Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Tacos

overhead close up view of crock pot chicken tacos with toppings on wooden platter

4.63 from 189 votes

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Put these Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Tacos on your meal plan - they are so easy to make with just 6 ingredients - just throw in the crock and start!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time8 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: servings

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

1 (16-oz) jar salsa
2 pounds chicken breast I used boneless, skinless (about 4 medium-large)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning or more to taste
1 (15-oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup corn frozen or canned
1 onion coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
taco shells and any toppings you like; for serving

Instructions

Prep chicken: Spread ⅓ of 1 (16-oz) jar salsa over bottom of crock. Place 2 pounds chicken breast on top and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons taco seasoning.
Add vegetables and salsa: Place 1 (15-oz) can black beans, 1 cup corn and 1 onion (chopped) on top of chicken. Spread remaining salsa on top.
Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.
Shred chicken and serve: Once done, remove chicken, shred, stir back into salsa mixture. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving with favorite taco toppings.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a great alternative here.
Salsa: one 16-oz jar will add plenty of sauce to your chicken. We enjoy a mild, chunky salsa (like Newman’s Own Medium) for this recipe, but you can go wild here: Jarred pineapple salsa is delicious, and so is black bean and corn salsa.
Spiciness: I make these super mild for my kids, but feel free to add heat with jalapeños or chili! I use my Homemade Taco Seasoning to add flavor to these tacos, so I can control exactly how mild these are.
Taco Shells: We prefer these with soft wheat taco shells because of the sauce, so hard taco shells make it more difficult to eat – but they definitely work, too.

I use raw chicken in this crock pot recipe, which is deemed perfectly safe by the USDA. You should, however, never use frozen chicken - even though some manufacturers claim it's safe. Read more on slow cooker safety from the USDA here.

Recipe tips

Layering: Make sure to stick to the layering the recipe calls for – especially the salsa spread over the bottom of the crock. This helps to keep the chicken from sticking and burning. A previous version of this recipe called for stirring everything, but this new way is much easier!
How I shred chicken: I prefer to just pull the cooked chicken apart with the help of two forks to control how shredded the chicken is (I prefer it shredded into chunks vs super stringy).
See post for alternate cooking instructions (instant pot, stovetop, oven)

Leftovers

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave, making sure the chicken is steaming hot throughout before serving.

Freezer instructions

I love freezing this chicken for a day we’re too busy to cook. It’s great in so many dishes – as tacos, over rice, as a quick quesadilla filling or simply packed into a burrito!

Nutrition