This flavor packed slow cooker Mexican chicken features juicy and tender chicken infused with zesty Mexican spices, all cooked to perfection in your crockpot! Made with just 5 simple ingredients, this shredded chicken is perfect for busy weeknights. Serve it over rice, in tacos, on salads and more!
Why We Love This Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
This is one of our favorite easy Mexican chicken recipes and it takes almost zero work on your part! Just dump in the ingredients and set the crockpot (or instant pot!) and forget about it. Dinner is done when you come home at the end of the day. Here are some more reasons to love it:
- Set and Forget: Just toss everything into the crockpot in the morning, and by dinner time, you have a delicious chicken dinner ready to go.
- Flavorful: The blend of spices gives the juicy and tender shredded chicken an authentic Mexican taste that everyone loves.
- Budget-Friendly: With only 5 simple and affordable ingredients, this recipe is super easy on the wallet.
- Make Ahead: This crockpot Mexican chicken tastes just as delicious the next day! Maybe even better since the flavors get to meld together even longer.
- Versatile: You can use this Mexican chicken in many different ways. From tacos to salads, burrito bowls and soup, the options are endless.
Looking for more easy crockpot recipes using chicken breasts? Try our flavorful crockpot chicken and rice, creamy crockpot ranch chicken or easy crockpot bbq chicken!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this slow cooker Mexican chicken recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chicken: Use boneless chicken breast or thighs, you can even use frozen chicken breasts!
- Rotel: While we always have a can of Rotel in our pantry ready to go, you can try salsa or fire roasted tomatoes if you’d prefer. If you use fire roasted tomatoes, we highly recommend adding some diced green chilies or a diced jalapeño for more flavor!
- Black Beans: We use a can of black beans, well rinsed and drained! Pinto beans will also work, but they are a softer bean, so we find black beans to hold up better texturally.
- Corn: Fresh, frozen or canned is fine!
- Taco Seasoning: We used our homemade taco seasoning, but store bought will also work just fine! For a little different flavor, try our chicken taco seasoning instead.
How to Make Crockpot Mexican Chicken
With just a few steps, your crockpot does all the heavy lifting. Just set it and forget it while the chicken cooks and you come home to a ready-to-go dinner! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Layer: Spray slow cooker liner with nonstick spray. Layer a can of Rotel, chicken breasts, and half of the taco seasoning into the slow cooker. Top with black beans, corn, and more rotel. Finish by sprinkling on the remaining taco seasoning.
- Cook: Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks and serve as desired. Enjoy!
Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Salsa vs Rotel: You can use Rotel or salsa depending on your personal preferences. We love Rotel because of the flavor and the chunks of tomatoes. The final dish has less liquid when compared to a traditional salsa.
- Heat vs No Heat: We use the original version of Rotel. It’s a low heat product that adds more flavor than spiciness. If you are not a fan of heat, use mild Rotel instead. Like things spicy? Try the hot or extra versions! You can also add fresh diced jalapeños or cayenne pepper.
- Amped Flavor: This is slow cooker Mexican chicken is a great base, but you could add even more flavor if you choose to. Try adding some diced onion, freshly minced garlic and an extra pinch of chili powder and/or cumin.
- Make a Soup: Turn this recipe into Mexican chicken taco soup by adding a quart of chicken broth/stock before cooking. Plan to add onion, garlic and fresh lime juice.
- Use the Instant Pot: In a hurry? Adapt this recipe for the Instant Pot. Layer the ingredients as normal, but add a 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the bottom layer of Rotel. Then, manually cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. When the cook time finishes, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then vent completely. Shred and serve.
- Meal Prep: You can also meal prep this recipe! We toss everything into a zip top bag and then freeze or refrigerate it depending on how far in advance we’re meal prepping. When you are ready, add everything to the crockpot and just turn it on!
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Tacos: This crock pot Mexican chicken can be used in any kind of taco you’d like! We have used it in our walking tacos as well and it’s always a hit!
- Toppings: Depending on how you eat crockpot Mexican chicken, choose from a number of toppings. We love to enjoy fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, a squeeze of lime, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, guacamole, or sour cream.
- Burritos and Quesadillas: Add this shredded Mexican chicken to any burrito or burrito bowl with our cilantro lime rice… or add it to a cheesy quesadilla.
- Enchiladas: This chicken would be amazing in our chicken zucchini enchiladas or salsa verde chicken enchiladas. Get creative!
Yield: 4 servings
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
This flavor packed crockpot Mexican chicken slow cooks all day with black beans, corn and salsa until perfectly tender. Serve it over rice, in tacos, on salads and more! Bonus: You only need 5 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 (10 oz) cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, mild, original or hot
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning
- 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 10 oz frozen corn kernels
- **1/2 cup chicken broth – only if making this in an instant pot!
Instructions
Crockpot
- Drain the extra liquid out of the cans of rotel. Spray crockpot with a little nonstick spray. Spread 1 can of Rotel on the bottom of the crockpot. Lay chicken breasts or thighs on top of the Rotel. Sprinkle half of your taco seasoning onto the chicken.
- Top chicken with black beans, corn, and Rotel. Then sprinkle on the remaining taco seasoning.
- Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 to 4 hours, until chicken is cooked through. Shred chicken and serve as desired!
Instant Pot
- Spray bottom of instant pot with a little nonstick spray. Add 1 can of rotel (do not drain) to the bottom of the instant pot. Add chicken broth. Lay chicken on top and sprinkle with half of your taco seasoning.
