Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
Mexican Chicken delivers tender, flavorful shredded chicken slow-cooked with bold spices and savory ingredients for an easy, versatile meal.
This Mexican chicken recipe uses a slow cooker to create juicy, seasoned chicken that shreds easily and works perfectly for tacos, bowls or meal prep. And it’s such an easy Slow Cooker Recipe!
This post contains affiliate links.
This delicious, healthy slow cooker shredded Mexican Chicken is as easy as it is versatile!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Mexican Chicken
Mexican chicken brings bold flavor, easy prep and incredible versatility to your weekly meals.
- Set-it-and-forget-it cooking: The slow cooker does all the work for a hands-off meal.
- Tender, shreddable texture: Slow cooking makes the chicken juicy and easy to pull apart.
- Bold, savory flavor: Spices and seasonings infuse the chicken with rich taste.
- Perfect for multiple meals: Great for tacos, burritos, salads or rice bowls.
Mexican chicken delivers a juicy, flavorful base that works in countless easy meals.
What Goes With Mexican Chicken
This versatile dish pairs well with fresh, hearty and flavorful sides that complement its bold seasoning while creating a complete and satisfying meal:
- Rice or cilantro lime rice: A fluffy, flavorful base that soaks up the juices and balances the seasoning.
- Tortillas: Perfect for turning the shredded chicken into tacos, wraps or burritos.
- Beans: Black or pinto beans add protein and create a more filling meal alongside the chicken.
- Fresh toppings: Avocado, salsa, shredded lettuce or cheese add texture and brightness to each bite.
- Salads or bowls: A lighter option that still highlights the bold flavors of the chicken.
These pairings make mexican chicken perfect for meal prep, weeknight dinners or casual gatherings.
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Recipe
Mexican chicken cooks low and slow with seasonings and sauce, then shreds into a tender, flavorful dish ready for a variety of meals.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 4–6 hours
Total time: About 4–6 hours
Servings: 6
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
To prepare mexican chicken, you’ll need the following kitchen tools:
- Measuring Cups and Spoons: For accurately measuring ingredients.
- Slow Cooker: To cook the chicken evenly and develop deep flavor.
- Forks: To shred the chicken once cooked.
- Mixing Spoon: To combine ingredients if needed.
These tools make it easy to create mexican chicken with tender texture, bold seasoning and juicy, shred-ready consistency every time.
Ingredients
These ingredients come together to create a flavorful shredded chicken dish.
- Chicken breasts or thighs
- Salsa or diced tomatoes with green chilies
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Mexican Chicken
Unroll and add chicken thighs to bottom of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock.
Top with tomatoes, black beans, garlic, jalapeño pepper, liquid smoke, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper.
Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine, making sure the chicken thighs are coated and submerged in the liquid.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
30 minutes before done cooking, remove lid and shred chicken while in the slow cooker with two forks. Stir to combine shredded chicken with other ingredients.
Cover and cook for remaining 30 minutes to allow chicken to absorb the flavors.
Remove lid and squeeze fresh lime juice into the crock. Add cilantro and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
To serve, spoon chicken mixture over plain brown rice or cilantro-lime rice. Top with cilantro-lime sauce if desired. Serve with remaining lime wedges. Enjoy!
Tip: Don’t skip the squeeze of fresh lime juice after cooking. It really brightens the flavors and pulls them all together.
Don’t miss out on our other family-friendly Mexican recipes!
More Mexican Recipes
Discover more Mexican recipes that bring bold flavors and vibrant dishes to your table.
- Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Beef
- Mexican Molletes
- Sweet and Spicy Mexican Corn Recipe
- Mexican Mole Sauce
- Cinnamon Mexican Cookies
- Easy Authentic Mexican Rice
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Taco Cream Cheese Dip
- Classic Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
- Mexican Black Beans Recipe
- Mini Taco Cups
Don’t miss out on our other delicious Chicken Recipes!
For more mouth-watering Mexican recipes:
The Best Mexican Recipes: Kitchen-Tested Recipes Put the Real Flavors of Mexico Within Reach
The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of MexicoPati Jinich Treasures Of The Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local SecretsMi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico
Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
This delicious, healthy slow cooker shredded Mexican Chicken is as easy as it is versatile!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighsÂ
- 2 10-oz. cans Rotel fire-roasted diced tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
- 2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, finely diced
- 1½ T. hickory-flavored liquid smokeÂ
- 2 t. ground cumin
- 1 T. chili powder
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 2 t. dried oregano
- 1 t. cayenne pepper
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 limes, quartered
- ¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Unroll and add chicken thighs to bottom of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker crock. Top with tomatoes, black beans, garlic, jalapeño pepper, liquid smoke, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine, making sure the chicken thighs are coated and submerged in the liquid.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before done cooking, remove lid and shred chicken while in the slow cooker with two forks. Stir to combine shredded chicken with other ingredients. Cover and cook for remaining 30 minutes to allow chicken to absorb the flavors.
- Remove lid and squeeze fresh lime juice into the crock. Add cilantro and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.
- To serve, spoon chicken mixture over plain brown rice or cilantro-lime rice. Top with cilantro-lime sauce if desired. Serve with remaining lime wedges.
Notes
Don’t skip the squeeze of fresh lime juice after cooking! It really brightens the flavors and pulls them all together.
Also, this recipe takes 3 hours to cook on high or 6-8 hours on low.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 1065mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 13gSugar: 4gProtein: 47g
Nutrient values are only estimates provided by online calculators. Various factors can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
For more mouth-watering Mexican recipes:
The Best Mexican Recipes: Kitchen-Tested Recipes Put the Real Flavors of Mexico Within ReachThe Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of MexicoPati Jinich Treasures Of The Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local SecretsMi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico