Crock Pot Mexican Chicken
There’s no salsa required to make the juiciest, most flavorful Crock Pot Mexican Chicken! Use the shredded chicken to make tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
✔ Hands Off Recipe: The chicken and seasonings take 10 minutes to prep, then it’s as easy as turning on your Crock Pot and walking away!
✔ No Salsa: So many Mexican chicken recipes call for store-bought salsa, but I don’t always have that on hand! This easy Crock Pot recipe is made primarily with chicken and spices, so it’s easy to whip up using what you’ve got.
✔ Incredibly Versatile: The boldly flavored shredded chicken can be used in burrito bowls, tacos, enchiladas, or any dish that you think would pair well with the shredded chicken.
About This Recipe
Shredded Mexican chicken is so easy to cook in a Crock Pot, and it’s a great basic recipe to have on hand in your freezer for using in burritos, quesadillas, soft tacos, soups, and more.
Really, you can put this Mexican pulled chicken in any recipe that you want to have a little Mexican or Tex-Mex flair!
Since the chicken is assemble and cooked directly in the Crock Pot, there’s minimal cleanup afterwards and the hands-on prep couldn’t be simpler! Just 10 minutes of measuring out a few spices, juicing a lime or two, and chopping some cilantro. Easy!
The Key Ingredients
I purposely made this shredded chicken recipe without salsa because the flavor and texture can vary wildly from brand to brand, and I don’t always have jarred salsa in the fridge.
Check your pantry before heading to the grocery store; I bet you have most of these spices on hand already!
- Spices — The chicken is infused with bold Mexican flavor using a combination of cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and coriander.
- Chicken — Use roughly 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (usually 4 large breasts).
- Chicken Broth — Can be swapped with water or vegetable broth if you’re out of chicken broth.
- Lime Juice — I have a few tricks for juicing limes that help me get the most juice out of them.
- Cilantro — Chop the cilantro and then pack it into the measuring cup.
- Onion — Use whatever variety you have on hand.
- Jalapeño — Remove the seeds if you don’t want spicy shredded chicken.
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Shredded Mexican Chicken in a Crockpot
- Season the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in the Crock Pot before sprinkling the spice blend all over.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the broth into the Crock Pot, then squeeze the lime juice over the chicken. Arrange the cilantro, onion, and jalapeño over top of the chicken.
- Cook on low for 3 to 5 hours. You’re looking for the chicken to be super tender and cooked through.
- Shred the chicken. There are lots of ways to shred chicken, so do whatever is easiest for you.
- Strain the juices at the bottom of the Crock Pot. Save all of the liquid, but discard the cooked jalapeño, cilantro, and onion. Then return the chicken to the Crock Pot and toss to coat in its juices.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
The shredded chicken will last up to 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. Make sure to cover the chicken with its juices so it doesn’t dry out!
If freezing, I recommend portioning the chicken into smaller servings so you can thaw the exact amount you need later on (1- to 2-cup portions are what works best for my family).
Ways to Use This Shredded Mexican Chicken
You can add this flavorful shredded chicken to any Mexican or Tex-Mex recipe that calls for cooked chicken! (If the original recipe calls for ground chicken or chopped chicken, you shouldn’t have any issues using this as a substitute.)
- Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Chile Gravy
- Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Creamy Green Chicken Enchiladas
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Crispy Baked Wonton Chicken Taquitos
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Chicken Tacos with Corn and Tomato Salsa
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Taco Salad
More Mexican-Inspired Chicken Recipes
There are so many easy and delicious Mexican recipes that call for chicken. Some favorites include:
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Shredded Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Recipe
Crock Pot Mexican Chicken is the perfect shredded chicken recipe for your next Mexican recipe. Packed with flavor and super tender thanks to hours in the crock pot, this recipe is sure to please!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 2.5 pounds)
- 1/3 cup Chicken Broth (or water)
- 2 Limes
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, packed
- 1 large Onion, cut into wedges
- 1 Jalapeño, sliced (leave the seeds in for more spice)
- optional garnish: sliced Green Onion and chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, coriander, salt and black pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Place the chicken inside the insert of your Crock Pot. Sprinkle the top of the chicken breasts with half of the seasoning. Then, flip the chicken and sprinkle the other side with the remaining seasoning mixture.
- Add the chicken broth or water to the Crock Pot.
- Squeeze the juice from the limes over the top of the seasoned chicken.
- Add the cilantro leaves, onion wedges, and jalapeño slices to the Crock Pot, arranging them in and around the seasoned chicken breasts.
- Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender.
- Remove chicken breasts from the crock pot, shred, and place in a bowl. Set aside. (Here's how to shred chicken.)
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids.
- Add all of the juices back to the shredded chicken. Stir to distribute them all over the meat.
- Garnish, if desired, with chopped cilantro and sliced green onions.
Notes
To make this recipe in an Instant Pot: Follow the instructions in my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos recipe.
Doubling this recipe: This recipe is easily doubled, or even tripled, if you have a larger Crock Pot. The cook time should remain the same, but if the chicken isn’t fall-apart tender after 5 hours just give it a little more time.
Where is the Original Recipe? For those Asking about the "Original" Recipe (pre 2017) here is the original recipe. A commenter on this post was able to help me locate an archive of it.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 limes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika and garlic and sauté two more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Turn off and set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to crock pot. Squeeze the lime on top, add the cilantro, jalapeno, and pour the onion and garlic mixture over top.
Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender. Remove chicken breasts from the crock pot, shred and place in a bowl. Scoop out the onions and add to the chicken. Depending on the amount of juices produced, you may want to add some or all of the juice back to the shredded chicken.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 512mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 19g
Jessica says
I wanted to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday party this next weekend, how many people does one serving feed? I am sorry if you have already included this information somewhere but I want to double check anyway.
Katie says
It really depends what you do with it. Some people have just served the chicken but I usually use it to make enchiladas or tacos. What are your plans for the chicken? I can better answer the question if I know what you have in mind for serving it. But in general I assume at least 1/2 chicken breast per person for party planning.
Lanee says
Corriander is Cilantro. Are you referring to Coriander SEEDS? Thanks 🙂
Katie says
Ground coriander.
Joe says
In the US, Coriander means Coriander Seed. It is never used to refer to Cilantro. (Alternately, in the UK/Europe, “Coriander” means the green leafy thing we refer to as “Cilantro”, hence the confusion.)
Margie says
Super moist!! Thank you for posting such an easy and tasty recipe for chicken!!!
Tom C says
This recipe is fantastic. i use it for chicken, pork shoulder,chuck roast and ground beef. Make the ground beef alot cool it in the frig overnight and scrape off the fat. I make refried bean, beef and cheese (shredded pepper jack) burittos wrap them in wax paper and scotch tape them close to freeze. 2 minutes in the microwave and your children will think your a genious!
Denise says
I made this recipe a couple of nights ago – I’m getting ready for a bridal shower, we are cooking shredded chicken, beef and pork – thought I would try this one out. It was very good, my husband thought it was great. I will leave the salt out next time though, or/and use low sodium broth – I thought it was too salty, but I am very sensitive to salt. All in all, it was very good with flour tortilla and all the fixin’s.
Laura says
Katie –
Do you actually cook the cilantro with the chicken for 3-5 hours? Or is it used as a garnish afterwards? I’ve never heard of cooking cilantro in this manner and wanted to doublecheck.
Thanks!
Laura
Katie says
Yes, I put it in the crockpot. If you don’t like that feel free to adjust the recipe and add it later.
Erica says
Made this today… beyond tasty! I used a little bit of smoked paprika in mine and left out the coriander (I was out)… Still delicious!
Anna says
How many servings would you say this makes up?
Katie says
4 – 6 servings, those I usually use the chicken in a recipe (such as enchiladas) and just freeze any leftovers.
Tziva says
I tried this recipe but the chicken came out kinda dry and bland (3.5 hours on low). I was so sad because I love shredded chicken and the reviews were so positive. I going to give it another go with slight modifications: I read another recipe that suggested using thigh meat to add moisture. I was also going to adjust the time cooked since the dryness is probably due to my particular crock pot, but I’m totally confused: some said to cook for much longer (7 hours on low) to help the meat break down better, but this seems counter-intuitive to the combating dry chicken when usually it means you overcooked. Anyone with more crockpot experience want to weigh in? Should I aim for longer or shorter?
Katie says
It does seem counter-intuitive but cooking the chicken longer in the crock-pot does make it more tender because the meat is broken down. That is why for tougher cuts of meat and things like roasts a long, slow cook results in more tender meat. All crock-pots run at different temperatures so perhaps mine runs more hot than yours. I can’t say I’ve ever had a problem with dryness, but if you felt it was not moist enough perhaps try adding additional broth and/or using part thigh meat.
Sonja says
I want to try this recipe, but I’m wondering about the jalopenas! Does it make the recipe spicy? Will it alter the flavor terribly if I levee them out?
Katie says
You can leave them out orif you leave them in remove the seeds.
Leslie says
Hi!
Just wanted to let you know this was a hit at our house. Tonight we are having this for dinner and it’s the second time I’ve made it since finding your recipe. Thank you!
Lisa says
Hi, sounds delicious! I am definitely a cooking novice, so just wanted to know how many servings this recipe makes. Thanks!!
Katie says
4 – 6 servings, those I usually use the chicken in a recipe (such as enchiladas) and just freeze any leftovers.
DeDe says
Super excited to try this and considering adding tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce) to it for an added juicy flavor to mimic my favorite quesadillas. Hope that works out!
Rachael says
Loved this! Thanks for sharing. I made the chicken, then used it in enchiladas. It was perfect! My boyfriend loves shredded chicken and this came out perfectly. Thank you!!
Pam Weathers says
AWESOME!! I want to make extra and freeze, how do you prepare from the freezer? So happy I came accross this on Pinterest:)
Katie says
Prepare the recipe as directed, then cool and freeze chicken in whatever portions you’d like in airtight containers or freezer ziploc bags for later use. 2-3 cup amounts is usually a good portion.
Jenny says
Hi! Looks delicious and I am eager to try for tonight, but alas I have no limes on hand…can I use some lemon juice instead?? Thanks!!
Katie says
It will have a slightly different taste, but I’m sure it will still be good with lemon.