Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
With the weather getting warmer being active outdoors is a must. I'm sure this weekend will be spent enjoying the sun and maybe doing some grilling. Last Sunday, we spent the day hiking followed by stand-up paddle boarding, a much needed fun outdoors-y activity. But, knowing we would be gone major part of the day, I knew putting some chicken in the crock-pot would be a good idea. By the time we got home, the chicken was ready to eat and making slow cooker spicy chicken tacos that night was a breeze.
The crock-pot has come in handy for me lately. I've been cooking chicken and easily shredding it to make tacos, wraps, or tostadas. I either put some chicken in the crock-pot the night before or have it cook throughout the day. This makes prepping meals for lunch or dinner very quick. And lately, it’s been slow cooker Spicy Chicken Tacos.
These chicken tacos are full of flavor and have a nice spicy kick to them. A little spicy makes everything taste better. What makes this chicken sooo flavorful is the spicy tomato sauce. I love using EL PATO Mexican Hot Style Tomato Sauce because it's full of garlic, cilantro, and onion flavors with a touch of heat from chiles that is not too overbearing. I like to set aside a little bit of the sauce to pour over my tacos before serving. Normally, I find this tomato sauce in the Hispanic/International food aisle at my local grocery store.I like my tacos with a bit of a crunch. A little trick I’ve learned to get a little bit of extra flavor to the tacos is to brown one side of the tortilla. I spray some olive oil onto a flat pan over medium-high heat warming the tortillas for about a minute to give it a lightly brown color to them. The key is not to over cook your tortilla to the point that it cracks, and basically turns into a homemade tortilla chip. You want your tortilla to be still flexible. The brown-ness adds a little toughness to the outside that adds that bit of a crunch.
These tacos are simple, yet tasty. All you need is some warm corn tortillas, shredded chicken, spicy tomato sauce, chili powder, shredded lettuce, and crumbled queso fresco (Mexican cheese) and you got yourself a nice meal.
Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken (I like using thighs or breast)
- 7.75 oz EL PATO Mexican Hot Style Tomato Sauce *
- 1 Cup chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder (for extra spicy, optional)
- 12 Corn tortillas
- 2 Cups Shredded lettuce
- ⅓ Cup of chopped white onion
- 1 Cup crumbled queso fresco (Mexican cheese or any cheese will do)
Instructions
- In a 4 to 6 quart crock-pot combine broth, tomato sauce, minced garlic, chicken, salt, and chili powder. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8hrs or on high heat for about 5hrs
- Let the chicken cool off and shred with a fork
For the tacos:
- Spray olive oil onto a flat pan over medium-high heat, warming the tortilla for about a minute to give it a lightly brown color to them.
- Add shredded chicken and toppings to your tortillas and enjoy!
Notes
Hope you enjoy!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext
Love these chicken tacos! They look delicious and really like how easy they are to make too! 😀
Ana
Thanks Jess!
Theresa
These are so yummy!!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I really like these with your homemade salsa!!
Ana
Thank T! You are awesome! 🙂
Lily Lau
Slow cooked and spicy... your tacos sound heavenly, Ana! 😀
Ana
Thanks Lily! 🙂