make our own homemade salsa, but you can use that half jar of salsa in the fridge from your last chips and salsa binge. Salsa verde, pineapple salsa, lime, and garlic salsa… they’d all go really well!
- Taco Seasoning. We make our own homemade taco seasoning too since it’s much cheaper than buying it at the store, but you can use store-bought as well.
Note: You can make your own tortilla! Try my almond flour tortillas recipe and paleo cassava flour tortillas.
Here are some of our favorite toppings, if you’re left wondering how to spice up your taco.
- Onion
- Cilantro
- Tomato
- Corn
- Avocados
- Shredded cheese
- Lettuce
- Pepper
- Hot sauce (try my homemade recipe)
- Cumin
- Jalapenos
- Guacamole (try my homemade recipe)
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Perfectly Tender Slow Cooker Ribs
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Tasty Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
Chicken Meal Prep Plan
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These slow cooker chicken tacos are so delicious and healthy. Dump your ingredients into a slow cooker and in just a few hours you will have mouth-watering chicken tacos! Pairs perfectly with Instant Pot yellow rice and our favorite black beans recipe.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Slow cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken (boneless skinless breast or boneless skinless thighs)
- 1 cup salsa of choice (try my homemade recipe)
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning (try my homemade recipe)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
Instructions
1. Pour the salsa into the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Add the chicken, nestling the pieces into the salsa so as much of the chicken is covered as possible.
3. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with taco seasoning and lime juice (if using).
4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred in the slow cooker using two forks, or follow this method to shred using your stand mixer.
Notes
- Liquid – There’s no need to add additional liquid other than the salsa. The juices from the chicken will come out as the chicken cooks, and if you add more liquid, your chicken will be too liquidy!
- Salsa – We like to make our own homemade salsa, but you can use that half jar of salsa in the fridge from your last chips and salsa binge. Salsa verde, pineapple salsa, lime, and garlic salsa… they’d all go really well!
- Taco Seasoning – We make our own homemade taco seasoning too since it’s much cheaper than buying it at the store, but you can use store-bought as well.
- Tortillas – You can make your own tortilla! Try my almond flour tortillas recipe and paleo cassava flour tortillas.
Nutrition
- Calories: 253
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