Say goodbye to dry shredded chicken! My super simple Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken recipe will be your new go-to for the juiciest shredded chicken EVER! Perfect for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, burrito bowls, soups and taco salads.

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Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken

Name: Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts; 1 Tbsp. olive oil; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1 (8 oz.) jar, taco sauce; 1 (10 oz.) can, Rotel tomatoes and chilies; 1 tsp. liquid smoke; Chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired

Does your family like tacos? How about nachos, or burritos, or perhaps a delicious enchilada? This Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken is the perfect filling for all of those. Yes, ground beef is great, but adding some chicken in there now and again can definitely spice up your taco night – literally!

For many people, the thought of putting dry, bland chicken into their tacos is off-putting. Believe me – I am one of those people!! There is nothing worse that a mouthful of dry chicken. But this Mexican shredded chicken is incredibly moist and flavorful. Just take a look at those juices! This chicken is slow-cooked in a simple seasoned tomato sauce, keeping in wonderfully moist and juicy!

The great thing about this Mexican shredded chicken is that it’s super simple to make. Just 5 minutes of prep to get things into your slow cooker, and then you’re off and running! A fantastic recipe for a busy weeknight, it also makes for an amazing meal prep idea when you’re trying to prepare healthy meals on the weekends for your work week.

So, let’s get to it! Here are the simple steps to making this delicious Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken:

Step 1: Start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts

I use 2 lbs of chicken for this recipe, which might seem like a lot, but it ends up being the perfect amount. It’s great for utilizing for 2-3 separate meals, which becomes a major time-saver during the week.

There is no need to brown or saute the chicken before placing it into your slow cooker. The key to keeping this chicken moist, is to cook it slowly, keeping the juices inside the chicken. Simply drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Love cooking with chicken breasts? Check out some of my other chicken breast recipes:

Step 2: Mix together the seasoned tomato sauce

In a bowl, stir together the taco sauce, Rotel (tomatoes and chilies) and liquid smoke. I prefer to stir these together before adding them into the slow cooker. This is so you don’t have one spot of the chicken with no liquid smoke and another area that’s over saturated with it.

Want to make your own taco sauce? Check out my Homemade Taco Sauce recipe!

Once you’ve stirred the sauce together, simply pour over the top of the chicken. That’s it!!

Next, cover the slow cooker with a lid, and set on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Just let your slow cooker do the rest.

Step 3: Shred the chicken

Once the chicken is done cooking, remove one chicken breast at a time and shred with forks. The chicken will be tender and likely shred very easily. Once you’ve shredded the chicken, add it back to the slow cooker, along with the tomatoes, sauce and juices. Cook for another 30 minutes on low.

Once done cooking, you’ll have the most incredible Mexican shredded chicken! The chicken will be wonderfully moist, and seasoned perfectly for your tacos, enchiladas, nachos, soups and salads. I recently added this shredded chicken to my Lime Chicken Chili recipe. Not only did it taste fantastic, but it saved me quite a bit of time, versus having to cook chicken separately.

What other recipes can I use this Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken in?

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas – seriously, so good!!
Ground Beef Enchiladas in Red Sauce – sub this chicken in for the ground beef for excellent Red Sauce enchiladas!
Baked Chicken Tacos – a great way to enjoy Taco Tuesday!
Healthy Chicken Taco Salad – a healthy way to enjoy tacos!
Chicken Burrito Bowls – a fantastic meal prep recipe for your week.

The next time I make this shredded chicken, I’m planning to meal-prep some burrito bowls, complete with cauliflower rice, black beans, and peppers and onions. Not only will this save me time in the long run, it will also prevent me from hitting up my local Chipotle for lunch, thus saving me some money in my pocket.

I hope this recipe inspires you to do a little meal-prep of your own. Make this Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken on a Sunday afternoon. You’ll have meat that’s perfect for 2-3 meals for the week, and a less-stressful, more enjoyable weeknight dinner. Enjoy! ~Erin

Cuisinart Cook Central Multi-cooker, 7-quart (Amazon Affiliate Link) – I’ve owned several slow cookers over the years, and this is, by far, the best I’ve ever owned. In addition to slow cooking on multiple temperatures, it’s also able to brown meats, and steam vegetables along with several other features. I highly recommend it!

If you loved this simple shredded chicken recipe, be sure to check out some of my other similar recipes:

Air Fryer Drumsticks Recipe
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe
Healthy Chicken Taco Salad – that includes the Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken!
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce – this recipe includes the Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
Healthy Taco Stuffed Peppers
Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Healthy & Easy Turkey Chili

Here’s the simple, delicious recipe for my Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken: