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!
Looks delicious! So I will have to try this recipe!
This is such a great recipe, I have made it and had it requested for potlucks many times. I get lazy and use a low sodium taco seasoning packet and works just as well. I also stretch it a bit more by putting 2 cans of black beans and 2 cans of corn in the mix.
Another tip, if you shred it then let it sit it the chicken will soak up more flavor and the sauce will thicken a bit more. It also freezes beautify!
I haven’t found anything I don’t like with it yet, I’ve had it on salads, tacos, rice, burrito’s…you name it my family has probably tried it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Can I somehow put this rice in with this to cook? So I don’t need to do that separately??
Cooking rice in a slow cooker can be quite tricky. You have to get the amount of liquid just right and some cookers don’t cook quite evenly enough, so you get some rice over cook and some under cooked. I have another recipe with rice in the slow cooker and the feedback is quite mixed, so I don’t suggest it.
I have been making a similar recipe for years. As a serving suggestion, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, pile on a layer of tortilla chips, spread the shredded chicken over the chips, top with shredded cheese, and broil until the cheese is bubbly. Scoop out a serving and top with the salsa/corn/beans, more cheese, and onions or cilantro.
This recipe is amazing! I swapped the spices with old el paso taco seasoning because I had some extra packets laying around. It turned out SO well. Will definitely be making again.
Love it made it twice will be making again
This is my favorite recipe so far. Made it this week while we had houseguests, so it was the perfect mix of easy and delicious. Our guests loved it so much they asked for your website and started sharing the URL with their kids. College students need all the simple, delicious, and cost-friendly recipes they can find!
How many calories per serving are in this and how much is one serving? I am using fitness pal for calorie counting and I can’t find any information on calories for this recipe.
I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutritional information. One serving is about one cup of chicken mixture and one cup of rice, plus any toppings.
I use Fitness Pal as well. You can build a recipe by naming your meal and adding all ingredients then put down how many servings – in this case 6. Also, you don’t have to include rice in the recipe and keep it separately listed, along with cheese, etc.. For recipes like this, I would only include the crock pot ingredients, but that’s my preference.
I would like to make this with dry black beans. Any suggestions for changes I should make to the recipe?
That won’t work well, unfortunately. You’d have to add copious amounts of liquid to get the beans to cook through, and the black beans will turn everything else in the pot grey-ish black as they cook.
I have made thos before, and it was amazing! I really want to make this today but don’t have salsa, recommendations on a substitute? I have canned tomatoes chilies and onion would that work?
Eh, I don’t think it will be quite as flavorful as the salsa, but it will probably turn out similar in texture.
I want to make this in a pressure cooker – instant pot. any idea about cooking time?
I would try the basic 30 min high pressure. That’s just a guess, though! :)
Great flavor and very easy to make
This has been a family favorite for YEARS. I can never get enough of it. :-)
Made this in my Instant Pot. Cooked bone-in chicken thighs with the salsa, seasonings and a tiny can of chopped chilies for 10 minutes. When done, I removed the chicken to cool a bit, but threw the corn and beans into the hot salsa mixture. I chopped/shredded the chicken and added back to the pot and turned onto “saute” for just a couple minutes to cook the frozen corn. It was perfect, served over rice and topped sour cream, shredded cheddar and some chopped cilantro. Great company or take-to-somebody meal.
I came to the comments to see if someone had cooked it in the IP. Thank you for adding your comments. I’m going to use boneless chicken breasts, how long do you think it should cook for?
Hi! If I double this recipe – how much does it change the cook time on high?
I’m not sure, I’d need to test it out. It shouldn’t take much longer, though. The only difference would be how long it takes your slow cooker to get the contents up to the right temperature.