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This easy Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken is a flavorful slow cooker dinner made with tender chicken, fresh cilantro, zesty lime juice, garlic, and simple spices. Serve the shredded cilantro lime chicken in tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, salads, or over rice for an easy family meal.
My favorite way to serve this shredded cilantro lime chicken is as burrito bowls with all the toppings, and the ‘secret ingredient’ which is this Cilantro Lime Crema as a sauce to drizzle over everything♥
Crockpot Shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken
If you love easy crockpot recipes, this cilantro lime chicken is one you’ll want to keep in your regular dinner rotation. Just add everything to the slow cooker, let it cook, and come back to juicy, flavorful chicken the whole family will love.
This is one of my favorite dinner recipes because it’s so versatile – serve it inside corn taco shells or soft flour tortillas, as rice bowls or burrito bowls with all your favorite taco toppings, salad, or nachos. Leftovers are great for Mexican-inspired dinners that call for already cooked chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
- ♥ Easy To Make : Just add the ingredients to your slow cooker and let it do the work.
- ♥ Full of Flavor : Fresh lime, cilantro, garlic, and spices give the chicken a bright, zesty flavor.
- ♥ Versatile : Use the shredded chicken for tacos, burrito bowls, salads, wraps, nachos, quesadillas, and more.
- ♥ Great For Meal Prep : The cooked chicken stores well and can be used in several meals throughout the week. It’s even great for recipes that call for already cooked shredded chicken.
- ♥ Family-Friendly : Simple ingredients create delicious flavor without being overly spicy.
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Boneless , Skinless Chicken Breasts : The recipe calls for 2 pounds which is about 3 or 4 large chicken breasts.
- Kosher Salt, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper : The dried seasonings needed for the chicken.
- Fresh Lime Zest : Use a microplane or the fine side of a grater to zest one or two limes.
- Chicken Broth
- Honey
- Fresh Lime Juice : Save the limes from zesting and squeeze them for the juice. The lime juice is divided in the recipe which means you will use some of it at two different steps of the recipe.
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro
How To Make Shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken In The Slow Cooker (Printable Recipe Card)
Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large crockpot (6QT to 8QT size).
In a small bowl whisk together the chicken broth, fresh lime juice, and honey until combined. Pour it over the chicken in the crockpot.
Sprinkle the dried seasonings evenly over the chicken, turning them as needed, making sure to coat each chicken breasts in the seasonings.
Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4-5 hours or until the thickest part reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks, or transfer it to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer to shred it on medium-low speed.
Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and add the fresh lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro. Stir everything together until the chicken is well coated in the cooking juices and lime juice.
Serve the cilantro lime chicken in tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, or over rice with your favorite taco toppings.
How To Store, Reheat, and Freeze Leftovers
- Refrigerator : Do not leave the cooked chicken at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat : You can microwave individual servings in the microwave, in a saucepan on the stove top, or use the cold chicken from the fridge for a meal that calls for already cooked chicken.
- Freezer : Freeze the chicken with its cooking juices in an airtight freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Make-Ahead : This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and use it throughout the week for recipes.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- Adding most of the lime juice and all of the cilantro after cooking keeps the flavors fresh and bright instead of letting them fade during the long cook time.
- I recommend using fresh chicken breasts, but if you’re using frozen chicken breasts, make sure they are completely thawed and patted dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- For quick perfect shredding, place the warm cooked chicken breasts into a large bowl and use a hand mixer on medium-low speed, to shred the chicken to your desired “shredness”. Another option that works well is placing the chicken on a plate and using two forks to shred it.
- To make this spicy add diced jalapeño (either fresh or canned), cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce. You can also serve the chicken with spicier ingredients for toppings such as shredded Pepper Jack cheese, spicy salsa, and sliced jalapeños.
- You can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts using the same amount. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work very well in this recipe and tend to stay especially juicy in the slow cooker.
Serving Suggestions For Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Burrito Bowls – Make this cilantro lime rice or easy mexican rice for the base of the bowl, top with some cilantro lime chicken, and then add all your favorite toppings; shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, chopped tomatoes, salsa verde guacamole, avocado slices, sour cream, tortilla strips, or anything else you love. An easy burrito bowl sauce my family loves is this copycat cafe rio ranch dressing or cilantro lime crema.
- Quesadillas
- Nachos
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos – Use the shredded cilantro lime chicken inside crunchy corn taco shells or soft flour tortillas for taco night.
- Chicken Taco Salads
- Oven Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken Taquitos : Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the shredded cilantro lime chicken onto small flour tortillas along with some shredded cheese (any cheese you like). Roll it up tight and place them seam side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spray each taquito with some nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
More Mexican-Inspired Chicken Recipes
- Easy Crockpot Salsa Chicken
- Salsa Chicken Baked Flautas
- Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
- Honey Lime Chicken Taquitos
- Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (Homemade Sour Cream Sauce)
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Tacos
Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 large pieces)
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
To Add Later
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large crockpot (6QT to 8QT size).2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a small bowl whisk together the chicken broth, fresh lime juice, honey, and lime zest until combined. Pour it over the chicken in the crockpot.¼ cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- Sprinkle the dried seasonings evenly over the chicken.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4-6 hours or until the thickest part reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks, or transfer it to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer to shred it on medium-low speed.
- Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and add the fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. Stir everything together until the chicken is well coated in the cooking juices and lime juice.¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Serve the cilantro lime chicken in tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, or over rice with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
- Adding most of the lime juice and all of the cilantro after cooking keeps the flavors fresh and bright instead of letting them fade during the long cook time.
- I recommend using fresh chicken breasts, but if you’re using frozen chicken breasts, make sure they are completely thawed and patted dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- For quick perfect shredding, place the warm cooked chicken breasts into a large bowl and use a hand mixer on medium-low speed, to shred the chicken to your desired “shredness”. I sometimes also just shred the chicken breasts with a hand mixer right in the slow cooker and that works fine. Another option that works well is placing the chicken on a plate and using two forks to shred it.
- To make this spicy add diced jalapeño (either fresh or canned), cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce. You can also serve the chicken with spicier ingredients for toppings such as shredded Pepper Jack cheese, spicy salsa, and sliced jalapeños.
- You can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts using the same amount. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work very well in this recipe and tend to stay especially juicy in the slow cooker.
Nutrition
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