Crock Pot Shredded Chicken for Tacos
Make some flavor packed, salsa infused Shredded Chicken for Tacos in the Crock Pot with just a few ingredients. So easy and crazy delicious!
A Simple, Flavorful Shredded Chicken Recipe
I am always looking for new ways to add more flavor to my tacos, tostadas, burritos or taco salads. This Shredded Chicken for Tacos is so simple to make and will take all of your Mexican inspired dishes to the next level. It’s the perfect taco filling made with chicken breasts (or thighs), salsa, taco seasoning, cream of chicken and sour cream. This is a true ‘set it and forget it’ recipe!
This is the only way I make chicken for tacos now! Absolutely perfect & delicious. The chicken was incredibly moist and flavorful! Wouldn’t change a thing & highly recommend!!
– Jessica
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can use frozen or fresh chicken breasts. It’s a bit more budget-friendly and easy on the wallet if you use frozen chicken breasts instead of fresh. I have heard people say you shouldn’t use frozen meat in a slow cooker but I have personally never had issues with it and have been doing it for decades without issue. However, you do what you feel comfortable doing.
You bet! I like to toss the cooked chicken into a mixing bowl, grab the hand electric mixer and use that to help easily shred the chicken. Especially if you like your chicken shredded finely. Or if you have a stand mixer, you can do it as well with the paddle attachment.
No. It comes out very juicy and tender. I think the cream of chicken really helps here. Plus, after you shred the chicken, you’re going to put it back into that flavorful sauce in the crock pot and the shredded chicken is going to soak it all up.
You sure can! Check out my recipe for Crock Pot Shredded Beef for Tacos. You can also use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
As you see, I’ve used them with corn tortillas, diced red onion and cilantro – which is more of an authentic Mexican way of serving tacos. You could also use flour tortillas. Top them however you prefer!
Either way, you definitely need to warm the tortillas up so they are more pliable and don’t rip apart when you add the meat filling and other toppings.
You could also serve this chicken in burritos, in a taco salad, in a Dorito Taco Salad, in some Chicken Enchiladas, or with any other Mexican inspired.
I like to use it in Taco Spaghetti, or when we have Doritos Walking Tacos, it makes thing so much easier. Toss some in a Doritos Taco Casserole for an easy dinner. Use some when making your Taco Quesadillas or Fiesta Taco Braids. It’s great to have on hand for meal prepping too!
Any leftover chicke should be stored in an airtight container and should be stored in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. You can freeze leftovers appropriately in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – you can also use chicken thighs. I think chicken thighs are a much more affordable option but I know some people just do no like chicken thighs.
- salsa– any heat variety will work. Whatever you like – mild, medium, or hot salsa. My personal favorite brand of salsa is Herdez (mild) brand salsa and Pace Picante as a backup. Rotel can also be used in place of the salsa but I don’t think it provides as much flavor.
- cream of chicken soup– This adds a nice creamy factor to your meat and helps to keep it juicy. Plus, it adds a bit of flavor. If you don’t like to use the canned versions, I have a homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe that would work nicely here. You could use a homemade Cream of Mushroom soup as well but I think the chicken works better here.
- taco seasoning– use your favorite seasoning mix, or make your own homemade taco seasoning mix.
- sour cream– this can be swapped out for plain Greek yogurt or Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche. If you don’t like those options then you can omit it. If you do choose to ditch it, just know your chicken won’t be as creamy as what you see in the images.
How To Make Shredded Chicken for Tacos
Add chicken and seasoning to crock pot
Spray the inside of a 6-8 quart oval slow cooker with some nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken breast to Crock Pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken.
Add salsa and cream of chicken
In a bowl, combine cream of chicken soup with salsa. Stir well. Pour mixture evenly over chicken.
Cook then shred the chicken
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours. Time will vary based on how large your chicken breasts are and whether you are using fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Also, many newer crock pot models run at a higher temperature than older models. So, if you have an older model, it may take up to 8 hours or a bit longer.
When chicken is ready, take chicken out and shred with two forks. Or you can shred it right in the slow cooker. I don’t want to make your life more complicated, go with what is easiest for you.
Stir in sour cream
Put shredded chicken back in the pot. Stir in sour cream. At this point you can turn off your slow cooker or put it on the “keep warm” setting. Give it all a good stir.
Then serve!
You can serve this in a lot of different ways. Try adding cooked rotini or penne pasta (1 pound box) to the slow cooker when this is all done and stir well. It makes for an amazing pasta meal! Or serve in warm, soft tortilla shells or in a salad! Enjoy
Craving More Recipes?
- Crock Pot Shredded Beef for Tacos
- Crock Pot Birria Tacos
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Tacos
- Hillbilly Tacos
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Taco Pizza
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Crock Pot French Onion Chicken
- Taco Rice
- One Pot Taco Spaghetti
- Chicken Chimichangas
- Copycat Chili’s Salsa
- White Chicken Enchiladas For Two
- 10 Crock Pot Mississippi Recipes
Crock Pot Shredded Chicken for Tacos
Ingredients
- 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if they are large, just go with 4)
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 5-6 quart oval slow cooker with some nonstick cooking spray.
- Place 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the crock pot. Sprinkle 1 packet taco seasoning on chicken.
- In a bowl, combine 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup with 1 cup salsa. Pour mixture evenly over chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- When chicken is ready, take chicken out and shred with two forks. Put shredded chicken back in the pot.
- Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream.
