5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken

5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more! This simple recipe requires only 5 basic ingredients and turns out perfectly tender and flavorful.

When my family gets together for dinner, we almost always make burrito bowls with two meat choices: typically Ground Beef Taco Meat or Crock Pot Chile Colorado and always this Mexican Shredded Chicken.

Sometimes we go the quicker route and use the Instant Pot (as seen in my Instant Pot Chicken Tacos). 

Everyone is then able to make their own burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, taco salads, and more! Such a win for a big family like mine, where everyone has different preferences when it comes to food.

What I love most about this tender shredded chicken recipe is it’s so loaded flavor and only requires 5 basic ingredients.

It’s fresh, easy to make in bulk, and can be put to use in so many ways.

Just think: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, burrito bowls, taco salad, and more!

Let’s discuss the simple fresh ingredients for this easy recipe.

Ingredients for Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken:

Chicken Thighs: Because chicken thighs contain more intermuscular fat than chicken breasts, they are my preference for any time I want a tender, shredded result (which is basically always).

To keep it easy, use boneless skinless chicken thighs so that you don’t have to sift through the meat for bones and skin once the chicken has finished cooking in the slow cooker.

You can use boneless chicken breasts if you prefer but note that the meat will not turn out quite as tender. Bone-in chicken thighs or dums work too.

Just be sure to use 5 to 6 pounds if you’re going with bone-in to ensure you end up with plenty of meat.

Onion: Adds freshness and flavor to the dish. Amazing how much deliciousness is derived from just one small onion!

Enchilada Sauce: A star ingredient to making these hugely flavorful delicious chicken tacos. Store bought or homemade enchilada sauce is a fabulous way of infusing moisture for pressure cooking and also all sorts of authentic taco flavors. 

If you aren’t a fan of using store-bought enchilada sauce, you can make your own Homemade Enchilada Sauce which is much easier than you’d think!

Salsa: Similar to the enchilada sauce, the salsa is here to bring liquid and flavor to the recipe. Because salsa is made with fresh ingredients, it therefore adds fresh flavor to your Mexican shredded chicken, making it taste refreshing rather than overly rich or indulgent.

Use your favorite kind of salsa. Any store-bought jar of salsa or homemade salsa works. I go with red tomato salsa, but you can easily use salsa verde, tomatillo red chili salsa or anything you love.

Just note the spice level of whatever salsa you use so that you end up with your preferred spiciness. To keep it mild, use a mild salsa.

Canned Green Chiles: Just one small can of diced green chiles goes a long way in adding flavor to the tender shredded chicken. Be sure to read the label to see the spice level – if you love spicy food, go with hot green chiles, but choose mild for mild taco meat.

Sea Salt: A key component to flavor success here! Salt enhances the flavors of each individual ingredient and also helps tenderize the chicken. So be sure to add enough such that the chicken turns out nice and flavorful. 

Optional Additions: Taco seasoning, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for spicy meat, garlic powder, and black pepper are all great options for additions to this Mexican chicken recipe. You can also add fresh squeezed lime juice to the shredded chicken if you like it!

For Serving:

You can use this amazing flavorful Mexican style shredded chicken in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads, burrito bowls, and more!

Tacos: Flour tortillas, corn tortillas (or tortillas or taco shell of choice), cilantro, lime wedges and salsa.

Burritos: Large flour tortillas, Spanish Rice, Mexican Rice, or Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans or refried beans sour cream, cheddar cheese, guacamole or avocado, chopped lettuce, and more.

Taco Salad or Tostadas: Fresh lettuce or spring greens, tomatoes, crispy corn chips or tostada shell, beans, cheese, avocado, or guacamole.

How to Make CrockPot Mexican Chicken:

Add all of the ingredients to your Crock Pot or slow cooker.

Stir everything well until the chicken is coated in the ingredients.

Secure the lid on the crock pot and slow cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high heat for 4 to 6 hours.

Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a cutting board.

Use two forks to shred chicken to your desired texture. I leave mine somewhat chunky rather than finely shredded.

Transfer the shredded chicken back to the crock pot to soak up the juices until you’re ready to serve.

Note: The chicken becomes even more flavorful the longer it sits and it saves very well. If you’d like, you can prepare it up to 5 days in advance for amazing, richly flavorful chicken.

Serve as shredded chicken tacos, chicken enchiladas, burritos, or more!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How Many People Does This Recipe Serve?

Three pounds of boneless chicken will easily serve 6 to 10 people, depending on what else you’re serving with the chicken.

For instance, if you’re including tortillas, rice, beans, guacamole, chips, etc. in the meal, you will be able to serve more people. With fewer side dishes, you will be able to serve fewer people. 

When I make dinner for others, I typically budget for about 1/2 pound of meat per person. So for me, I would make this recipe expecting to serve 6 and in reality end up with some leftovers.

You can easily scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people you’re serving and whether or not you want leftovers. For meal prep, consider making a double batch.

Can I Make This in The Instant Pot?:

Yes, absolutely! Mexican shredded chicken comes out just as well in the Instant Pot. To make Mexican chicken in your pressure cooker, follow my Instant Pot Chicken Tacos recipe.

The next time you’re craving Mexican food, whip up this super simple shredded chicken recipe!

If you enjoy making chicken recipes in the crock pot, also try my Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma.

Looking for more Mexican favorites? Here are some classics in my own home.

More Mexican Favorites:

• Crock Pot Birria Tacos
• Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Sauce
• Crock Pot Al Pastor
• Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas
• Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
• Turkey Enchilada Skillet
• Shredded Beef Taco Salad
• Carnitas Enchiladas

That’s it! A juicy, delicious easy Mexican shredded chicken recipe to incorporate into your Mexican cuisine. Just set it and forget it!

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