Three simple ingredients are all you need for these easy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos.
It seems like some of my best meals happen by accident. You know the kind you throw together at the last minute not knowing if it will work or not.
That is exactly what happened with these crock pot chicken tacos.
I recently forgot to defrost a roast to put in the slow cooker for dinner. Not only did I forget to defrost it, it did not hit me until 1:00 in the afternoon.
I was walking out the door and realized that I had not taken out the roast and had nothing prepared for dinner.
I quickly looked in the pantry and saw a jar of salsa verde. I knew I had some chicken breasts that needed used up. So, I took a couple of pounds of chicken breasts and put them in the slow cooker.
Then I poured the jar of salsa verde and a bottle of beer on top. Yes, beer. Beer makes meat so flavorful and tender.
I left the house and came back around dinner time (about 5 hours later), hoping that my quick crock pot meal would taste great.
The chicken smelled so good when I walked in the door. The meat had cooked enough that is was falling apart.
I shredded the chicken and served it with taco shells, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.
As we were eating dinner my husband kept saying, “These are really good chicken tacos”. I was so glad he liked them, because they were so easy to make. You can’t get much more simple than a three ingredient slow cooker meal.
These are the perfect meal for taco Tuesday or any day that you need an easy to make dinner.
This is also a great recipe to serve a crowd. You can fill up your crock pot and make this stretch to serve quite a few people.
Can I freeze shredded chicken?
Yes, because this is a shredded chicken type of recipe it freezes great. Make a big batch and freeze the extras. The shredded meat works great for tacos, burritos, taco salad, and nachos.
Can I make Crock Pot Chicken Tacos gluten-free?
Yes, just use gluten-free beer. There are only a few truly gluten-free beers out there, so do your research and use the one that you feel is gluten-free and safe for your family.
Need some easy side dish recipes to serve with this?
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Easy Mexican Rice
- Slow Cooked Homemade Refried Beans
- Slow Cooked Cheater Refried Beans
- Instant Pot Green Chili Rice
Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
Three ingredients are all you need for these easy crock pot chicken tacos.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1- 12 ounce bottle of beer ( Use gluten free beer to make this gluten free)
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Pour salsa and beer over top.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is done.
- Shred chicken. Add some of the liquid to the chicken for desired texture/taste. About 1-2 cups liquid is usually good.
- Serve with beans, cheese, tortillas, cheese, or other desired toppings.
Notes
For a different flavor this can be made with regular salsa or green enchilada sauce instead of salsa verde.
For freezing cook and cool completely. Freeze in containers or zip top type bags.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 258Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 390mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 43g
Originally posted June 2010. Updated April 2019.
I love this, Lynn! Great idea to use the green sauce. I will definitely try it!
We just had a similar experience with diner in my household. I was intending to make Salsa chicken but it turned out too dry for that so I made it into chicken tacos and they were a total hit!!! My secret ingredient was a small tablespoon of strawberry preserves in the red salsa jar with the frozen breasts.
My other secret ingredient with BBQ chicken is to add a bit of honey. My guys love the little hint of sweetness with the tanginess of the jarred BBQ sauce.
As you can tell I too love the ease of 2 ingredient CP dinners LOL
.-= Julie Anne´s last blog ..June 1st thru the 6th menu plan =-.
This may be a silly question but I was wondering how many chicken breasts you cooked with the whole bottle of taco sauce? about 6 or 8 breasts? Was it cooked on low? Thanks so much! You are my favorite blog to visit every day!
@Colleen, I use 5 or 6 chicken breast. I cooked it on high, but you could easily cook this on low for a longer time. This is one of those recipes that you do not have to be exact.
Great! Easy and tasty ~ My d-i-l has to be out of town next week on business so I’m going to try this for my son and the grandkids. I know they’ll love it!
Thanks so much for sharing ~
Pat
.-= Pat´s last blog ..~ Gratitude and Miracles ~ =-.
