This taco chicken bowls recipe is definitely “slow-cooker 101”. It’s probably one of the first recipes that most people learn to make in their slow cooker. In fact, some version of Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls is probably included in that little mini recipe book that comes with the slow cooker when you buy it. BUT, I had to post it because I know there are probably a lot of you who haven’t made it yet and I can’t bear the thought of you missing out.
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Set it and forget it…
Taco Chicken Bowls are great for bachelors, students, or the chronically busy because it’s a “dump and heat” recipe. All you do is dump all of the ingredients together in a pot, and let it cook.
How to Serve Taco Chicken Bowls
Of course, you’ll need to make the rice separate but even if you’re one of those people who can never get rice right, there is still hope. Just stuff the chicken mixture inside of a tortilla with a little cheese and roll it up for a quick burrito, or fold it over in a tortilla and crisp it up in a skillet like a quesadilla. Presto. Easy, delicious, cheap food.
Taco Chicken Bowls are Freezer Friendly
Oh, also, this taco chicken bowls recipe freezes well. Cheese and all. Then just nuke and stir for a couple minutes until hot. Instant freezer meal!
What Size Slow Cooker to Use
I use a 6 quart Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker and this recipe fills it about halfway. I would suggest using a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
Okay, one more thing. If you for some strange reason need this taco chicken bowls recipe to be even easier or you don’t have a well-stocked spice cabinet, just substitute a packet of taco seasoning for all of the spices and herbs that I used below.
More Slow Cooker Dinners: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Peppers, Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, and Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
Taco Chicken Bowls
Servings 6 (1 cup chicken mixture, 1 cup rice, plus toppings)Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts ($2.60*)
- 1 16oz. jar salsa ($2.15)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.69)
- 1/2 lb. frozen corn ($0.73)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 6 cups cooked rice ($0.60)
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar ($2.59)
- 3 green onions, sliced (or fresh cilantro) ($0.23)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Drain the black beans and add them to the slow cooker along with the salsa and corn. Add 1/4 cup water, plus the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).
- Give the ingredients a brief stir to distribute the spices. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- After 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be very tender and will shred easily). Taste the chicken mixture and add salt if needed.
- To build the bowls, place one cup of rice in the bottom of a bowl and top with 1 cup of the shredded chicken mixture. Top with a little cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.
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Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!This is definitely one of my favorite meals to keep in the freezer for busy days!
How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Place two large chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.) in the bottom of a slow cooker. I always buy my chicken breasts in large packs on sale, then individually wrap and freeze them for later.
Drain one 15oz. can of black beans and add them to the slow cooker along with a 16oz. jar of salsa and 1/2 pound of frozen corn (no need to thaw the corn first–the small kernels thaw quickly once the slow cooker is turned on. Do not, however, use frozen chicken breasts because they may take too long to come up to a safe temperature in the slow cooker.)
I usually just use a generic salsa for this dish, but I like generic salsa just fine. The type of salsa you use will greatly impact the flavor the of the overall dish, so make sure you use one that you like. This time around I found a “fire roasted” generic salsa, so I got that for a little extra smokey flavor. :)
Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp chili powder (mild), 1/2 Tbsp cumin, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).
Add about 1/4 cup of water to help the ingredients combine when you stir. Briefly stir to distribute the spices.
Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. This is after 4 hours on high–doesn’t look much different!
BUT by this time the chicken is SO tender that just stirring the mixture will make it fall apart. Stir the pot or use two forks to shred the chicken.
When all the chicken is shredded it’s time to eat! You can taste the mixture and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your beans and salsa. I didn’t add any this time.)
To build the taco chicken bowls, place one cup of cooked rice in the bottom of a bowl and top it with one cup of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle a little shredded cheddar cheese on top followed by a few sliced green onions. Done! How easy is that?
Or you can eat the Taco Chicken Bowls not as a bowl, but as an actual taco. Just stuff the chicken mixture into a tortilla, top with cheese or sour cream, and you’re good to go!
Made this and loved it! But what would you suggest as a substitute for salsa? My husband isn’t a huge fan of salsa and we were thinking like tomato purée with a little water?
