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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.
louis E mcgovern says
I’m assuming most of the carbs come from the Taco shells any idea what the carbs would be without them
Karly says
Hi Louis! I’m not sure what they would be. You could look at a package of taco shells to figure out how many carbs are in each shell and subtract that. 🙂
Chicca says
Family favorite!!
This is so easy to make and comes out so Zesty & yummy. I’ve never cared for shredded chicken but this won me over. Everyone loves when I make this, especially with all the taco toppings!
Now on to the honey mustard chicken sandwiches you make!
Karly says
So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Joy Kennel says
We loved this! We will definitely double the recipe next time. Great for leftovers too! 5 stars all the way!
Karly says
Thanks, Joy!
Lisa says
just made these, instead of fire roasted tomatoes I used rotel with chilies, perfect for ones that enjoy a bit of spice!
Ann says
How long would you could these in the Instant Pot?
Karly says
I’d do 15 minutes, NPR, but be sure to add a cup of broth.
Amy says
What size of tomato sauce would I substitute instead of diced?
Karly says
I’ve only made this with diced tomatoes, so I can’t really say for sure. I’d probably add 8 ounces maybe?