Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken simmered with Mexican spices, salsa and green chilies for amazingly flavorful chicken for tacos, burritos, nachos, soups, salads, etc. and all you do is dump and run! You NEED this in your back pocket!
Crockpot Mexican Chicken Recipe Video
Need is a strong word. But when it comes to food and recipes, I am convinced you NEED this go-to, easy, crazy delicious Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken at your fingertips. In fact, it is the only all purpose, Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken you will ever need! It joins the cast of my other stellar back-pocket Mexican staples of Tacos Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, Baja Fish Tacos, Beef, Bean and Cheese Burritos, Chicken Fajitas, Steak Fajitas, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef. And of course, every one needs a killer Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.
After all, tacos, burritos, nachos, tostadas, chimichangas, enchiladas, etc. are only as good as the meat and this Mexican Chicken is stellar. It will be the star of your Mexican dishes and bonus! – it is super easy and fabulous for make-ahead or even freeze-ahead meals. Use the chicken plain in your recipes or top them all off with Guacamole, Homemade Salsa, Salsa Verde or Pico de Gallo for an added layer of YUM!
The perfectly flavored chicken cooks in a Mexican spiced bath of salsa, green chilies, diced tomatoes, brown sugar and a splash of liquid smoke.
The chicken cooks until its fork tender, then shredded and added back to the seasoned juices to re-absorb the flavor in every crevice.
At this point, you drain any excess liquid. I like to save the seasoned liquid to cook my rice in like I first did in my Slow Cooker Fajita Chicken – so good – some of the best rice you will ever eat! The chicken is perfect as is for tacos/burritos or if you are serving plain over rice, I love to stir in some enchilada sauce. It is also fabulous with Restaurant Style Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice with Black Beans.
This Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken is ready to make all your Mexican dishes more delicious…
Like these Smothered Baked Mexican Chicken Burritos aka “Skinny Chimichangas” with Cheesy Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce…
But don’t wait, your taste buds want you to make this chicken now! or tomorrow, or as soon as humanly possible…
Looking for more crockpot shredded chicken recipes?
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken
- Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 240 minutes |
| Servings | servings |
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup mild salsa (medium if you like spicy)
- 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar **
- 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
- 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained (or regular)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr,
- 1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dry oregano, pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (optional for more heat)
- 1 teaspoons liquid smoke
- Hot sauce to taste
Ingredients
| Rate this recipe! |
- Rub chicken breasts with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the hot sauce. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (there will be liquid remaining). Return shredded chicken and let cook on low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices. Drain all excess liquid (see note***). Taste and add hot sauce to taste if desired.
*Liquid Smoke is found next to the BBQ sauces in any grocery store and adds a wonderfully smokey flavor.
***Use 3 tablespoons brown sugar if using mild salsa and not using ground chipotle chili pepper. Use 4 tablespoons if you are using medium salsa and/or the ground chipotle chili pepper. The brown sugar balances out the heat. I use both medium salsa and the chipotle chili pepper and it has a kick but not overly spicy in my opinion - perfect to be smothered in cheese. I had a comment that the chicken is not spicy at all if you leave out the chipotle pepper - perfect for kids.
***When I drain my excess liquid, I top a large bowl with a strainer and add slow cooker contents, pressing down on chicken to get rid of all of the excess moisture. I then use drained liquid plus additional needed water to cook my rice for AMAZING flavored rice.
***If serving over rice, try stirring in some enchilada sauce after you drain your chicken for some saucy Enchilada Mexican Chicken.
****Chicken freezes beautifully.
Carlsbad Cravings© Original
Brian says
Can I use frozen chicken breast for this?
Jen says
Hi Brian, you will need to defrost the chicken breasts first otherwise they linger in the “danger zone” too long and also add extra liquid. Enjoy!
Becky M. says
I made this tonight and…wow!!! It is so good! Super easy and not a lot of ingredients. A perfect weeknight dish. This recipe is definitely going on my weekly rotation!
Jen says
Thank you so much Becky, I’m so pleased this Mexican Chicken is a new weekly addition! I actually just made it tonight to use it all week- great minds think alike 😉
Deb says
Made this chicken last weekend for our annual Christmas party (Mexican theme)and it came out great. Followed your recipe except left out the liquid smoke (didn’t have any) and the chipotle, as I wasn’t sure if the guests all liked spicy, and it came out great! I used it in your Smothered Baked Chicken Burritos, which were also delicious!Made it early in the day and left it in the crock pot on warm till ready to assemble the burritos and didn’t even have to drain it. The burritos were the hit of the party – everyone raved! Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes and looking forward to leftover burritos tonight!