- At this point you can turn off your slow cooker or put it on the "keep warm" setting. Stir and serve in warm tortillas, crunchy tacos or in a taco salad!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: May 2012
Updated and republished: February 2024
This chicken was so juicy and it had so much flavor! Wow! I would absolutely make again! I made it exactly to your recipe and wouldn’t change anything. It was perfect for us!
This creamy chicken was a great sub for beef taco meat in taco salads, nachos, and wrapped up in a warm tortilla with all the fixings. Will be making this again.
Thanks so much Jess! I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!
This is the only way I make chicken for tacos now! Absolutely perfect & delicious. The chicken was incredibly moist and flavorful! My husband doesn’t like sour cream at all but for whatever reason, he loves it in this. I don’t think he knows it is in there lol. Wouldn’t change a thing & highly recommend!!
Your shredded chicken recipe is my go-to! I have tried a few other recipes but I always come back to this one. Some of those recipes come out kind of dry but not this one! I use your homemade taco seasoning recipe.I love to make this, shred the chicken and put it all back into the crock pot and the chicken just continues to soak up all that flavor. Everyone who tries it absolutely loves it!
I made a few changes because I had more chicken. Just added another cup of salsa and a packet of mild taco sauce and it was a hit! On our list for the week! Beef tacos were getting old. This brought taco Tuesday to a whole new level. 5 stars!
Hi Brandie,
I haven’t made this yet, but could you make this like your shredded beef recipe? Both sound DELISH !!! And with the comments, obviously this is amazing!!!
Thanks so much !!! MW
We love this. We substitute enchilada sauce for the salsa because we have some who are opposed to onion and peppers!! Works fantastic. We use in soft tortillas and in walking tacos.
This makes me so happy to hear Wendy! I love how you adjusted to make it work for you guys!
Thanks for posting this recipe. Making this tonight, I added a can of diced green chilis and tomatoes. Gonna serve it with all the fixings. I will let you know how it turned out.
OMG easiest, best chicken recipe ever. I will treasure it always and will share the love at every potluck and family gathering possible.
Yay!! That makes my day! Thanks so much Kim!
Did anyone’s cook faster? like 4 hours on low?
I cook a larger batch by doubling the ingredients: seasoning, soup, salsa, sour cream. Use the recommended amount of chicken breast but also get a package of boneless skinless chicken leg meat. I follow the directions, put the leg meat then layer the chicken breast and put the second layer of seasoning, then soup and salsa mis on it. Cook on high for 4 hours. Putting the dark meat on the bottom saves the white meat from getting dried out and adds a little more flavor to the dish.
We found this recipe a couple years ago and it has become a staple! We love it and it’s so easy. Thank you!
So easy and yummy. Made tacos., Taco salad with homemade tortillas chops and burritos. Can’t wait to make enchiladas! Thanks for great recipe!!
I think this was the best chicken I have ever made! My husband couldn’t stop talking about how good it was (and he hates sour cream, ha!)! I was skeptical about that cream of chicken but it really does something to the chicken. A ton of flavor and the chicken came out perfect!
I just noticed a comment from someone who only cooks for 2. I live alone and I can tell you it freezes beautifully.
I have been making this for over a year now. Every 2 or 3 weeks. It's so good. I serve it on rice or angel hair pasta. I will have to try it on tortillas!!!
Made this tonight. Very easy and very yummy!
I love you and your site and if my purchase of crockpot liners helps you in the slightest, I'm headed there now!!!
I made this last night and it was a big hit! Today I heated it up and am using it like a dip with tortilla chips. The flavors remind me a lot of chicken tortilla soup! Very Good!
How should I adjust the time if I am using fresh chicken? Would the cook time be 4-5 hours? Thanks!
yum
I added a can of black beans to this. It gave it a bit more body.
I've made this recipe many times, and my husband loves it. 🙂
I plan to try this but substitute greek yogurt for the sour cream. Looking forward to having this one night soon, last thing I want to do is cut my oven on!
We really enjoyed this dish!! I have been loving your blog and your recipes!! Anyone tried freezing this, or would that be a bad idea?!
So happy to have found your site!
I made this today for dinner and it was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!
its Monday, and I was looking through your recipes and saw this one. Woohoo, I just KNEW I had all the ingredients…WRONG! So I used cream of mushroom and some chicken bullion powder…Hope it tastes good. So much for my Monday! I love all your posts and have never cooked anything you post that didn't turn out great! Thanks!
Turned out GREAT! My husband loved it! Thanks!
I don't know how I missed this before! I could have really used this over the summer! Looks delicious! I'm putting this on next week's menu!
Making this tonight! Looks Yummy
Made this for dinner tonight and wow was it good! The chicken was so juicy and it shred so easily! My husband doesn’t like sour cream but he was absolutely going crazy over how good this was. The kids loved it too, thank you!
mmmmm…
I love using my slow cooker! Can't wait to try this! 🙂
Another great slow-cooker meal, Brandie!
Yum, this is so good!
Yum! Yum! Yum! I've made a similar recipe but don't remember adding the sour cream. Perfect! Thanks for sharing another lovely recipe from your kitchen. Have a great week – keep cool! =)
I have made this several times! So good!
This chicken looks terrific. I cannot wait to try this recipe. The family will love it. Come and visit us. We have some wonderful recipes to share this week.
Going to make this one this week. I love crock pot meals on baseball practice nights. I'm thinking I might add some fresh corn when I add the sour cream and some fresh pepper of some sort (banana or bell) and some onion. Either way sounds great!
I used corn and black beans in mine,then sprinkled Mexican cheese blend,sounds tasty for dinner tonight.