Crockpot Mexican Shredded Chicken could not be easier to prepare with just a few ingredients all made in the slow cooker.

Crockpot Mexican shredded chicken in a grey bowl with cilantro and tortillas

Chicken breasts are slow cooked with your favorite salsa and spices that results in deep flavor that cooks into the chicken to make it tender and moist enough to shred.

This is the first time I have broken out my crockpot since the weather warmed up. Which makes no sense because I don’t know why I feel like it’s a cold weather kitchen gadget. Probably because I think of hearty stews, soups and chili that I make over the winter.

The reality is, the slow cooker is actually a perfect cooking method for the warm summer months because it doesn’t give off much heat and heating up the kitchen is kept to a minimum.

What is shredded chicken?

Shredded chicken are chicken breasts cooked low and slow in sauce, or in this case salsa. It gets so tender that you can shred it using forks.

Cinco de Mayo! A Mexican holiday that widely celebrated in California and one of the best day for enjoying all the Mexican cuisine that they have to offer and all the recipes in this post are perfect for this days celebration.

No slow cooker?

No problem. You can use the low and slow roasting method I used for pulled chicken sandwich. Add the chicken breasts and salsa to a casserole dish, cover with a lid or foil.  Place in  a preheated 300°F/150°C oven for 1 hour. Turn the chicken breasts and continue to cook for 30 minutes.

Using a fork to shred chicken in a crockpot

Chicken breast needs flavor

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are cooked for a long time, it is best when cooked in the most flavorful sauce, and this sauce could not be easier salsa is perfect for this cooking method. Taking some help from the store (or if you make your own salsa that is even better) fresh salsa is mixed with spices and the chicken is cooked in this sauce for flavorful perfection.

Salsa choices

If you want the meat spicy, use a spicy salsa. My preference is a mild salsa so I can spice it up in other ways when I turn this into tacos, taquitos or enchiladas.

Grilled salsa verde ready to dip chips into

Serving Suggestions

For a complete Cinco de Mayo meal, use this crockpot Mexican shredded chicken and make shredded chicken baked taquitos, Shredded chicken tacos. Serve with a side of esquites, a Mexican street corn salad and of course don’t forget to wash it all down with a refreshing margarita

If you’ve tried this Crockpot Mexican Shredded Chicken or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Mexican Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken in a grey bowl ready to be make in to tacos

Chicken breasts are slow cooked with your favorite salsa and spices that results in deep flavor that cooks into the chicken to make it tender and moist enough to shred.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
  • 1 cup (220 grams) fresh tomato salsa (mild or spicy)
  • 1/4 cup (55 grams) chicken stock

Instructions

  1. Preheat crockpot on low.
  2. Season the chicken with salt, smoked paprika and chili powder.
  3. Add the salsa, chicken stock to the crockpot and mix well. Add the chicken breast and nestle in the sauce.
  4. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  5. When done, use 2 forks to shred the chicken in the sauce.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

8 ounces

Amount Per Serving Calories 110Cholesterol 54mgSodium 320mgCarbohydrates 2gProtein 18g