Ok, so this may be a silly question, but I thought you weren’t supposed to put frozen meat in slow cookers?
@flora, I would not recommend a roast from frozen, but I have not had issues with boneless skinless chicken, because it cooks so quickly. In fact the directions on the bag of frozen chicken I used, said to grill or bake from a frozen state. So, I don’t usually defrost it. However, if someone is uncomfortable doing this you could easily do this same basic recipe using thawed chicken and cook for less time.
I never heard this rule about not putting frozen meat in the crockpot… I put in frozen chicken & frozen chuck roasts in my crockpot all the time without a problem 🙂
This sounds yummy and super easy. Adding this to my menu this month. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I love this! Weeknights are sometimes crazy for fixing meals – this will be perfect! Thanks. 🙂
.-= Beverly´s last blog ..Not Photogenic. . . =-.
I”m in the process of making this right now- with your recipe for taco sauce. Thanks so much for an easy meal. I hope everyone likes it tonight!
.-= Lori T´s last blog ..Happy 2 Months Lydia =-.
Tacos rock. I can’t tell you how many times I take chicken out of the freezer for one purpose, find out I’m missing a key ingredient and end up making fajitas or tacos. Thanks!
.-= Debbi Does Dinner Healthy´s last blog ..Apple Baked Oatmeal =-.
Lynn,
This recipe sounds great, going to try it… but I have a tip. I NEVER defrost my roast put it in the crockpot in the morning frozen, put in my seasoning and turn it on. Had a friend tell me this years ago, it is cooked to perfection!
Lynn! A certain someone instructed me to take a visit to your site (Mrs. Chamberlin), and I’m really glad I did! I am especially grateful for your gluten-free section, and although I do not have Celiac disease, my aunt was recently diagnosed and I am having her over for dinner soon. I had no idea what I was going to cook, but now I have lots of great ideas! Thanks for taking the time to post these recipes.
Stephanie
@Stephanie Gardner, Hi Stephanie I am so glad that you are enjoying my site and recipes. I have been gluten free for over 1 year, so I am still learning a lot. But I do try to post many things that are regular food that just happens to be gluten free, like this recipe. Thanks your comment and let me know if I can help in any way. It was also great to meet you earlier this month. 🙂
I make crockpot chicken tacos, as well. Except I use chicken, chicken broth, and just an envelope of taco seasoning in mine. It makes a super cheap and easy meal.
The taco’s look very delish! I usually make tacos out of pork shoulder in a crockpot, but I like chicken much better. Thanks for the idea Lynn!
Starting this in my crock pot now im using la costena green sauce its so much tastier than any other I’ve had. Super excited for dinner tonight thanks for the idea! 🙂
@Julie, I hope you enjoy it!
I found you about a year ago, when I was looking for a recipe – and it was the best thing I ever did…. And now I follow you everyday on your blog and facebook. You have saved me more then you will ever ever know. Thanks Lynn !
Thank you, that is so nice. Thanks for reading!
This was such a great idea, easy , affordable, & yummy! Even the kids ate it.
Oooh…I’ve tried this with traditional salsa, but never green sauce. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks so much for sharing!
We love it with green sauce and it makes a nice change from regular salsa or red based sauces. I hope you enjoy it.
YUM! I’ve done something similar with chicken, salsa, some seasonings and a can of black beans…YUM!!!!
Let’s see, I think this is the 6th one of your recipes that I have bookmarked now! I’m seriously doing this one for supper tonight. My husband is a pastor and Lent starts today. His schedule is hectic anytime, but this starts 40 days of a REALLY hectic time. Thanks for all the wonderful sounding, looking recipes. I think the remaining 3 at home (Mom of 6) will love these.
I hope you enjoy them! And busy days and hectic schedules are why I love sharing recipes like this. We all have days like that where we need quick and easy dinners!
I made these last night. They worked perfectly for the varied schedules and were very well received.