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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
I made this Friday night and it was great! I had dinner, packaged up a lunch and froze the rest for enchiladas. I saw your enchilada sauce recipe too!
So I’m enjoying a Saturday morning coffee & Facebook, Bussfeed comes up with a link, from there I go to a few more Buzzfeed articles, some of which were food-related, from there I click through to the websites they got their list of recipes from and I’m bookmarking various recipes in a folder called “New Recipes to Try”… from there I click around a bit more on the sideboards of various food blogs… and ended up here.
Thanks to this post of yours my “New Recipes to Try” folder now has a sub-folder … called “OMG MUST MAKE IT NOW!!!!!!!”
Seriously, I am drooling and thinking of all the other things I could eat this with besides rice. THANK YOU!
Sorry I was drooling so much I didn’t see that I typed “Bussfeed” lol …
Hahaha love it! Browsing the internet can be so random sometimes, right? I love how I never know where I’ll end up. :) Glad you found your way here!
Mine is still in the slow cooker but I wanted to add a tip for the rice: Cook a couple pounds at once and freeze in two-cup portions. No more cooking rice at dinner time. (I always use brown rice, which takes ages to cook, but even with white rice, you’ll save a lot of time, not to mention saving energy by cooking a big batch. It reheats in the microwave easily enough.
Man, this is good! Five stars!
My mouth is watering– I must try this recipe!
I love this recipe!! Just wondering where the author finds chicken breasts for $2.90???
My local grocery store puts previously frozen breasts on sale for $1.99/lb. on a fairly regular basis. So, I only buy them on sale and save them in the freezer.
The stores near me put packages on sale BOGO now and then. They’re usually 3.99 full price, but it brings them down to about $2… so even better! I will often use one and freeze one.
Took less than 8 hours (6 hours on low and probably could have been even less). Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I just wanted to say that this recipe is amazing. My husband and I eat it every week now. It’s so good and so easy to make. Thank you for doing what you do. I’ve got a few recipes from your site that use similar ingredients and I now save a ton on groceries AND we’re eating better meals… AND we’re not sick of chicken any more.
my sister and I both love this recipe for our families. She’s getting ready for baby #5 (!!) and I am making meals ahead for their family. Have you ever assembled all of the ingredients (uncooked), thrown them in a giant Baggie to freeze, then taken the Baggie out and thrown it in the crockpot a couple weeks later?
Thanks!!!
I haven’t tried that, but I think it would work well for this recipe (minus the rice and cheese, of course).
this recipe? amazing! I cook a lot of mexican-spiced things, mostly because it’s easy. But my boys (5 & 7) will just pick at it. But this was a real hit! I used the chicken on flour burrito-sized tortillas and they’ve had it for dinner three days in a row (a REAL winner in my house!)
Hi Beth! I’ve made this several times already, and it’s turned out perfect with each attempt. So good that I threw it in before bed last night, and got up this morning to prep it for my husband to have for his lunch today and the leftover for our dinner. This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes you have on your site. The more slow cooker or skillet meals you can post, the better. It’s so simple to use one pan (or add rice from a rice cooker). We are in love with this recipe!
Hi! How would you reheat this the next day? Thanks
I just use the microwave. :)
I prepped this recipe on Wednesday night and put it in the fridge, cooked it on high when the b/f got home from work and it was FANTASTIC and AMAZING. I will definitely be making this again and probably sharing this recipe. Thank you again.
For some reason (the salsa maybe?) mine didn’t look as wet as yours, but I cooked it the same way anyways. It came out pretty dry, but it was still very, very good! Any suggestions for next time?
You could add a little chicken broth to help give it more moisture. :) Maybe 1/2 to one cup?
Wow! I am generally a vegetarian but have started eating some free range chicken lately. Partly so I could make a slow cooker recipes that my husband would also eat in the interest of making dinner easier and faster. I have never had slow cooker chicken before and I couldn’t believe how tender it is! We both loved this but used it on soft tacos instead of rice. I did add a splash of lime juice and a dash of liquid smoke after it was done. This was so easy because I just put aside some of the beans and corn for the picky kids so there was just one meal to make instead of feeling like I’m making 4! I put it all together in a bowl last night and this morning dumped it in with the chicken, it only took a minute. Thank you for a yummy, fast recipe for this busy nursing student/mom of 2/wife!
Ooo, just saw the rating stars. 5!