Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken

 

As a busy stay at home mom, I LOVE using my slow cooker. I turn it on in the mid-morning, add my ingredients, and by evening dinner is ready to go!

Who loves Mexican food? We do! This delicious slow cooker Mexican chicken recipe is easy and can be adapted to complete a variety of meals.

The flavor-packed, kicked up chicken is perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, lettuce wraps, or simply over a bed of rice.

Want to have Mexican tonight? Give this slow cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken recipe a try!

Tip: For SUPER easy clean-up, try slow cooker liners! They’re made to go right in the slow cooker to help avoid baked-in food that can be hard to clean.

Yield: 10 servings

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipe

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This crock pot Mexican Shredded Chicken Recipe is the perfect meal for anyone who enjoys Mexican cuisine. It's easy enough to make and can be eaten in a variety of ways.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 10- oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
• 2 15- oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 1½ T. hickory-flavored liquid smoke
• 2 t. ground cumin
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 t. smoked paprika
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• salt , to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• ¼ c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Add chicken thighs to bottom of a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker. 
2. Top with fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, garlic, jalapeno pepper, liquid smoke, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine, making sure the chicken thighs are submerged in the liquid. 
3. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. 
4. 30 minutes before it's done cooking, remove the lid and shred the chicken while in the slow cooker with two forks. Stir to combine shredded chicken with other ingredients. Cover and cook for remaining 30 minutes to allow chicken to absorb the flavors. 
5. Add cilantro and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired.

Notes

Add this to the top of any kind of rice, but it's delicious over Cilantro Lime Rice.

How Would You Make It?

Would you do anything differently with this recipe? How would you adapt this for your family?

Share with me in a comment below! I’d love to know what you think.