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The key to happiness is tacos and that’s what awaits with these Crockpot Chicken Tacos! Just a handful of ingredients, your trusty slow cooker, and a lot of saucy goodness happening in every bite.
Thinks tacos are the key to happiness? Welcome. We are your people.
Juicy, Flavorful, and Totally Mindless…My Kind of Recipe.
You know you’ve done something when you drop dinner on the table and it practically disappears before you can take your own seat.
That’s what happens here with these crockpot shredded chicken tacos and literally no one is surprised by it.
We’re using two of my favorite things on the planet to make these: A packet of taco seasoning + a packet of ranch seasoning.
Oh, and the slow cooker – also a favorite thing of mine! Makes this recipe mindless in the best way possible – dump in, walk away, come back later to dinner.
You can easily just shred the chicken up, stuff it in a tortilla, and top it with a scoop of homemade guacamole or a drizzle of our creamy chipotle sauce, but let’s take it just a step further.
Stuff hard taco shells (the kind from a box, we don’t judge here) with the chicken, top them with cheese, and pop the dish in the oven for a few minutes. This warms the shells (heaven) and melts the cheese (divine) and takes these from “oh, tacos” to “oh!! tacos!!” You know what I’m saying?
More Mexican Inspired Favorites:
♥ Why You’ll Love These:
- Easy: Dump, cover, cook, shred, stuff, eat.
- Shells: The box shells aren’t usually a fav around here, but when you bake them they get warm and somehow that increases the yum factor by at least 10.
- Toppings: We add the meat and cheese to the shells, but everyone gets to add whatever other toppings they like and who doesn’t enjoy experimenting until they get the perfect bite?
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken – My family tends to prefer white meat, so we use chicken breasts. Thighs will also work just fine here.
Taco Seasoning – Grab your favorite brand of taco seasoning. We like this one.
Ranch Seasoning – Use a packet of ranch seasoning here. The ranch dip mix is a lot saltier, so double check you have the seasoning blend.
Diced Tomatoes – You have options here. We prefer fire roasted tomatoes, but you could use regular diced tomatoes, Ro*Tel, or even our restaurant style salsa in place of the tomatoes.
Taco Shells – The ‘stand and stuff’ shells are certainly the easiest, but any crunchy corn shells will do fine.
Toppings – We top these with shredded cheddar before baking and cilantro for garnish. They can be served with all your favorite taco toppings such as homemade guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and more!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions for Chicken Tacos:
Place the chicken, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and tomatoes into a slow cooker. Flip the chicken around in the tomatoes to coat.
Cover and slow cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 8 hours or until the meat is easily shreddable with a fork!
Preheat your oven to 350. Arrange taco shells in a 9×13 dish. Fill shells with taco and top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes to warm the shells and melt the cheese.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cilantro over the top. Serve the tacos warm with your choice of taco toppings!
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 5,000 reviews on Amazon!
Serving Suggestions:
Aside from piling on all your favorite toppings like cheese, taco sauce, diced onions, jalapenos, or whatever you like these slow cooker chicken tacos can be served with a variety of Mexican or Tex-Mex side dishes!
Here are some great options that we think would go well with the tacos:
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, you can use frozen chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe. Add an extra hour or two to the cook time. When the meat is easy to shred, it’s done!
There is no need to add extra liquid to the slow cooker. The canned tomatoes add some liquid and the chicken will release quite a bit as it cooks.
These tacos aren’t spicy if you use a mild taco seasoning and plain diced tomatoes. If you swap in a spicier seasoning or something like Rotel, there will be more heat.
More Taco Favorites!
- Taco Stuffed Shells
- Fried Shrimp Tacos
- Taco Spaghetti
- Taco Tater Tot Casserole
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Cheesy Taco Pinwheels
- Keto Taco Soup
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 packet ranch seasoning see notes
- 14.5 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 12 hard taco shells see notes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- minced cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Place the chicken, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and diced tomatoes (no need to drain) into a slow cooker. Flip the chicken around in the tomatoes a bit to coat everything – no need to get it perfectly covered or even.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours, until meat is easily shredded with a fork. Every slow cooker cooks differently and some run hotter than others. Once the chicken easily shreds, it's done cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange taco shells in a 9×13 baking dish. Depending on the shells, you may need to use two pans.
- Use a slotted spoon or tongs to arrange the shredded chicken into the taco shells and then add cheese to each.
- Bake for 10 minutes to warm the shells and melt the cheese.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the cilantro over the top.
- Serve warm with your choice of toppings.
Rebekah says
Just got done making these. Yum! My house smells so good, this was super easy, and completely delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Karly says
Glad you enjoyed!
Jocelyn says
Super easy and super tasty! We loved these!
Karly says
Awesome! 🙂
Jennifer says
Sounds like my kind of food. Supper tonight for sue. Thanks too good to miss
amber says
this was a hit in my house!! instead of regular taco shells, I used the doritos kind.. mmm it was so good. even my picky 4 year old loved them!
Karly says
Love those Doritos shells!
Scott says
Wow these look INSANE! I know what I’m going to try for next taco tuesday!
Raymund says
I want to nibble on this after looking at those amazing photos, so drool worthy!
Blair says
So perfect!!! I can’t wait to try these! My kids love tacos, and I love anything that I can toss into my slow cooker.
Your photos are lovely, too!
Karly says
Thanks, Blair!
Solidworks says
I tried this one Oh so Good ! Ty
Amanda says
I’m a huge fan of crockpot chicken tacos! Can’t wait to give this one a try next.
Allie | In This Kitchen says
Yes!! Anything can be a taco, haha. It’s so fun. And that cruise sounds so relaxing. Makes me wanna go on a fun vacation with my friends.
And these make me want to *finally* get a slow cooker – I’ve lived too long without one! 🙂
Paula@Paula's Plate says
This looks incredible, and I love that all the hot cooking is done in the slow cooker – especially when it’s been in the 90s constantly! Plus – it’s gluten free. WOOHOO! Great video, this is definitely going on the rotation this week. YUM.
Bryn says
How many chicken breasts would this be? I freeze them individually, but never think to weigh them before I do…
Megan says
3 or 4 would be about right. If they are bigger it might be closer to 2 pounds.
Mindy says
Does the chicken have to be thawed out or frozen?
Tori//Gringalicious says
Yum!!! Taco Tuesday, I’m ready for ya!!!
Joanne says
These look delicious and will try your recipe soon.
Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Sounds delicious and so easy to make, will have to give this recipe a try soon!