Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Tacos

Slow cooker salsa chicken tacos make the perfect meal. The chicken is perfectly tender and so flavorful. These salsa tacos are simple, yet tasty. All you need is some corn tortillas, shredded chicken, chili powder for some added heat, shredded lettuce, and crumbled queso fresco (Mexican cheese) and you got yourself a nice no fuss easy meal.

Why you'll love this slow cooker salsa chicken

• Easy to make and perfect any day of the week
• This salsa chicken recipe is so versatile, it can be used to make chicken taquitos, burritos, taco bowls, nachos, the list goes on and on
• Dump all the ingredients into the slow cooker and let the slow cooker do the cooking

Ingredients you'll need

• Boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast (chicken thighs is my preference)
• Mild salsa - 16 oz jar - you can do mild or spicy salsa here
• garlic clove - for some added garlicky flavor
• kosher salt - for flavor
• onion powder - for extra flavor
• chili powder - (optional) for some added heat
• corn tortillas - or flour tortillas work great for tacos
• shredded lettuce - for topping
• white onion - chopped or sliced for topping
• crumbled queso fresco - (Mexican cheese for some cheesy topping)

For complete recipe details scroll down for recipe card.

How to make slow cooker chicken salsa tacos

Start by adding the chicken to the crockpot and all the ingredients on top, salsa, ground onion, minced garlic, and chili powder (optional) and kosher salt . Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. Give it a stir and shred the chicken and set aside.

Assemble the tacos: You can heat the tortillas on the griddle for soft tacos or pan fry the tortillas for more of a crispy crunchy taco. For a pan fried taco heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil or canola oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add corn tortilla and add about 2 tablespoons for shredded salsa chicken on top. You can add about one to two tablespoons of shredded mozzarella on top of the chicken for some cheesiness. Using kitchen tongs fold one side over. Heat both sides until both sides are golden brown about 5 minutes and transfer to a dish on top of paper towels to drain the excess oil. Continue cooking in batches - this recipe makes about 16-18 tacos

Add toppings on top, chopped onion, shredded lettuce, crumbled queso fresco and more salsa on top and serve.

Want to make this salsa chicken in the instant pot?

If you don't have a slow cooker or want to make these salsa chicken tacos quickly you can definitely use an instant pot. Similar to this instant pot shredded chicken recipe for instructions. All you need to do is add all the ingredients to the instant pot and let the instant pot do its magic. Cook on high for 10 minutes and natural release for another ten minutes.

Substitutions

• Don't want to use mild salsa you can use mild red enchilada sauce
• Instead of chicken thighs you can use chicken breast
• Instead of crumbled queso fresco I like using shredded mozzarella

Storing suggestions

You can store slow cooker salsa chicken in an airtight container or zip top bag up to four days in the refrigerator or up to four months in the freezer. When ready to use thaw out in the refrigerator and heat in microwave or griddle and assemble your tacos or meal of choice.

How to serve salsa slow cooker shredded chicken:

There are so many ways you can eat salsa shredded chicken, below are my favorite ways:

• salsa verde chicken chilaquiles
• Air Fryer Chicken tacos
• tostadas
• quesadillas
• nachos
• soups