- Top chicken with black beans, corn, and second can of Rotel. Then sprinkle on the remaining taco seasoning.
- Seal the pressure cooker with the lid. Select Manual (or Pressure Cook button depending on your instant pot model) and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Don’t forget, it will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure and then the timer to start counting down.
- When the cook time finishes, let the pot sit undisturbed for a 10 minute natural release (meaning do not touch the instant pot for 10 minutes after it says it’s done cooking). Then turn the steam release knob to Venting to release any remaining pressure and open the lid.
- Shred chicken and serve as desired! There will be more liquid in the pot when this Mexican Chicken is cooked in the instant pot versus the crockpot. So I like to remove my chicken breasts and shred them in a different bowl and then scoop out the corn/beans/tomatoes with a slotted spoon and add them to the shredded chicken.
Video
Notes
Store: Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 5 days. Keep in mind that more liquid can be absorbed during storage. For additional moisture, add a splash of chicken broth or extra salsa.
Reheat: It’s really easy to reheat slow cooker Mexican chicken in the microwave. If you have some extra time, go ahead and use the slow cooker on low. The chicken will stay nice and juicy!
Freeze: You can also freeze your leftovers for an easy dinner. We always make a double (and sometimes triple!) batch of this recipe. To freeze, place cooked and shredded Mexican chicken in a zip top bag removing the air. Lay flat in the freezer (to save on freezer space) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 424kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 930mg, Potassium: 1379mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 920IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 5mg
Super easy and tasty recipe! I made with low sodium everything and it was delish!
My family loves refried beans, so when there is about an hour of cooking time left, I add a can of refried beans and cheddar cheese. Love your recipe!
Looks delicious! What crockpot did you use here? I love the look!
Hi Rita! It’s a wolf crockpot, we got it for free when we purchased something else from them years ago. I’m not sure we would personally spend the money to buy one out right ourselves, but it works great and is very nice looking! We also like that you can move the insert from the crockpot to the oven to brown/melt things.
What is the serving size?
It makes 4 servings!
Hi .. What about using any other kind of beans. Have everything to make this right now except for the black beans. I have white, red they should work wouldn’t they?
Either will work! I personally would prefer the white beans more, but red would work just fine too!
Can I make this without rotel/salsa?
You can, but it won’t have half of the flavor. You will want to add a few splashes of chicken broth so the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Stovetop directions please:)
Hi Aida, you could add it to a skillet with a lid and simmer it until the chicken is shreddable. You may need to add a little broth as it cooks down.
Do I need to add water to the crock pot before I cook it?
Nope! No water needed!
This is super easy and very good! I did add red onion, cilantro and a little lime juice! Will definitely make again!
Can I use Chicken already cooked and shredded that I am in the freezer?
Hi Tami! Sure, but it won’t have the same flavor in the chicken as it would if the chicken was cooked together with everything. You would just need to heat everything, so I’d only do 1 hour in the crockpot since the meat is already cooked.
I made this tonight and it’s great! Super easy, perfect length to cook, and flavorful (used chicken thighs). We added tortillas & sour cream to make it burrito night with a flare. Thanks!
This is a delicious simplistic recipe. Sometimes I add extra corn or extra black beans or both. We eat it as tacos, burrito with Mexican rice added in, with salad greens. It provides a lot of variety with very little effort
Can I use left over rotisserie chicken?
Sure, but it won’t need to cook for long, just to heat up. 1 hour on low should be good. Just FYI – The chicken won’t soak up all of the flavors since it’s already cooked.
Can this be made in the oven?
Sure! You can bake it at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken will not shred easily like it would if cooked in the crockpot, but it will still be delicious!
I need to feed 6 people. Double the recipe?
Hi Joan, yes you can easily double this!
Omg it’s is fantastic! Definitely a big hit with my family.
Almost too easy to make – family thought I had worked long hours in the kitchen to put this on the table!! Delicious!
I am allergic to any type of beans. What would you suggest as a substitute?
Hi Karen! You can just skip them completely, the beans are optional. If you want, you can add another vegetable in it’s place!
Another suggestion, roll some up in a corn tortilla and give it a quick deep fry. Flautas!
That sounds delicious Douglas!
Can you use boneless pork chops??
Yes!
I use frozen chicken breast and shred at the end… then add block of cream cheese… rest of ingredients the same!!! My husband’s favorite!!
When do you add cream cheese?
If you want to add cream cheese, you can add it the last 10 minutes of cooking. Add it, let it melt for about 10 minutes and then stir to combine. I recommend cutting the cream cheese into cubes so it melts more evenly/quickly. Hope this helps!
My son is allergic to corn. Any suggestions to use another vegetable?
You can just skip it! There isn’t a really great corn substitute since we already have beans in the recipe. If you want to up the veggie intake, you could top it with some fresh pico!
Looks phenomenal. Santa Fe style. Can’t wait to try it
Absolutely delicious!
I didn’t have rotel so I just use canned diced tomatoes and added diced bell pepper and diced onion. I also doubled the taco seasoning. Made it in my Foodi pressure cooker and it was done in no time! I didn’t thaw anything so it was quick to throw in the pot and just sit and let the machine do all the work. Definitely will make agin!
This makes my life so much easier at the end of a busy day. Fix it and forget it, a true must make!