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This is a standard dish in our house because it is so easy and yummy. My kids even like it! The chicken is cooked slowly in the Crock-Pot, so it falls apart easily with a fork. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer white meat. Or, if you’re interested in saving a little money, you can use chicken thighs. I use boneless chicken so I don’t have to remove the bones later. Use the cooked chicken for a variety of Mexican dishes: tacos, enchiladas, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, etc. We typically have tacos the first night, and then use the leftover chicken for rice bowls or enchiladas later in the week.
Slow-cooked Mexican Chicken
Ingredients:
1.5 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs)
1 (1.5 oz.) pkg taco seasoning mix (Make sure it’s gluten-free. We use McCormick brand – mild for my kids.)
1 Cup chicken broth or water (Make sure it’s gluten-free. We use Pacific brand.)
1 Cup salsa or picante sauce
Directions:
- Place chicken in a slow-cooker and sprinkle taco seasoning mix on top of chicken. Then, pour on chicken broth and picante sauce. No need to stir.
- Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, the chicken is so tender it usually falls apart with a fork. So, use forks to shred, or pull apart, the chicken. Stir it around and let it stay warm in the slow-cooker while you prepare the rest of dinner.
Additional notes:
- In the picture above, we’ve made tacos with cooked corn tortillas, and filled it with the chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese, sliced black olives and diced avocado. Yum!
- You can also use the meat for enchiladas, taquitos, salads, and more.
I’m linking this recipe to “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free?” at The Gluten-Free Homemaker. There you will find even more gluten-free meal ideas.
96 Comments
March 26th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Wow! This sounds great – I can’t wait to try it. I’ve never been to your site before. I found a comment you made on Cafe Mom with this address. You’ve got a lot of good information here. I can’t wait to check in again soon.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the chicken. I’ll be posting some yummy Easter-type recipes soon.
April 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
[...] – Mexican Chicken Salad Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken on tossed salad with tortilla chips, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, and [...]
May 11th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
[...] -Chicken Taquitos I’ll be rolling up some slow-cooked Mexican chicken in corn tortillas to make taquitos. I’ll have my husband make his favorite magic cheese dip [...]
May 15th, 2009 at 2:48 am
[...] olive oil 1 1/2 Cups corn oil 12, 6-inch corn tortillas 4 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (Try Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken.) 12 oz. shredded cheese (about 3 Cups) Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or [...]
May 27th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
[...] chopped Avocado, chopped (1/2 avocado per person) Corn and Black Bean Salad (1/4 cup per person) Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken, shredded (1/2 cup per person) Cheddar cheese, shredded (4 oz. per person) Black olives, sliced [...]
June 17th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
[...] nachos last week, I still have some leftover seasoned ground beef. I’ll be adding it to some slow-cooked Mexican chicken and cheese to make enchiladas. I hope I have time to try a new green [...]
June 22nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
[...] – Chicken Tacos Slow-cooked Mexican chicken, served with corn tortillas and taco shells, lettuce, shredded cheese, black olives, avocado, [...]
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
We’re trying this tonight! My husband keeps complaining that I’m starving him with the delicious smell coming from the crockpot all day. I didn’t have any taco seasoning on hand so I just made up some of my own. I’m so glad I found your site!
July 5th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi there! Just wanted to let you know I referenced your post on my blog.
Thanks for all your great posts!
Emily
July 16th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
[...] Slow cooked Mexican chicken [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
[...] – Slow-Cooked Mexican Chicken Tacos Using slow-cooked chicken with Mexican spices to put in corn tortillas or crunchy taco [...]
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
[...] gallo. Consider adding it to tacos, salads, or fajitas. Or, as I did here, on top of Cilantro Rice, slow-cooked Mexican Chicken, and shredded [...]
September 21st, 2009 at 2:31 am
[...] – Chicken Tacos We’ll be having tacos with slow-cooked Mexican chicken. I think it’s time to use up some of the peppers I have, too. So, I’m going to add them [...]
October 25th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
[...] – Rice Bowls Using up leftover slow-cooked Mexican chicken to top cilantro rice. We’ll add black beans, green chiles, corn, shredded cheese, avocado [...]
October 29th, 2009 at 9:52 am
This sounds delicious and easy. I’m definitely going to try it. My problem is that my crock pot runs too hot and meat dries out quickly. I’m going to have to get a new one soon. I’d love for you to add this to “What can I eat that’s gluten free?” one week.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Linda – I have a similar problem with my crock pot. You could probably cook yours in 4-6 hours. I have put the chicken in as late as lunchtime, and still had it ready in time for dinner. That’s also why I add the chicken broth. It keeps it nice and moist. After I’ve shredded the chicken, I always put it back into the crock pot and stir it around in the liquid. I’m surprised I haven’t linked it to “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free?” I guess I posted it before I found you.
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 am
[...] – Taquitos Mexican chicken rolled in corn tortillas. Serving with leftover Avocado Salsa and Cilantro [...]
November 25th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I am so making this next week! I have been looking for easy things to make the week after Thanksgiving since I will be hosting it this year. This is perfect! Trying to decide if I will use it for tacos or chicken enchiladas….
November 25th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
This looks so yummy! This would be great to have as an alternative to ground beef for tacos and enchiladas. I think I’ll try making some and then freezing the extras for quick meals.
Tell me more about rice bowls. You have many yummy recipes here, I’m definitely bookmarking your site as a favorite!
