Chicken Taco Meat (Crock Pot Recipe)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jun 22, 2025 
This foolproof recipe for Chicken Taco Meat in the Crock Pot makes the most tender and flavor packed shredded chicken in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for any taco night.
Easily the Easiest Chicken Chicken Tacos Recipe
We love easy-to-make taco variations for Taco Tuesday or any other night of the week! This simple Chicken Taco Meat Crock Pot recipe is right up there with the best, easiest taco night favorites. It’s a must-have in your rotation of 30 minute recipes!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
We reworked our classic recipe for chicken tacos to make a stovetop version that’s practically effortless to pull together, but can also be put in the crockpot or instant pot. Whichever cooking method you choose, the meat will be saucy and delicious, and perfect for loading into warm flour or corn tortillas!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Taco Meat Crock Pot Recipe
- Quick and Easy – While we’re also big fans of slightly more labor-intensive dishes like cheesy Birria Tacos and Baja Fish Tacos, this recipe is super fast for busy weeknights.
- Customizable – Use your preferred salsa to give the tacos whatever flavor you want. Then load ’em up with all the toppings of your taco dreams!
- Make Ahead – As-is, this recipe makes roughly 6 to 8 servings. If you’re feeding fewer folks, the leftovers are great for lunches and dinners. Or double the recipe to enjoy tonight, and freeze the rest for later!
See the step-by-step instructions in the full Recipe Notes section below for how to make shredded chicken taco meat on the stove, in a pressure cooker, or slow cooker!
Ingredients and Tips
- Chicken – Use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
- Salsa – Any favorite fresh or jarred salsa will do! I’m using a mild red salsa here to make a family-friendly dish, but feel free to change things up with spicy salsa, chipotle salsa, salsa verde, or other varieties.
- Spices – A blend of ground ancho chile powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
Recipe Variations
- Honey – Add a drizzle of honey to the marinade mix to make this chicken slightly sweet.
- Tomatoes – If you don’t have salsa, you can use canned diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce or tomato sauce.
How To Make Chicken Taco Meat in a Crock Pot
If cooking on the stovetop, this recipe will take just under 30 minutes, and there’s no need to sear the chicken or anything!
Find the full Chicken Taco Meat Crock Pot recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Cool the shredded chicken before transferring to an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing – Transfer the cooled chicken to a sealed freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Make Ahead – Get the slow cooker going in the morning or afternoon to enjoy an easy dinner.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy homemade tacos with classic rice dishes like Chipotle rice (aka cilantro rice), green rice, or yellow rice. We also love to include beans on the side for a full Mexican restaurant-style dinner! Try our tried-and-true recipes for refried beans or pinto beans (frijoles de la olla).
For a super hearty meal, consider making a batch of crisp papas fritas (Mexican fried potatoes), too!
Oh, and you can use shredded salsa chicken for so much more than *just* tacos… Use the chicken to make burritos with flour tortillas and burrito bowls, taco salads, quesadillas, or loaded nachos!
Most importantly, here are my favorite toppings to add onto this chicken:
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend are great if you want melty cheese. Or try crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, which don’t really melt.
- Salsa – Ooomph up the salsa flavor of the shredded cooked chicken by adding a bit on top as well. Or mix-and-match flavors and use spicy salsa matcha or salsa al pastor, avocado salsa verde, or roasted tomato salsa.
- Fresh Toppings – Sprinkle a pop of freshness to warm chicken tacos with chopped cilantro, lettuce, green onions, white onion, sliced avocado, lime, or homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, or spicy jalapeños.
- Creamy Toppings – A dollop of fresh sour cream, Greek yogurt, Mexican crema, avocado crema, or all-purpose cashew cream adds a nice, well, creaminess to balance the zesty taco meat.
Crock Pot Chicken Taco Meat
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 ½ cups good-quality salsa
- 1 ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
For the Tacos –
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, avocado, sour cream or Mexican crema
Instructions
- Set a sauté pan (or a large skillet) over medium heat. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet. Then pour the salsa, water, ancho chili powder, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper over the top.
- Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Then flip the chicken, stir the sauce, and cover again for 5-6 more minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat. Use tongs to move the chicken pieces to a cutting board. Use forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Move the shredded chicken back to the pan. Stir the chicken into the remaining salsa. Reheat if needed. Then start building your tacos!
Notes
- Turn a 6-quart slow cooker on low. Place the chicken pieces in the crock and pour in the remaining ingredients, reducing the water to 1 cup.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (3-4 hours on high.) Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the crock.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the salsa. Turn the slow cooker on warm until ready to serve.
- Place the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, and pour the remaining ingredients over the top.
- Lock the lid into place, and set on Pressure Cook High for 15 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, perform a Natural Release.
- Open the pot and shred the chicken!
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend are great if you want melty cheese. Or try crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, which don’t really melt.
- Salsa – Ooomph up the salsa flavor of the shredded cooked chicken by adding a bit on top as well. Or mix-and-match flavors and use spicy salsa matcha or salsa al pastor, avocado salsa verde or roasted tomato salsa.
- Fresh Toppings – Add a pop of freshness to warm chicken tacos with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, green onions, white onion, sliced avocado or homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, and spicy jalapeños.
- Creamy Toppings – A dollop of fresh sour cream, greek yogurt, Mexican crema, avocado crema or all-purpose cashew cream adds a nice – well – creaminess to balance the zesty taco meat.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
So long as it’s boneless and skinless chicken, you really can’t go wrong in this recipe! Chicken breasts are lean, while thighs are richer and fatty.
Basically… Shredded means the meat has been pulled into finer pieces. But sometimes “pulled” can be used specifically for meat that’s cooked low and slow so that it practically melts and falls apart.
Nope! No matter which method you use to make this easy recipe, there’s no need to sear or precook the chicken.
