3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe

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Published: July 23, 2021Author: Camille Beckstrand
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Can you say TACO TUESDAY?! Our 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are the perfect recipe for juicy, flavorful, absolutely delicious, but simple chicken tacos. Grab your favorite shells, chips, guacamole and get the fiesta started.
3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe

This Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos recipe is so simple that it has become a staple go-to recipe in our house. And soon it will be yours, too! This 3 ingredient chicken taco recipe is a dump everything in the slow cooker and leave it recipe.

Ingredients for 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Ingredients needed to make this Chicken Taco Recipe:

  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
  • 1 jar of salsa
Slow cooker with chicken breast and seasoning

5 MINUTE DIRECTIONS (IF THAT):

To get started with these 3 ingredient chicken tacos, pull out your slow cooker. I absolutely love this one! Begin by spraying the bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray to make cleaning up even easier.

Next, get the boneless chicken breast out of the package and place it on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Now for the hard part, open the salsa jar (sometimes that can be hard . . . ha ha!) and pour it over the chicken breasts. Then, simply sprinkle the taco seasoning over top of the salsa.

Time to let the slow cooker do its thing for 4-5 hours on high heat, or 6-8 hours on low heat. Remember, these cooking times are approximations as cooking times can vary with each slow cooker.

I know what you’re thinking, “That wasn’t hard” and you’re right. This 3 ingredient chicken taco recipe is extremely simple! It’s one of my favorites.

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos in hard taco shells topped with cheese and tomatoes

TIME’S UP!

Once your chicken is done cooking, it will shred easily for tacos. Simply use two forks to pull the chicken apart, then just stir it up to get all the salsa juices mixed in well.

For tacos, use either crunchy shells or flour tortillas. Either one will do!

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PRO TIPS:

  • To make pulling the chicken apart easier, use a hand-held mixer and turn it on low and it will shred the chicken in a minute. (Watch how to do it here – the trick is to do it at a low speed with a really deep bowl)
  • To avoid runny tacos use a slotted spoon to serve the tacos.
  • Use THESE awesome holders to keep all your toppings from spilling out

SPEAKING OF TOPPINGS, LOAD EACH TACO WITH YOUR FAVORITE THINGS! 

HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS:

  1. Guacamole (good with tortilla chips too!)
  2. Homemade Pico de Gallo
  3. Shredded lettuce
  4. Shredded cheese
  5. Diced tomatoes
  6. Halved olives
  7. Sour cream

Great creative! You could even crush up chips and add those, or nacho cheese. The possibilities are endless.

You could also use the chicken for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. This recipe is SUPER versatile. You could also cook, shred, and freeze the chicken (just put it in a gallon-sized freezer bag) and pull it out on a busy night for a quick and easy meal.

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Serves: 12

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Recipe

Our 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are the perfect recipe for juicy, flavorful, absolutely delicious, but simple chicken tacos.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 6 hrs
Total Time 6 hrs 10 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
  • 16 ounces salsa 1 jar
  • 1.25 ounces taco seasoning 1 packet
  • 12 taco shells or flour tortillas

Toppings

  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 2 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 6 ounces sliced olives 1 can
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray for easy clean-up. Place chicken in the bottom, pour salsa on top, and sprinkle with taco seasoning.
  • Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
  • When chicken is done cooking, it will shred easily when stirred with a fork.
  • Place the chicken on crunchy taco shells or flour tortillas.
  • Top with guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and any other taco toppings you love.

Notes

  • You could also use the chicken for for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 291 kcal · Carbohydrates: 16 g · Protein: 18 g · Fat: 18 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 61 mg · Sodium: 927 mg · Potassium: 558 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 1056 IU · Vitamin C: 8 mg · Calcium: 163 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Non-stick Cooking Spray
  • Slow Cooker

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Recipe source: Tasty Kitchen

