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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.
Alicia says
I’ve made this just for hubby & I and we love it so much wr barely have any leftovers! I want to make it for a group. Would you double the recipe? If so, would you leave in crockpot for same amount of time?
Karly says
We get about 12 tacos per batch of this, so increase accordingly. You might need another hour or so in the crockpot, but if not just switch it over to the warm setting and it should be fine. 🙂
Amber says
Can you bake them with soft corn tortillas? Has anyone done it?
Would I have to fry the tortillas first? Or can I just stuff and bake?
Karly says
I haven’t tried baking these with a soft corn tortilla. I would fry them first if you want them crunchy.
Joan says
We LOVED this recipe! I used diced tomatoes with green chilis instead of the fire roasted. We used two large chicken breasts and we have plenty for leftovers. The flavor is wonderful!
Lisa Taylor says
Hello! Cooking this right now in my crockpot!My kitchen smells amazing! I used my own taco seasoning,can’t wait for dinner!Thank you for this recipe!..
Karly says
Hope you all enjoyed!
Denise says
Hi! I LOVED the bourbon chicken!! So I’m back, and trying these chicken tacos tonight. Why such a range? 5-8 hours on low. What amount of time do you recommend for a slow cooker? The bourbon chicken shredded easily after cooking for 4 hours on low. Let me know! I’m new to this slow cooker business and I’m loving it!
Karly says
Hi Denise! So glad you enjoyed the bourbon chicken! I usually give a range because all slow cookers on different. It’s also pretty tough to overcook meat in the slow cooker, so people like to start it before work and leave it all day. 🙂 Once it shreds, it’s ready to eat so take it out anytime you’re ready.
I hope you love these! These tacos are a favorite of mine!
Lisa says
Do you drain the diced tomatoes?
Karly says
Nope! There’s no need.
Sarah says
how would I cook this in an Instant Pot? Just add broth?
Karly says
I’d add a cup of broth, yes. 🙂
Sarah says
Thank you! I recently made your Italian Beef in the IP and it was one of our favorite meals ever! 🙂
Taylo says
Can you leave the baking at the end off if your not using hard shell tacos?
Karly says
Sure!
Deanna says
My tacos were mushy at the bottom. Do you need to drain the tomatoes before putting in the crock pot? That was my only thought as to why they fell apart.
Karly says
No, I don’t drain the tomatoes. The chicken mixture will have quite a bit of liquid as it cooks either way. I just use tons to scoop out the meat, rather than a spoon.
Deanna says
Mine were mushy on the bottom. 🙁
Amanda says
We don’t have time for the crockpot before supper. Have you ever done the chicken mixture in the oven? If so, how long and what temp?
Karly says
I would do this on the stove top, poaching the chicken for 20-30 minutes and then draining and mixing in the seasoning and tomatoes.
Joy says
We make it in the slow cooker and then the next day you can reheat any amount you want quickly after work. Freezes well too.
Jamie says
Omg! Just made these and they are delish. I didnt know it called for Fire roasted tomatoes. I used diced tomatoes and added a can of diced jalepenos instead. I also added sour cream, cheese, avocado, salsa & ate on mini soft shell tortillas. My husband said, “This is exceptional! It’s an organism in my mouth.. I love it!” Lol needless to say this will be added to my rotation of dinners to make! thanks again!
Karly says
I bet the addition of jalapenos was perfect! Glad you two enjoyed these!
Kayla says
How many calories?
Karly says
I don’t calculate nutrition information, but you’re welcome to add this to one of the many online calculators.
Gwen says
Yum! taco night is a favorite in our house. and chicken tacos is probably our all time favorite. i always add guacamole or at least diced avacados and that paired with the cilantro makes it just heavenly. of course my husband is the hot pepper and salsa junkie so those are always good options to keep in the back pocket. and i’ll bet the ranch powder gives this such a distinct and different flavor. i cant believe i never thought of that.
U fenton says
Where do u buy ranch dressing .i looked in supermarket but unable to find
Karly says
If you’re in the United States, it’s usually found near the salad dressings or olives and pickles. If you’re outside the US, you might be better off googling for a homemade ranch seasoning recipe. 🙂
Carolyn says
hi, I love the idea of this recipe, but my family dislikes ranch… any substitutes?
Karly says
You can leave it out entirely.