This Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken is an easy crockpot dinner packed with chicken, beans, and vegetables that only takes minutes to prep. Serve this flavorful slow cooker chicken over rice and top with cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro for an easy family-friendly dinner.
Love Tex-Mex flavors? You also need to try these Tex-Mex Bacon Cheeseburgers or these Smoky Tex-Mex Sloppy Joes.
When it comes to easy dinners, I have found myself reaching for my crockpot more and more lately. There really is just something so appealing about being able to start dinner earlier so that you don’t have to worry as much about it as dinner time rolls around.
This Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken is the perfect example. It only takes a few minutes of prep. And while you can’t just set it and leave it to cook all day, it really is a pretty hands off recipe. It brings in tons of flavor, and is perfect for any night of the week.
My family loves that we can all add our own toppings, and I love that it’s easy to prep and that leftovers are just as good!
Ingredients
- Chicken: For this recipe, we are using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You want the breasts whole. You can swap them out for thighs, but thighs don’t shred as nicely as breasts do. They would also need to cook longer.
- Taco Seasoning: I always use my homemade taco seasoning, but a store bought seasoning mix will work, too.
- Salsa: I usually just use a jarred salsa. Just make sure you use a salsa that you know that you like.
- Beans: I like pinto beans in this recipe, but it would be easy to swap in a different bean. Black beans would work really well! I just use one can, but you can always beef this up with an extra can of beans to stretch it out to feed more people.
- Bell Peppers: I like to add in 2 different colors of bell peppers. But really, any color will work.
- Corn: If you have fresh corn on hand it will work, but I usually just throw in some frozen corn. And you don’t even have to thaw it first – it will heat up really quickly.
- For Serving: You can really serve this however you like, but we usually eat it over rice, then top it with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
How to Make Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken
STEP 1: Place the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top. Then take the salsa and pour it around the chicken. Put the lid on and cook on low for 2 hours.
STEP 2: Add in the beans and both bell peppers. I like to take some tongs and mix these into the liquid a bit before putting the lid back on and cooking an additional 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 3: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken.
STEP 4: Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, along with the corn. Stir it all together, then cook another 15 minutes to warm it all through.
Tips and Tricks
I mentioned we usually serve this over rice, but it can easily be used as a filling for burritos, or even as a taco filling.
You can get creative as you want with the toppings! We keep things pretty simple, but some additional suggestions are diced avocado, sliced jalapeños, or diced tomatoes.
This freezes very well, if you want to make a big batch and save it for later.
The chicken will dry out if cooked too long. My slow cooker cooks a little hot, so it’s usually done before the full 4 hours.
If your chicken breasts are smaller, they will cook faster, as well.
More Slow Cooker Dinners
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Mississippi Pot Roast
Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo
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Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
This Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken is an easy crockpot dinner packed with chicken, beans, and vegetables that only takes minutes to prep. Serve this flavorful slow cooker chicken over rice and top with cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro for an easy family-friendly dinner.
1x2x3x
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top, then pour the salsa around the chicken.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, 1 1/2 cups salsa
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Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
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After 2 hours, add the pinto beans, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Stir to combine, then cover and cook an additional 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper
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Remove the chicken from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Let it cool slightly, then use 2 forks to shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, along with the corn. Stir to combine, then cover and cook another 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
1 cup frozen corn
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Serve the chicken over rice, and top with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, or any other desired toppings.
Cooked rice, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition does not include any added toppings.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 209kcal (10%), Carbohydrates: 24g (8%), Protein: 23g (46%), Fat: 3g (5%), Saturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 55mg (18%), Sodium: 822mg (36%), Potassium: 766mg (22%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 6g (7%)
Keywords: slow cooker chicken, slow cooker dinner, tex-mex chicken