Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken

With delicious flavors and many ways to serve, this Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken is a staple menu item for so many different recipes.

I always think that it is a good option to have a staple basic recipe in your recipe box that can be used for so many various things.

This Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken is exactly one of those recipes that has so many purposes.

The chicken is cooked low and slow making it tender and marries the flavors together so well that just eating it plain is 100% a viable option.

We like to throw together a batch of this chicken recipe and freeze it for later use so we have it on hand for those nights we aren’t sure what we want to make.

This Shredded Mexican Chicken is just one of those recipes that you will be coming back for for tacos, burritos, taquitos and more.

This is a great slow cooker recipe that makes main dishes, appetizers and sides! You really cannot go wrong with it.

Some of our other favorite slow cooker recipes that we have on our site include: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef, Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• With lots of seasonings, this recipe is NOT lacking in flavor.
• This can be used for a variety of different recipes.
• This is a fix it and forget it meal, little effort needed.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Rotel 
Diced green chiles 
Onion
Chipotle sauce or 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
Tomato paste 
Garlic 
Chili powder 
Brown sugar 
Cumin 
Mexican oregano (or regular)
Liquid smoke 
Lime juice 
Cilantro

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SHREDDED MEXICAN CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP:

1. In the slow cooker add the chicken, Rotel, green chiles, onion, chipotle sauce, tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, oregano, and liquid smoke.
2. Place the lid on and set to 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
3. When done cooking, shred the chicken and add lime juice, stir. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

CAN I USE BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS?

Absolutely, you can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts if you want to save some money and like dark meat.

You will need more chicken thighs to equal one chicken breast, so I suggest substituting at least 2 thighs per breast of chicken for this recipe.

WHAT SIZE SLOW COOKER SHOULD I USE?

You will need a 5-6 quart slow cooker for this Shredded Mexican Chicken, it gives it enough room to contain all the ingredients.

Also it allows you easy access to shred the chicken in the slow cooker itself rather than removing it and shredding it that way.

HOW LONG DOES THIS RECIPE NEED TO COOK?

You can cook this in the slow cooker on either low or high, depending on your timeframe.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours and on high for 3-4 hours. You will want to check the internal temperature of your chicken before shredding to make sure that it is 165 degrees F – that is when it is cooked fully through.

WHAT CAN I USE THIS SLOW COOKER MEXICAN SHREDDED CHICKEN FOR?

That is the fun part, this is a great versatile recipe where you can use it in so many various things. Some ideas include:

1. Nachos
2. Taquitos
3. Sheet Pan Quesadillas (or regular)
4. Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
5. Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos
6. Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
7. Chicken Burrito Bowls
8. Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole

HOW TO STORE:

This recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze this Shredded Mexican Chicken. Place in a freezer bag or container and it will keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place in the microwave heating in 30 second intervals until heated through.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• You can swap out chicken thighs for the breasts, see above on how to do that.
• This recipe can be used in so many various dishes, see above for some fun ideas.
• If you cannot find adobo sauce, use 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and dice them.
• This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
• Choose your spice or rotel for this.
• If you cannot find Mexican oregano, you can use regular.
• Make this and freeze it for later when you are not sure what to make for dinner.
• We like to use a hand mixer to shred the chicken, but two forks will work as well.
• Make sure you do not drain any of the liquid from the chicken, you will want this for flavor.

Love yourself a universal recipe that can be used for other things? Then you absolutely cannot go wrong with this Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Smothered Beef Burritos
• Mini Tacos
• Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
• Mexican Pinwheels

If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER MEXICAN CHICKEN or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!