Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Feel free to adjust the spices as you prefer. Make it more or less spicy. Add oregano or change the cumin amount, etc.. You can also just replace the spices for 1 bag of taco seasoning if you prefer.
Chicken thigh or leg meat will be juicer than breast meat, but if you prefer, the breast meat still comes out quite nice. We'll usually prefer boneless, skinless but feel free to use whatever you have available.

Prep Time15

Cook Time6

Total Time6 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 293kcal

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 pounds (907 g) chicken , preferrably boneless and skinless (*see head note)
1 cup (240 ml) tomato sauce or salsa
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) chili powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt , or more to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) chipotle powder , or to taste (optional, for spicy flavor)

For the Tacos

12 soft or hard taco shells *see note below
lettuce, shredded cabbage, tomato, cheese, salsa, sour cream, or other favorite toppings

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Instructions

Place boneless skinless chicken into the slow cooker pot. We like to use chicken thighs for more flavor, but chicken breast is fine too.
Add all the marinade ingredients into the slow cooker (1 cup (240ml) tomato sauce or salsa, 2 Tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) chili powder, 1 teaspoon (5ml) cumin, 1 teaspoon (5ml) onion powder, 1 teaspoon (5ml) garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt, & black pepper to taste, plus optional 1/2 teaspoon (5ml) chipotle powder). Stir to completely coat the chicken with the spices & sauce.
Slow cook 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
Once chicken is cooked, remove chicken from the slow cooker, cut into 1-2 inch pieces or shredded.
Place chicken back into the slow cooker so it can soak up in the sauces. Taste the chicken and add more salt if needed.
Build your tacos and serve or have everything in bowls for everyone to make their own tacos. See note below about taco shell options.

Notes

For soft tortillas, we love to char them a little over a burner, or at least to warm them in the microwave. After warming, cover them in a kitchen towel, paper towels, or foil to help keep them softened and not dry out.

For hard shells, warming them in the oven or air fryer a bit before serving makes them extra tasty.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Nutrition