November 27th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Julie. Rice bowls are all your favorite taco ingredients, minus the taco shell, on top of rice. For great flavor, you can put the chicken on top of Cilantro Rice. Then, add beans, shredded cheese, avocado, black olives…whatever tastes good to you.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:21 am
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January 10th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
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January 25th, 2010 at 9:06 am
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February 22nd, 2010 at 10:16 am
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March 1st, 2010 at 10:39 am
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March 2nd, 2010 at 12:24 pm
[...] I like it as a soup? My husband liked it too. And now I have a new way to use up my leftover Mexican chicken. In the past I’ve used the chicken for rice bowls, salad, taquitos, quesadillas, and tacos. [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:10 am
[...] – Slow cooker shredded chicken tacos with black beans and [...]
May 24th, 2010 at 11:04 am
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June 7th, 2010 at 11:37 am
[...] – Chicken Tacos Slow-cooking chicken with Mexican spices in a Crock-Pot to make tacos. We’ll have shredded lettuce, cheese, sliced [...]
July 26th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
[...] – Chicken Tacos Slow-cooking chicken with Tex-Mex flavors for making yummy shredded chicken. I’ll serve it [...]
July 26th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
[...] of Kalyn’s Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado, which is just fabulous. And rumor has it that her yummy shredded chicken is its name, and I’m looking forward to trying it when it gets a little [...]
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
We tried this today and it was AWESOME! Thank you for a great recipe.
August 5th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Ted – Thanks for the feedback. It’s always nice to hear when a recipe works good for someone else.
August 7th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
[...] 1/2 Cup Salsa – Use your favorite recipe or jarred gluten-free salsa. 1 – 2 Cups Shredded Mexican Chicken 2 Cups shredded cheese (Try cheddar, Monterey Jack, and/or mozzarella.) 1/4 Cup sliced black olives [...]
September 12th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I have to feed 40 hungry High School football players this Thursday night and I plan on making this recipe for them. I think they will really enjoy this.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:13 am
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October 17th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
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October 25th, 2010 at 9:09 am
[...] – Taquitos I ended up having a lot of shredded Mexican chicken leftover last week, so I’ll roll up the rest of it in corn tortillas and serve with Cilantro [...]
December 12th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
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January 9th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
[...] – Slow cooker shredded chicken tacos – these are a family favorite and while they seem like they are always on the menu, they are [...]
January 24th, 2011 at 9:16 am
[...] every month, the most popular post on CeliacFamily.com is my recipe for slow-cooked Mexican Chicken. It is so simple and easy, but so tasty and so versatile, too. I use the shredded chicken for [...]
June 19th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
[...] – Southwest Seven-Layer Salad. My new idea to use up leftover shredded chicken is to layer it with lettuce, black beans, corn, avocado, etc. I just need to come up with a good, [...]
August 8th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
[...] with little cooking is what I have planned. I’m putting the slow-cooker back to work with Shredded Mexican Chicken. It’s a popular choice at our house for easy, delicious meals. Perfect for school [...]
August 8th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
[...] of Celiac Family recommends Shredded Mexican Chicken for busy school nights. Y’all know I love a good slow cooker meal… Thanks, Heather! [...]
September 29th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
I am trying to access your gluten-free chicken enchilada recipe, but the when I click on the picture to access it, there is an error (not available). Is there another location for this recipe? Thanks!
September 29th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Misty – Sorry the link didn’t work for you. Try this link http://celiacfamily.com/chicken-enchiladas/
You can also find it at the Recipe Index.
October 16th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
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November 7th, 2011 at 9:43 am
[...] starting my week with slow-cooked Shredded Mexican Chicken. After almost three years and 275 posts, that recipe continues to be one of the most popular posts [...]
November 7th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
This sounds absolutely delicious! I’ve just started a Paleo Diet weight loss challenge, and this, over a big bed of lettuce and onions, would be divine. I’ve found a paleo-friendly taco seasoning mix to use, too. Can’t wait to try it out! Thanks a lot.
November 10th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
I made this yesterday – my FIRST TIME using a slow cooker – and it was delicious.
November 11th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Cori – Welcome to the wonderful world of slow-cookers.
Thanks for letting us know that this recipe worked out for you.
November 17th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
I am making this for the second time tonight. I love this recipe. It’s simple and delicious. I like to use a homemade taco seasoning tho.
thanks for the awesome recipe
November 21st, 2011 at 9:27 am
Anna – Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I would love to hear what you use for your homemade taco seasoning. Would you mind sharing?
November 21st, 2011 at 1:20 pm
HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING MIX
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash cayenne
Combine all ingredients. Use instead of 1 package taco seasoning mix. If not using entire amount, store tightly covered, in a cool dry place. Makes 3 tablespoons.
Super simple, and was delicious. Plusnit’s easy to make more or less spicy depending on the amount of cayenne.
January 16th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
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January 30th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
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May 21st, 2012 at 11:20 am
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May 24th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
[...] of contenders but determined a crockpot recipe was ideal so that was the tie breaker. And with this recipe from the Celiac Family looking super quick and easy and sounding delicious it was the big winner! [...]
May 24th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
My friends and I recently enjoyed your recipe for a fiesta we had! Thanks for sharing!
May 28th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Thanks, Laura! Glad you enjoyed it.
July 2nd, 2012 at 1:22 am
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July 16th, 2012 at 11:20 am
[...] Tuesday - Shredded Chicken Tacos with sliced black olives, shredded cheese, and Avocado Salsa [...]
August 14th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Love this recipe! I’ve made it several times now, using a homemade taco seasoning recipe from allrecipes.com. It’s so easy and delicious! We usually use it the first day for tacos, and then the next day for nachos. Awesome!
August 15th, 2012 at 11:25 am
So glad you enjoyed it, Jen! I like it on nachos, too. Although, I often make taquitos with the leftovers.
September 3rd, 2012 at 11:16 am
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December 17th, 2012 at 12:40 am
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December 17th, 2012 at 8:59 am
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December 24th, 2012 at 1:18 am
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December 31st, 2012 at 1:16 am
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