An easy 5-minute prep recipe, this crockpot Mexican chicken gives you the most tender, juicy, shreddable chicken. It’s perfectly seasoned so it’s a little smoky, a little spicy and a lot of delicious! Devour it in tacos, make it into southwest style bowls or serve it any way you wish!
A simple Mexican chicken seasoning
We always make our own seasonings at home instead of buying pre-made store blends. With just a quick measurement and mix of some seasonings from your pantry, you can have an amazing Mexican chicken seasoning that’s better than the store-bought packet!
Check out some other simple seasoning mixes in our post 10 Easy Homemade Spice Blends.
The best Mexican shredded chicken
We love using our crockpot to batch cook recipes that are versatile and perfect for leftovers. The slow cooker also turns this recipe into juicy chicken that’s easily shreddable! We love this Mexican shredded chicken because it goes with just about anything.
Our favorite ways to serve it are:
- Tacos
- Quesadillas
- Salads (with a little Chipotle Aioli – perfection!)
- Burritos or burrito bowls
Super easy crockpot Mexican chicken
This recipe isn’t quite as easy as dumping a jar of salsa over some chicken breasts or thighs – but it’s close. You don’t need to brown the chicken or do anything fancy, just slather it with the Mexican chicken seasoning, dump in the other ingredients and call it good!
Make it Instant Pot Mexican chicken instead
You can easily use the Instant Pot to make this recipe too! Just follow the same basic instructions and as the slow cooker version but cook the chicken on high pressure for 22 minutes. After the time is up, do a quick release and then shred the chicken in the Instant Pot with the juices.
Some other favorite Mexican chicken recipes
- CHICKEN TINGA
- CHICKEN FAJITA SOUP
- EASY HARISSA CHICKEN RECIPE
- INSTANT POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
- CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL
Your turn to make this versatile shredded chicken recipe
Whip up a simple seasoning, dump in the other ingredients and set it and forget it! We know you’ll love the smoky Mexican flavor and we think it might be your new favorite healthy chicken recipe!
If you try this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and let us know how it goes. Also, take a pic to share on Instagram. Tag us @realsimplegood, we love to see what you’re cooking!
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Juicy, Shredded Crockpot Mexican Chicken (5-Minute Prep!)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (907.18 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, (or breasts)
- 1 (113.4 g) can green chiles, (4 oz)
- 1/2 cup (117.5 g) chicken broth
- 1 (1) lime, juice of
For the seasoning:
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) chili powder
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) garlic powder
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) paprika
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) cumin
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) onion powder
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) oregano
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) salt sea salt
- 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) pepper
- 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper, (to taste, omit for no spice or add more for spicy)
Instructions
- Make the seasoning by adding all of the seasoning ingredients to a small bowl or jar and mixing.
- Add the chicken to the crockpot. Pour the seasoning over the chicken and flip a couple of times to coat both sides.
- Add in the chicken broth and green chiles. Squeeze in the lime juice.
- Place the cover on the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for for 4 hours.
- Once the chicken is done, shred with two forks. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- You can use either chicken thighs or breasts for this recipe and follow the same cooking instructions.
- For the Instant Pot, follow steps 1-3 above. Place chicken in the Instant Pot and set it to cook at high pressure for 22 minutes. After the time is up, do a quick release and then shred the chicken in the Instant Pot with the juices.
- Nutrition facts are per serving and are an estimate provided for those following a Ketogenic or low-carb diet. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.Â
Can you freeze?
Yes, this freezes well.
I make this Every week!!! Easy and delicious is the best way to describe it!Â
Happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it đŸ™‚
So so good! I’ve made this 2 weeks in a row. My boyfriend can’t stay out of it. Makes amazing taco meat too! My only changes were that I used chipotle chili powder instead of the cayenne because I like the smokiness and I used smoked paprika. I also added chopped onions when I put everything in the crockpot and finished it with fresh chopped cilantro. Definitely a keeper.
Glad you are both enjoying the recipe! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it đŸ™‚
Dang! Â Chicky chicky boom boom off the hook
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to leave a review! đŸ™‚
Great recipe! I’ve already made it twice; it’s delicious! I see that the serving size amounts to 197 calories but what exactly IS a serving? 4 oz? 1/2 cup? Just wondering! Thank you!
Hi there – we don’t measure or weight the servings, they are just split evenly between the amount the recipe produces. So if you split the total amount into six, that’s a serving. For this recipe I’d estimate it at around 1/2 to 3/4 cup per serving.
Absolutely delicious. Love that it’s easy and healthy! I’ve made it twice in 3 days. I’m wondering if it can be doubled in the instant pot?
Glad you’ve enjoyed this Amy! Yes, you could double this in the instant pot and it would turn out fine đŸ™‚
Thank you Justin! I doubled all ingredients but still cooked for the recommended time in the instant pot and it turned out perfect. Shredded the chicken in my stand mixer and added back to the liquid in the instant pot. So quick, easy and delicious and my lunches for the week are prepped!
Perfect, so happy to hear that đŸ™‚
We tried this recipe a week ago and it was devoured! It’s now in the crock pot for round 2! It’s a new family favorite!
So glad to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it đŸ™‚
I didn’t expect this much flavor! We made it last night into burritos, tonight is burritos bowls…who knows maybe a 3rd night of chicken tostadas? This turned my world upside down! Bravi!
We love hearing that it was such a hit! Thanks so much for giving our recipe a try and coming back to share how it went! You made our day! đŸ™‚
This was delicious, thank you so much, I’m not good at cooking, but this was so easy, simple and delicious:)
We are so happy to hear this one was easy to make for you and that you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to let us know how it went! đŸ™‚
So glad you enjoyed this one Jenny đŸ™‚
Would I double the amount of the other ingredients to double the amount meat?
Yes. It might seem like a lot of seasonings but the chicken will soak it all up. Enjoy!
I made this in the instant pot and it was easy and delicious. I will definitely be making this again. The whole family loved it. Thank you!
We’re so glad to hear it was a hit for the whole fam! Thanks so much for taking the time to try our recipe and come back to leave a review. We really appreciate it! đŸ™‚
Is there a better, easier slow cooker chicken recipe on the internet? No! This was seriously so good. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome Liane, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was amazing! Crockpot is the way to go for this recipe. Even better the next day!
Agreed, the leftovers are the best đŸ™‚
This dish was absolutely fantastic and so easy. The spice mixture was delicious and the chicken melted in my mouth. My whole family gobbled it up. Will definitely save this in my recipe Arsenal
Thanks Kari, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I didn’t have green chilies so I used a can of smoked chipotle peppers. Delicious! I’ll definitely make it again and try the green chilies.
Thank you for sharing the recipe! It was a hit in my household! 3 boys = no leftovers! There is so much flavor in this dish and very tender meat. We ate it as tacos đŸŒ® really yummy!
We’re so happy to hear it was a hit for the whole fam! That’s the best! Thanks so much for taking the time to come and leave your rating and review. We appreciate it! And we appreciate your share on Instagram too! đŸ™‚
Made this and the chipotle aioli today. So easy and so good! My child and husband (both picky eaters) loved it. We will definitely make this again.
So glad you all liked the recipe Joyce!