Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos

Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos are an easy crockpot recipe that makes perfectly shredded chicken and simmers in enchilada sauce, green chilies, and taco seasoning. Simple to make and they make the best chicken tacos for dinner. 

Making shredded chicken in the crockpot is an easy way to get dinner on the table. Try these other shredded chicken taco recipes like these creamy Honey Lime Salsa Verde Ranch Chicken Tacos and these Slow Cooker Queso Chicken Tacos. 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos Recipe

Shredded chicken tacos are such an easy dinner recipe and a no-fuss way to get dinner on the table. Simply throw everything into the crockpot and let it cook. The chicken shreds so perfectly with just a touch of a fork. The best part is that you only need fresh chicken breasts and some convenient canned ingredients like enchilada sauce, green chilies, and a packet of taco seasoning. 

Serve this shredded chicken inside flour tortillas or crispy corn taco shells and top with all your favorite taco toppings. 

What You'll Need

Make this shredded chicken taco meat with 4 canned ingredients + fresh chicken breasts. 

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts - I prefer to use chicken breasts in this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen chicken for these tacos. 
• Red Enchilada Sauce - Make it easy on yourself and buy the canned enchilada sauce at the store. The combination of red and green enchilada sauce really adds lots of flavor. 
• Green Enchilada Sauce
• Diced Green Chilies
• Taco Seasoning Packet

How To Make Crockpot Chicken Taco Meat

With only about 5 minutes of prep time this chicken taco meat can be in the slow cooker in a hurry. It's a dump & go, forget about it dinner recipe!

Slow Cooker : Place chicken breasts into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the enchilada sauces, green chilies, and taco seasoning packet. Give it a little stir just to make sure all the chicken is coated. 

Cook : Cover with the the lid and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours or cook on HIGH heat for 4-5 hours. 

Tacos : Shred the chicken with two forks or you can use a hand blender and mix it up that way. Put the shredded chicken back into the sauce and serve it or you can leave it on the WARM setting for several hours as well. 

Tips For Success

Here are a few tips that will hopefully make this recipe a success in your own kitchen.

• Plan Ahead : Make sure you plan enough time for the chicken to cook properly. I love cooking chicken breasts in the crockpot because they get so tender and soft, and will literally shred apart with just a touch of a fork. If you try to rush the cook time the chicken will be firmer and have a thicker texture to it. Low and slow is the best way to cook stuff in the slow cooker. 
• Trim Chicken Breasts : Take a few extra minutes to trim the chicken breasts. 
• Saucy Chicken : This chicken will have lots of liquid/juices after the cook time. This is a good thing because it keeps the chicken moist & flavorful. Be sure to serve the chicken with a slotted spoon so you don't get all that juice inside the tacos. You can also shred the chicken and then put it into a bowl, and add some liquid until it's where you want it. Serve the chicken from that bowl. 

Substitution & Variation Ideas

There are several ways to switch up this recipe and adapt to your preferences.

• Make It Spicy! : The recipe as is, is not spicy, as I am cooking mostly for little kids. But it's so easy to make it spicy.
  • Use a packet of hot taco seasoning
  • Use medium or hot enchilada sauce
  • Use a can of hot diced green chilies
  • Add some chili powder or cayenne red pepper into the slow cooker mix
  • Top the tacos with shredded Pepper Jack cheese or jalapeño slices. 
• Protein : Feel free to use chicken thighs if that's what you prefer. You could also use pork or beef in this recipe. If using a different protein like pork or beef, you will need to cook it for much longer to get it tender, like 8-10 hours. 
• Beans : Add a can of beans into the slow cooker mixture for some added nutrition and to bulk the chicken up a bit. 
• Make It Your Own : This recipe is so easily adaptable to what you want. Use salsa. Add a can of diced jalapeños. Add extra seasonings like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, fresh garlic, or even chopped onion. Add an extra can of enchilada sauce for really saucy chicken taco meat. Only use one can of enchilada if you want things less saucy. Lots of ways to change up this recipe. 

Crockpot Shredded Chicken Taco Meat FAQ's

• Can I Freeze Crockpot Shredded Chicken Taco Meat?
  • Yes you can. The leftover shredded chicken will freeze perfectly. When you're ready to eat it, simply let it thaw in the fridge overnight, or put the frozen chicken meat right into the slow cooker.
  • You can also freeze everything raw in a freezer safe Ziploc bag. Combine all the ingredients into the bag and then let it freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight or stick it into the crockpot frozen and let cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. If cooking from thawed, cook on LOW for 4-5 hours. 
• How To Serve Shredded Chicken Tacos?
  • Serve this shredded chicken taco meat inside flour tortillas, crispy corn tortillas, soft corn tortillas, or on tostada shells. 
  • Lay out bowls of toppings for everyone to make their own. We love shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, salsa, pico de gallo, black olives, sour cream, etc. Really you can top it with whatever you want. 
• How To Store Leftovers
  • Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to 1 month. 
  • This recipe is also great for using the leftover chicken for other recipes like these Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas, make quesadillas with them, make burrito bowls with the shredded chicken, use it inside this Fiesta Chicken Casserole, or my favorite way to repurpose shredded chicken leftovers are these Quick & Easy Chicken Flautas (recipe calls for canned chicken but you can use this instead).
• What Side Dishes Do I Serve With Chicken Tacos?
  • Make some Easy Mexican Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice to serve alongside these chicken tacos. 
  • Make some Salsa Verde Guacamole or Pico de Gallo Guacamole for a delicious topping idea.
  • Make some of my Copycat Best Cafe Dressing for the tacos. 
  • Serve alongside some chips and Homemade Salsa. 
  • Make some Fiesta Avocado Salad or Southwestern Corn for a side dish or as a topping on the tacos. 

Try These Other Taco Recipes

Ground Turkey Tacos : Tacos with ground turkey are simple to make in one pan with taco seasoning, salsa, and black beans. 

Black Bean, Rice, & Vegetable Tacos : A delicious vegetarian take on tacos! Rice, beans, and vegetables make for a hearty filling seasoned with fresh lime juice and taco seasonings. 

Easy Fish Tacos : Fish tacos made with frozen fish sticks and topped with a homemade slaw mix. Serve in corn tortillas for an easy twist to classic fish tacos. 

Baked Ground Chicken Tacos : Crispy & crunchy tacos made with seasoned ground chicken and cheese. Baking tacos makes them so crispy and adds delicious flavor. 

Crockpot Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos : Easy to make shredded beef tacos are perfectly flavored and so good!