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Crockpot Mexican Chicken

This flavor packed Crockpot Mexican Chicken slow cooks all day under a crown of black beans, corn and salsa until perfectly tender. Serve it over rice, in tacos, on salads and more! Bonus: You only need 5 ingredients!

Why You’ll Love This Mexican Chicken Recipe

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:

  • Make Ahead: As with most braised meats, this Mexican shredded chicken tastes just as delicious the next day! Maybe even better since the flavors get to meld together even longer… So feel free to make this recipe a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
  • Great For Meal Prep: You can also meal prep this recipe if you would prefer. We toss everything into a ziplock 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 turn it on! Dinner is done!
  • Versatile: You can use this Mexican chicken in so many different ways from tacos, to salads, burrito bowls and even soup! The options are endless and this is a wonderful starter recipe you can use to make as your own.
  • Cooking Options: If you are on a time crunch, you can also toss everything into an instant pot as well! We’ll give directions in the recipe below for cooking this Mexican chicken in the slow cooker as well as the instant pot. Both ways create a flavorful and extra easy delicious dinner!
Ingredients for Crockpot Mexican Chicken.

What You’ll Need

You only need 5 easy ingredients for this Mexican chicken in the crockpot! Scroll to the recipe card for exact amounts.

  • Chicken: You can use boneless chicken breast or thighs – it’s up to you!
  • Rotel: You can use salsa if you’d prefer.
  • Black Beans
  • Corn: Fresh, frozen or canned is fine!
  • Taco Seasoning: We used our homemade taco seasoning, but store bought is great too!
Crockpot Mexican Chicken in a white bowl with cilantro on top with a fork.

How to Make Crockpot Mexican Chicken

With just a few steps and a little bit of time, your crockpot does all the heavy lifting! Check out the recipe card for detailed instructions.

  • Layer: Spray your crockpot with a little nonstick spray and then layer a can of Rotel, chicken breasts, and half of the taco seasoning. Then, top the chicken with black beans, corn, and more rotel. Finish by sprinkling on the remaining taco seasoning.
  • Cook: Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and serve!

Tips for Best Results

Crockpot chicken recipes like this are pretty foolproof, which is why they’re a must have on your dinner rotation! Here are a few tips and variations so you can make it perfectly every time.

  • Salsa vs Rotel: You can use Rotel or salsa depending on your personal preferences. We personally like to use Rotel because we love the flavor and the chunks of tomatoes at the end and it has a little less liquid in it when compared to a traditional salsa.
  • Heat vs No Heat: We like to use the original version of Rotel, because it’s a low heat that adds more flavor than spiciness. If you are not a fan of heat at all, we recommend using mild Rotel instead. On the flip side, if you like things spicy, try their hot version!
  • Toppings: Depending on how you’re going to eat this crockpot Mexican chicken, you can choose from a number of toppings. We love to enjoy fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, sliced avocado or guac, or sour cream. Get creative and enjoy!
  • Amped Flavor: This is a great recipe base, but if you’d like even more flavor, add some diced onion and minced garlic to the meat while it cooks. So good!
  • Make a Soup: If you want to turn this recipe into Mexican chicken soup, add a quart of chicken broth/stock before cooking. When we make this as a soup, we also like to add onion, garlic and fresh lime juice!
  • Use the Instant Pot: If you’re in a hurry, you can adapt this recipe for the Instant Pot pretty easily. 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 as you like!
Mexican chicken in tortillas on a plate with lime wedges.

What to Serve With Mexican Shredded Chicken

There are so many various ways you can utilize this mexican chicken in the crockpot. You can serve it one way the first day and then use any leftovers in another version the next day to keep things fresh. Here are our favorite ways to use Mexican chicken:

  • Tacos: Mexican shredded chicken is full of spice and major flavor. You can make any kind of taco bar you’d like, or use the meat in some of our favorites! Between walking tacos, taco pasta, or easy taco soup, you can’t go wrong!
  • Burritos and Quesadillas: When it comes to the classics, you just need a great meat for the base. Add Mexican shredded chicken to any burrito, burrito bowl, or in a cheesy quesadilla. We love making burrito bowls with a side of rice and sweet plantains!
  • Enchiladas: This chicken would be amazing in our chicken zucchini enchiladas or salsa verde chicken enchiladas. Get creative!
Overhead view of mexican chicken in tacos, in a bowl with a fork and cilantro and tortilla chips and lime wedges on a plate and napkin.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

This recipe makes excellent leftovers and can be a great one to add to your meal prep schedule.

  • Refrigerate: Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 5 days. Keep in mind that more liquid can be absorbed during storage, so if you want it saucier, you may need to add a splash of chicken broth or extra salsa.
  • Reheat: It’s really easy to reheat Mexican shredded chicken in the microwave, but 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 anytime! We always make a double (and sometimes triple!) batch of this recipe so we have tons of leftovers for extra easy dinners the following weeks. To freeze, place cooked and shredded Mexican chicken in a ziplock and remove all the air possible. Lay flat in the freezer (to save on freezer space) and freeze until ready to use! Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Crockpot Mexican Chicken in a bowl with a spoon and on plates in tacos with limes and tortilla chips.

More Crockpot Chicken Recipes

Crockpot Mexican Chicken in a white bowl with cilantro on top with a fork.
4.4 from 373 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 4 servings

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 10 oz cans Rotel (mild, original or hot)
  • 1.5 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs
  • 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 DIRECTIONS: 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 4 hours. Shred chicken and serve as desired!
  • INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS: 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

Equipment

  • 1 Crockpot

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 459kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 61g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 1462mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 4g

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40 comments on “Crockpot Mexican Chicken”

  1. 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!

    1. 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.

  2. David Stewart

    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?

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

  3. This is super easy and very good! I did add red onion, cilantro and a little lime juice! Will definitely make again!

      1. 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.

  4. 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!

  5. 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

    1. 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.

        1. 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!

  6. Sherry Cronley

    Almost too easy to make – family thought I had worked long hours in the kitchen to put this on the table!! Delicious!

    1. Hi Karen! You can just skip them completely, the beans are optional. If you want, you can add another vegetable in it’s place!

  7. Janet Pedelty

    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!!

      1. 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!

    1. 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!

  8. 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!

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