I love making bowl recipes—they come together quickly, offer tons of variety, and are always delicious. These Chicken Bowls With Tacos are no exception. The chicken cooks up in the crockpot with all the seasonings, giving me a hands-free, flavor-packed meal with minimal effort.

“This is such a wonderfully easy and tasty recipe. All ages love it. I buy frozen chicken tenders at the grocery and just thaw out 1 or 1.5 pounds to make this dish. Thank you!”

CHRIS

Slow cooker chicken taco bowl recipe

There’s nothing I love more than a hands-off meal. This slow cooker chicken taco bowl recipe is one of the easiest bowl meals I prepare. I literally just dump the chicken, corn, salsa, and seasonings into the crockpot and voila, 8 or so hours later, I can build myself a hearty and nutritious bowl topped with all my favorite taco toppings.

While the crockpot does its thing, I can prepare the rice, or if I am not in the mood to do any cooking, I’ll stuff the chicken taco filling into a tortilla or taco shell and call it a meal.

Print Add to Collection Go to Collections

Chicken Bowls With Tacos

Chicken Bowls With Tacos are the ultimate "set it and forget it" easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Total Cost $11.17 recipe / $1.86 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 (1 cup chicken mixture, 1 cup rice, plus toppings)

Calories 651kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Equipment

• Slow Cooker 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.
• Measuring Cups/Spoons

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. chicken breasts 2 breasts 730g ($4.30)
• 16 oz. salsa thick and chunky, $1.92
• 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 Tbsp $0.12
• 15 oz. black beans drained and rinsed, $0.92
• ½ lb. frozen corn $0.65
• 1 Tbsp chili powder $0.09*
• ½ Tbsp ground cumin $0.06
• ½ tsp dried oregano $0.03
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper $0.03
• ¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.04
• 6 cups cooked rice 2 cups uncooked, 370g $0.72
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese shredded, 3 cups, 226g $1.97
• 3 green onions sliced $0.32
• ¼ cup water $0.00

Instructions

• Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Drain the black beans and add them to the slow cooker along with the salsa and corn. Add ¼ cup water, plus the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, some freshly cracked pepper.
• 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.
• Make sure to cook your rice according to the package. Try to time it close to the slow cooker being done. You’ll need 6 cups of cooked rice.
• 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.

Notes

*If you need this recipe to be even easier, or you don’t have a well-stocked spice cabinet, substitute a packet of taco seasoning for all of the spices and herbs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 17g | Sodium: 903mg | Fiber: 10g

How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls Step-by-Step Photos

Gather the ingredients.

Load up the crockpot: Place two large chicken breasts (about 1½ lbs.), a 15 oz. can of black beans (drained) , a 16 oz. jar of thick and chunky salsa and ½ lb. of frozen corn in the crockpot. Do not use frozen chicken breasts because they may take too long to come to a safe temperature in the slow cooker.

Add ¼ cup of water, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp chili powder (mild), ½ Tbsp cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).

Mix to combine: Give everything a good stir.

Cook: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. This is after 4 hours on high—doesn’t look much different, but the chicken is SO tender that just stirring the mixture will make it fall apart.

Cook the rice: Prepare 2 cups of rice as per the package instructions. Note: 2 cups of raw rice equals about 6 cups of cooked rice.

Shred the chicken: Stir the pot or use two forks to shred the chicken.

Taste test: When all the chicken is shredded, it’s time to eat! You can taste the mixture and add salt if needed.

Build your bowl: To build the chicken bowls with tacos, 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!

Or you can eat the 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!

Serving Suggestions

I love serving these chicken bowls with warm tortillas or tacos on the side—it turns dinner into a fun, build-your-own situation. I usually add a generous scoop of guacamole for creaminess, a few tablespoons of fresh pico de gallo and cilantro for brightness, and a heaping spoonful of pickled onions to give everything that perfect tangy crunch. It’s simple, colorful, and unbelievably satisfying.

storage and reheating

I like to portion leftovers into individual serving-sized containers and just reheat when I need them for my next meal. In the fridge, leftovers will keep for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stove.

This chicken bowl with tacos recipe freezes well. Cheese and all. Then just nuke and stir for a couple of minutes until hot. Instant freezer meal!

More Bowl Recipes

Chili Lime Shrimp Bowls

$10.50 recipe / $1.75 serving

Bánh Mì Bowls

$8.18 recipe / $1.36 serving

Southwest Steak Bowls

$10.50 recipe / $2.63 serving

Teriyaki Noodle Bowls

$7.56 recipe / $1.89 serving