Hmm, I just don’t know about that. The salsa is what gives the dish most of its flavor, so switching it out would really change it a lot.
For what it matters my husband HATES salsa and yet he loved this dish. I chose a medium Chipolte salsa for extra kick over tartness and it was perfect. Hope this helps!
Made this yesterday to cook the chicken I thawed out. Reheated it tonight for dinner. Super easy, smelled super good while cooking, super delish.
Thanks.
This has great flavor! I made it a few months ago for family and everyone loved it! I prepped it all in a freezer bag this time and just tossed it in the crock pot after it thawed…just as good. Thanks for a great recipe.
I love this recipe, I made it once, and even reveled in the leftovers for a few weeks (quesadillas mostly), and now I am making it for my sisters. I am looking at my crock pot and smelling it’s deliciousness as I write this! I cannot wait for dinner!
Mmm that would be good with shredded beef too
I made this last night. It was simple and easy. I always love a crock pot meal. But I think I’ll pretty much double the spices next time to add more flavor.
Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
I made this yesterday (Christmas day) as a bit of a nice lunch for the whole house (8 roommates plus 3 visitors).
No one was home or hungry at lunch time, so I just stored it in the refrigerator.
I omitted both the salt & the cilantro; and given that the store was fresh out of a few of the spices, I substituted a bit of Pico Pica hot sauce; in addition to not having any garlic to add.
I’m eating it slowly as I type this, and I have to say that this recipe is a KEEPER! I cannot wait until I get home and make this for the family in their BIG crock pot, so I can upsize everything.
This is by far the best slow-cooked meal I have had in years!
made this overnight and brought it in for lunch. love that this is budget friendly and leaves me with plenty to bring in to save $ on lunch.
I put this in the crock pot today to cook while I was at work. I followed the recipe exactly minus the corn and it turned out wonderful. My son said he didn’t just like it, he LoVED it! We added sour cream and grated cheese on top. Next time I will add some advacado slices also!
Oh my stars!!!! this meal is delicious. It is absolutely perfect with the rice. The only alterations I made to the recipe is I added more salt at the end, I omitted the cilantro, and I added Tabasco. PERFECT!!!
Thanks so much for this! I pinned it a few weeks ago and made it today. Huge hit with the whole family!! I put half in the slow cooker and put the other half in a freezer bag to cook another time (instant meal) since we are a family of four with two toddlers. Easy, cheap, and popular… Pretty much a perfect meal!
Sad to say I don’t own a slow cooker. Am I better off simmering this in a big pot or putting it in an oven? What kinds of temperatures and times would I be looking at?
I think I would simmer it on the stove top with a lid (less energy consumption than the oven). Put everything in the pot as if it were the slow cooker, bring it up to a boil over medium-high, then turn it down to low (or the lowest temp that will still have it simmering very lightly) and let it simmer for an hour or so. See how tender the chicken is at that point and if it is not shreddable yet, let it go longer. I suspect it will be shreddable after an hour, though. You also might want to give it a light stir every now and then since the heat is a bit more concentrated than in the slow cooker.
Could I use another meat instead of chicken? Like maybe, pork? It sounds absolutely delicious!!
Yes, pork would be absolutely amazing in this!
Is there a way that you could tweak this recipe to make a taco soup. I love the taste of this but am wanting to serve it in a soup form for the upcoming winter season.
Interesting thought! I’ll have to play around with that. Thanks for the fantastic idea. :)
I make a version of this, that includes a whole green pepper and a whole onion, sliced, at the bottom, then the chicken (we prefer dark meat), salsa, beans and corn. Gets a few extra veggies in there, and served over quinoa instead of rice, kicks up the nutrition factor a notch. This really is a great go-to cold-weather meal, and literally takes me 10 minutes to put together. I love your blog, BTW, you are the budget-friendly, pragmatic version of Ree Drummond, and that is totally meant as a compliment.
That is a HUGE compliment! She is like Wonder Woman. I look up to her because of everything she has accomplished!