A dump it and forget it recipe, this slow cooker shredded Mexican chicken requires a handful of accessible ingredients and five minutes of hands on time. The result is saucy and flavorful tender shredded chicken, perfect for tacos or topping rice bowls with.
Slow cooker Mexican Chicken ingredients:
All you need is chicken breasts, ready made jarred salsa, tomato paste to enrich the sauce, chicken stock for some salt and fluidity, and spices like cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. I like adding some brown sugar to give a hint of sweetness, and if my kids weren’t eating this with us I’d definitely have used spicier salsa and maybe added some chipotle, chili or cayenne pepper for spice.
How to make the chicken:
There’s nothing easier. All the ingredients go in the slow cooker. You turn your slow cooker on, and come back hours later. I always go for the low setting for a longer period of time, but you can do higher heat for faster. Once your chicken has cooked through, you use two forks and shred it. It’ll shred really quickly and be tender and falling apart. After shredding, it cooks a little further in order to fully incorporate in the sauce.
How to serve slow cooker shredded Mexican chicken:
I did very simple brown rice bowls, topped with my shredded Mexican chicken, sour cream, jalapeños, a sprinkle of cheese and some sliced avocado. A perfect bowl! These would also be GREAT in tacos. You can even use the chicken to top baked sweet potatoes with.
Storing any leftovers:
This dish is incredibly freezer friendly. I always take any excess I have and store it in freezer safe bags. Freeze for up to two month and thaw overnight in fridge before using.
Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat 3-4 hours until chicken is cooked through.
- After chicken has cooked, use two forks and shred chicken. It should be very easy to shred, if it isn't cook further until it is. Cover the slow cooker again and let shredded chicken cook another 20 minutes or so to mingle with and thicken the sauce. After this point, if sauce is too thick, you can add a little more chicken stock.
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