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!
Ran across your website looking for meals I could make and freeze for lunches. I just can’t eat sandwiches anymore.
The Taco Chicken bowl was the first one I tried and it was easy and delicious, everyone in the family loved it (and we are a picky lot).
The only things I changed was I added some salsa verde (green salsa) as my jar of regular mild salsa was not enough (12 oz instead if 16 oz.) and I doubled the beans and corn to stretch it out more.
Thanks Beth for the website. Going to make the Jambalaya next!
Delicious. Perfect for busy days. I used boneless, skinless thighs, and added a dollop of sour cream in my bowl. Very tasty!
Cooked on low or high for 8 hours?
Can you cook it faster on high for 6 hours?
Low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.
So good, I take tortillas and put the rice and chicken inside, roll them up and it’s like a burrito. Yum.
This was so good! A keeper for sure. We had it for dinner, and there was still tons for lunches the next couple of day! Love your recipes!
Found you on Pinterest and tried this tonight. Cooked according to directions, only used pinto beans in place of black beans. This recipe is a keeper for sure. My husband liked it too! Similar to Qdoba’s Naked Burrito, which we love. I also like the fact that it is gluten free. Thank you for a great recipe.
Can’t wait to make this recipe for my friends tomorrow night! Just wondering if it’s spicy with the cayenne pepper? I have a friend who doesn’t like spicy items. So excited to make this dish!
It’s not too spicy, but I’m a spice-a-holic so my scale may be different than yours. If you’re concerned, I would reduce the cayenne pepper a little and definitely use a mild salsa instead of medium.
This is recipe is good and easy, but there is no way I can make this for around $10, $20 maybe, but not $10. That is very misleading.
Prices are different for everyone. I list the price I paid as an example. Many people actually report back that they’re able to make the recipes for less than I did. :)
I think it depends on where you live and shop. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that helps? This recipe was about $10.50, and we get two dinners out of it.
I don’t find this misleading, prices are different for everyone. I shop at Aldi & Kroger. I got to 2 lbs of chicken breast for only 2.21 because it was on sale. Salsa (24 oz) for 1.79 and black beans for 89. Frozen corn for 89 cents. I had all the spices already.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was wonderful! My husband had seconds! :) Thanks for sharing!
So good on tortillas
How long would it take if i used chicken tenderloins, and cooked it on high.
Using chicken breast it needs about four hours on high, but I’m not sure about tenderloins because I haven’t tried it with those. Probably shorter since they’re smaller.
I used this recipe tonight, kind of added things like red and orange peppers that I wanted to use up, and cooked it on the stove but seasoned as the recipe stated and it was great, very hearty meal on a snowy cold night!
This was delicious!!!! I ate it on top of a sour cream rice recipe that I found, and it was PERFECT. Thank you so much for sharing! This recipe will be rotated in with my other regulars.
I am so sad it took me months to try this recipe. I kept forgetting to make sure I had the right items on hand.
OMG this was AMAZING. My super duper picky husband devoured it. I found a recipe for a copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime rice I made it with and it was just perfect.
For what it’s worth it only took my crockpot 6.5-7 hours to fully cook everything. Congrats on the book too!!
I don’t know if you’ll get this message and reply fast enough. But… do you know if I can cook this on Low heat for 3 hours, and then HIGH heat the rest of the time? Or vice-versa. I want to make this tonight but I only have 5 hours.
I would do high first, then low the rest of the time.
This is by far my favorite Budget Bytes recipe! I beef it up by adding a green pepper, onion, and jalapeno. The more veggies the better!