Jen says
Thanks so much Deb! What a fun idea to make the chicken burritos for a party and I’m so happy the crockpot Mexican chicken made them so easy! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Donna says
On your video you used fire roasted tomatoes but the recipe calls for just diced tomatoes. Which one do we use ? Which one is better ? Thank you
Jen says
I prefer fire roasted but you can use either. Enjoy!
Melanie says
This is one of our all time favorite meals! We’re having a hard time finding chicken breasts during the pandemic, but we have thighs on hand. I’ve never done thighs in a crock pot….any advice?
Jen says
Hi Melanie, chicken thighs will definitely work! Just cook them for less time and they’ll be delicious!
Owen says
It’s says one Tsp of onion powder but looks way more in the video, making it tomorrow and don’t want to mess it up, shall I go by the ingredients or the video?
Jen says
I followed the ingredients for the video – definitely follow the recipe.
Marci says
Another keeper to add to my recipe collection from Carlsbad Cravings, thank you! I would love your thoughts on how you store your recipes Jen. I love writing them out but find the cards are too small, if I write them on notebook paper I smudge them, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Jen says
Awesome Marci, I’m so happy you loved it, thank you! I print my favorite recipes out and keep them in a binder.
Bambi Sue says
Wow! This is the best recipe…easy & delicious. A keeper, thanks Jen
Jen says
You’re so welcome, I’m so happy it was a hit!
Mia says
It’s 4:17 and I wanted to serve dinner at 6. How would you prepare this in an instant pot pressure cooker?
My husband thanks you in advance 🙂
Jen says
Hi Mia, I didn’t see your comment in time, sorry!
Julie says
Can you still answer this?
Jen says
Hi Julie, what question did you have? Not seeing it…
Joyce DeBord says
What size slow cooker did you use? And was it round or oval?
Jen says
I use a 7qt oval but a 6qt will also work.
Elle says
Hi Can I sub ground chicken instead of chicken breast?
Jen says
Hi Elle, I don’t recommend this recipe for ground turkey but you can use this one: https://carlsbadcravings.com/turkey-tacos/
Tammy says
I have this in the crockpot right now. I know we are going to have some leftovers i can freeze, and I know you mentioned that it freezes well. Are there any specials instructions for freezing the cooked chicken?
Jen says
Hi Tammy, let the chicken cool to room temperature and then save in the crockpot juices so it stays nice and tender. It will freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Lisa says
I’ve made this several times and we always love it! It is so versatile and healthy. So easy for everyone to make their favorite dish– burrito, rice bowl, or salad.
Jen says
I love hearing this Mexican chicken is a favorite, thanks Lisa!
Karen says
Hey Jen! Another great recipe for the slow cooker! Not wanting to make unnecessary trips to the grocery store, I used bone-in thighs which were juicy and bone removal easy when shredding. I’ve learned to trust your recipes and wanted it spicy so I only added 3 Tbsp brown sugar with fairly picante salsa. Well, It was pretty spicy when I tasted samples from the slow cooker. But after it had refrigerated, it was no longer as spicy and really delicious just as you had promised! First night, quesadillas with pico de gallo. Second night, taco salad. I had planned on sharing what I froze with family members but…shhh…I’ve changed my mind as it’s too good to share! They’ll just have to wait for my next batch! THANK YOU!
Jen says
Yesss! I’m so happy you loved it so much that you want to keep it to yourself! Your secret is safe with me! Your quesadillas and taco salad sound perfect!
Mandy Braaten says
What brand of Salsa do you prefer?
Jen says
I love Mateos Salsa.
Candice says
This is an awesome recipe and even better the third time around when I bought the chipotle chili pepper. It made all the difference. I usually double the sauce part in the slower cooker as I feel the chicken is too dry otherwise. I used medium salsa and added five tablespoons of brown sugar. My husband and I both stated it was the best burrito we have ever had!
Jen says
Thanks so much for your awesome review Candice! I’m so pleased this chicken is such a hit!
Andrea says
These sound delicious, but my daughter can’t eat chicken. Could I substitute pork tenderloin?rea
Jen says
Hi Andrea, I would suggest pork butt/shoulder over pork tenderloin as tenderloin is extremely lean and doesn’t shred well. Good luck!
Katrina says
I’ve made this twice now and it’s so good! The first time we used it for burritos and the second time for Christmas Eve tamales. For tamales, I used chicken thighs, which made it even better–more tender and easier to shred. In place of ground chipotle, I used chipotle chiles in adobo, which was delicious. This is a great go-to Mexican chicken. Thank you! Your recipes never disappoint!
Jen says
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment Katrina, I’m so pleased you’re enjoying my recipe and that this Mexican chicken is on repeat! I love the swaps of thighs and chipotle chiles in adobo – yum!
Mimi says
If not using a crockpot, could I slow cook it in a pot over the stove ?
Jen says
Absolutely! Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes (will depend on size of chicken breasts), or until chicken is completely cooked through and easily shreds with a fork.