3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

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  1. Organically Mo says:
    June 10, 2012
    This is very similar to how I do slow cooker tacos as well. I love simple, easy, filling meals!
    Reply
  2. Emmy says:
    June 10, 2012
    Looks like a great summer recipe - oven free, and taking advantage of the wonderful avocados and lettuces available. It's on my To Do List!
    Reply
  3. Unknown says:
    June 11, 2012
    I just called my husband and asked him to throw this in the crockpot so we can have it for supper. With a baseball and softball game tonight, a quick meal is just what we needed. Thanks!
    Reply
  4. miss.marcedes says:
    June 14, 2012
    After I realized I was out of propane & had to nix the chicken kabobs idea that I originally had I decided to try this out. It is great & was sooooo easy!! I used Chucky style Medium Pace salsa which I didn't think would turn out so good but I was wrong!! We are in the middle of a make your own (taco, nacho, burrito, etc) night & we're loving it!!
    Reply
  5. Melissa says:
    November 17, 2012
    Will 8 hours on low cook frozen chicken tenderloin strips? They're half the size of boneless skinless.
    Reply
  6. Alyssa says:
    December 13, 2012
    I made this a few weeks ago and even my chicken-hating husband loved it!! The left-overs made excellent enchiladas too! I've told several friends about it and they've all made it and loved it as well! Keep up the good work!!
    Reply
  7. Jennifer says:
    February 6, 2013
    Hi! Could I leave out the salsa?
    Reply
    • Six Sisters says:
      February 7, 2013
      You will need to replace it with some type of liquid so it doesn't burn. The salsa gives it flavor and liquid so it stays moist.
      Reply
  8. Unknown says:
    February 10, 2013
    So I have LOVED your blog and all the GREAT recipes!!! I just made this meal in 10 MINUTES....Yes you read it right :) Have you ever heard of the wonderful ELECTRIC PRESSURE Cookers that they make now? I put 8(small) chicken breasts because I didn't have 6 large...in the electric pressure cooker with the salsa and taco sauce and turned on the cooker and in 10 minutes..... walla it was done! If you don't have one of these cookers you NEED ONE....it cuts cooking time down to minutes and it was sooooo very tender it fell apart getting it out :)
    Reply
    • Pam says:
      February 28, 2020
      I need to try this!
      Reply
  9. Ariane Bradford says:
    March 1, 2013
    Anyone know how this freezes?
    Reply
  10. Melissa Ghassemi says:
    April 3, 2013
    we used the leftovers for a morning breakfast mixed in with some eggs and it was yummy!!! you can also do migas with this, mix in some tortilla chips and eggs,so good!!! thank you for this wonderful recipe! my husband always suggest having this for dinner! :)
    Reply
  11. ashlie says:
    September 16, 2013
    Can u use taco sauce instead of salsa to make chicken tacos?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      September 17, 2013
      Taco sauce should work fine.
      Reply
  12. Lisa says:
    December 22, 2013
    How long would I do with thawed chicken?
    Reply
  13. Alycia says:
    January 21, 2014
    I do this same recipe but I add frozen corn! Them when there's about a half hour left I add in rice (that's already been cooked! I've also done the same thing but put in chicken broth, cream of chicken, and rotel tomatoes instead of the salsa
    Reply
  14. Kristen says:
    February 20, 2014
    Doing these today! So easy and delicious. Thanks!
    Reply
  15. Chris - Stayin' Afloat says:
    July 20, 2014
    I had a taco bar for my son's 2nd birthday, and this chicken was one of the meats for the tacos --- delicious! Thanks for sharing! I shared my experience on my blog: http://www.stayin-afloat.com/p/slow-cooker-chicken-tacos.html
    Reply
  16. sarah says:
    October 4, 2014
    Should I change the cooking time for about a pound and a half of chicken(2 large chicken breasts)?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      October 6, 2014
      Be sure to watch it closely. It should not take as long to cook if you only have 2 large chicken breasts.
      Reply
  17. Lou-Ann says:
    March 28, 2020
    How many minutes do I set the Instant Pot for on Manual? I'm using 2 chicken breasts. Help!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 30, 2020
      Here is a post we did on converting recipes into Instant pot recipes. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
      Reply
  18. Amy says:
    March 30, 2020
    Can a Instantpot be used instead? If so, what setting and how long? Thank you
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 30, 2020
      Here is how to convert recipes to the Instant Pot - https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
      Reply
  19. Bethy says:
    July 11, 2020
    the instructions are for fresh ingredients and yet you say we can dump this from the freezer... are the cook times the same?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      July 17, 2020
      The 3 main ingredients are chicken, salsa, and taco seasoning. But your taco toppings can definitely be fresh.
      Reply
  20. Chris A says:
    October 12, 2020
    I did this recipe in my instapot and it turned out super yummy. I love watching your videos and trying your great recipes!
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      October 15, 2020
      Hi Chris. We are so glad you liked the chicken tacos. We love our Instant Pots and can't imagine life in the kitchen without them. Have a terrific week!
      Reply
  21. Luci says:
    January 5, 2021
    I'm wondering if this recipe can be converted over to an Instant Pot- how long would it cook for?
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      January 13, 2021
      You can learn about converting recipe to the Instant Pot here - https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/
      Reply
  22. Tiara says:
    June 21, 2021
    This is definitely my favorite, easy, dump and go recipes! This comes out delicious with the LEAST amount of ingredients!(I always have these in hand too!) My husband gets real tired of chicken, but this one he want 3rds and 4ths! :) Best part is that any leftover chicken is great to make enchiladas <3
    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      June 21, 2021
      Hi Tiara, We are so glad to hear that you like these 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker chicken tacos. They are a quick and delicious meal. Have a terrific week.
      Reply
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