Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

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There are simple meals, and then there are simple meals. The kind of meal that requires zero prep work, zero hands-on cooking time, and barely any dishes or cleanup effort.  That, my friend, is exactly the kind of meal I’d like to share with you today. A meal that’s so simple and tasty, you’ll revisit the recipe over and over again. That’s my hope for you and this Crock-Pot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat.

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

This recipe literally only requires one pot, a crock-pot, which means this meal technically doesn’t even require any hands-on cooking time. I’m calling that a major weeknight win!

Usually when it comes to crock-pot meals, I like to saute the veggies or meat first, and then add the ingredients to the crock-pot. This extra step locks in the flavor base of a crock-pot meal. When it comes to pulled taco meat, that extra step is completely skipped without compromising the flavor of the chicken and spices.

Let’s take this simplicity even further, shall we?

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

This recipe is made with inexpensive ingredients, like chicken thighs, fresh lime juice, and a few basic dried spices. The inexpensive and basic nature of the ingredients also ups the simplicity factor.

Remember the humble chicken thigh, AKA: The Fixer Upper Chicken? The humble chicken thigh is not exactly the most beautiful or praised cut of meat. In fact, it’s a bit of a neglected cut, like the houses on Fixer Upper, thanks to the modern-day desire for boneless and skinless everything (AKA: flavorless meat). This recipe takes the humble thigh from a “fixer upper” piece of meat to flavorful and moist pulled chicken that can be used on a taco salad, served over warm tortillas, or enjoyed straight from the crock-pot (no judging here, we all have nights like that!).

Shall we take the simplicity just one step further?

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

Finally, Crock-Pot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat can be a make-ahead kind of meal. I know, I said no prepping is required for this recipe, which is 100% accurate. But if you want to get a jump-start on dinner or a quick lunch, this recipe can be made on the weekend, and then the pulled (cooked) meat can be stored in the fridge for a few days or frozen for a later date. This means when your dinner plans just aren’t going to work out, a ready-to-go backup is sitting in the freezer (or the fridge). Not like any of us ever have dinner plan failures ;). Cough, cough.

Moving on…

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

As I mentioned above, the pulled chicken is super versatile. It can be tossed with salad greens, salsa, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and an avocado for a quick and easy taco salad. Or, it can be spooned over warm tortillas (I really like Food For Life Corn Tortillas) and topped with the simple Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw from last week. Another option is to make real food nachos. Simply top “cleaner” store-bought tortilla chips (Late July is a great brand) with pulled chicken taco meat and shredded cheese, and then broil the nachos until the cheese is melted.

No matter how I end up using the pulled chicken taco meat, the end result is always a family winner.

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

Let’s review: simplicity + versatility = a real food win!

Crock-Pot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat
4.45 from 9 votes

Crock-Pot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat

This recipe is made with inexpensive ingredients, like chicken thighs, fresh lime juice, and a few basic dried spices. The inexpensive and basic nature of the ingredients also ups the simplicity factor.
Kristin Marr
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 343 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs I've used up to 6 chicken thighs with this recipe. So you're welcome to use 6 thighs, if desired., remove the skin
  • 1 TB chili powder
  • 1 TB ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 limes juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)--I use this juicer.

Instructions

  • Remove the skin from the chicken thighs. You can keep the skin on the chicken thighs; however, the end result will be very oily meat. It's important to keep the bones in the thighs to keep the meat from drying out. Wash and dry the chicken thighs.
  • Place the chicken thighs in the base of a crock-pot. In a small bowl, whisk together the spices: chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt. Using your hands, rub the spices over the chicken, covering both sides of the chicken. If you're using 6 chicken thighs, you may not have enough spice to cover both sides--that's okay.
  • Mince the garlic over the top of the chicken, and then pour the lime juice in the base of the crock-pot (or juice the limes directly into the crock-pot). I like to pour some of the juice over the chicken and some off to the side. Just enough to get the top of the chicken moist, but not enough to wash away the spices.
  • Turn on the crock-pot: 4 hours on high (the chicken is usually done in 3 hours, but I find that 4 hours is easier to shred--so you're welcome to check on the chicken at the 3 hour mark) OR 6-7 hours on low. The cooking time may vary with each crock-pot, and the time required will also depend on the size of the thighs and how many you use. The times recommended are based on 4 chicken thighs and my crock-pot.
  • Once the chicken easily pulls away from the bones, shred the chicken with two forks. Remove the bones. The bones may be discarded or washed and used for homemade broth. Serve the taco meat over a taco salad, tortilla chips, or warm tortillas. I like to top the chicken taco meat with Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw.

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 24gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 729mgPotassium: 416mgFiber: 2gVitamin A: 990IUVitamin C: 10.5mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Make-Ahead Tip: This recipe can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge for roughly 3-4 days, or stored in a freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer for 4 months. If you’re freezing the pulled meat, it’s best to allow the meat to fully cool before placing it a container or bag. Store the meat in the crock-pot “juice.”

Crockpot Pulled Chicken Taco Meat. A super simple no fuss meal that's packed with flavor! No fancy ingredients or complicated steps.

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19 Comments

  1. Would LOVE to try this recipe but it’s to hard to read this entire page with ALL the constant pop up videos and ads that have been placed here!

    1. Hey Kellie, Thank you for letting me know. I’ll have our ad company take a look at the ads. Can you share more about which ads are too intrusive. We are constantly striving for a healthy balance, as ads are what pay for the huge expensive of keeping a free site available to the public, but it’s a constant tweaking of ad placement. Any additional insight we can use to tweak the ads for a better experience is very helpful.

      You can also use the print option in the recipe card, which will give you an ad-free recipe. You don’t have to print the recipe, but will take the ads away.

  2. 4 stars
    Really good but could use more flavor. I added a quartered onion to crock pot and a little stock. Next time I will add more spices. Very versatile.

  3. 5 stars
    I used this recipe but in my instant pot because I wanted the chicken for a quick lunch. I even used frozen chicken breasts. It turned out great, I love the kick of the lime juice, tastes yummy on corn tortillas. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

  4. 5 stars
    The Crock Pot Pulled Chicken Tacos were awsome! Easy to prep, not to spicy but plenty of flavor. The Cilantro Lime Cole Slaw is a must and again very easy and very tasty!

  5. Hello. I don’t have a crock-pot. Can I do this recipe in the oven ? If yes, do you have an idea about the time and temperature ?
    Thanks
    Virginie

  6. 5 stars
    Hi Kristin,
    Thank you for this great recipe! I had in mind to make crock-pot pulled chicken for tacos this week and knew your site would have a recipe (on a side note, thank you for all of your amazing recipes, your stovetop mac and cheese is the best and won rave reviews at my house!). Do you think it would work to use chicken breasts instead? I bought some from Costco this past weekend and was hoping to use them up. I will try the chicken thighs next time.

    Thank you!
    Noelle

    1. Hey Noelle, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog and the mac and cheese ;)!! I think this recipe will work very well with chicken breasts. My only concern is that the meat may dry out, so I would keep a close eye on the crock-pot if possible after about the two hour mark. Let me know it goes!!

  7. 5 stars
    Just made the pulled chicken taco meat and the cilantro lime slaw for dinner tonight and it was delicious. It will definitely be in our regular rotation. Both dishes are very easy and will go well with other foods. I love a good slow cooker recipe! Thanks for sharing this one. I love your blog and have incorporated many of your suggestions into our lives.

  8. Thank you for sharing my cauliflower soup in your meal ideas round up! It lead me to your blog, which is amazing, resourceful, and an all around pleasure to look at. I am so excited to try some of your recipes and to follow along on social!