Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Need a healthy, easy dinner everyone will love? These super flavorful, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free crock pot Chicken Tacos are ready when you are!

Welcome to crock pot cooking. The magic pot, I call it. Slow and low cooking is a great way to infuse flavor into healthy food. Flavor makes healthy food satisfying, which keeps us from thinking we need those bad fats, sugars, and refined carbs. Embrace the crock pot! It not only makes life easier, it also helps healthy food pack a bigger punch.

When Recipe Redux asked us for a healthy crock pot meal, I thought, “let’s make something everyone loves to eat. And let’s show how the crock pot has grown since 1950. It’s not just for pot roast anymore.”

Tacos, and Tex Mex bowls are quite the rage. I love them, too. A crock pot is a great way to cook the best chicken tacos. Why? It keeps your healthy, lean chicken breast juicy and moist (which is no small task btw, it’s hard to cook a lean meat perfectly!), while ensuring that it stays tender, so it shreds just like a fattier meat. But it’s chicken breast, so no unwanted fat here!

With a flavorful blend of spices, a little salt to let it all sing, and a healthy no fat salsa, we’ve got outselves the base of a winning dish. Then we can top with a healthy fat, like avocado (or guacamole), some vitamin rich shredded cabbage, and more tomatoes. I’ve been eating these puppies all week. 🙂

Gluten or Grain-free, Dairy-free Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free or Grain-free, Sugar-free, Wheat-free, Soy-free, Nut-free, Vegan Version

Print Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 10 mins

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Copywright: Angela Marinelli, M.S., M.Ed.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried cilantro or parsley
• 1/2 - 1 tsp chipotle powder depending on desired heat level
• 12 - 16 oz of your favorite high quality salsa (I like something spicy, but use what you like)
• 1 bag Trader Joe's frozen pre-cooked brown rice OR 1 bag riced cauliflower
• 1 to mato diced
• 2 cups shredded cabbage or lettuce I buy Trader Joe's pre-shredded green cabbage
• 1 avocado diced OR 1 cup guacamole
• 1 bag tortillas of your choice corn, rice, cassava

Instructions

Prep

• Mix the sea salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, cilantro, and chipotle powder together in a small bowl.
• Clean chicken of any gristle or fat. Cut into even sized, large pieces. (I cut the breasts in half or thirds.)
• Coat the chicken with seasoning rub.
• Remove brown rice packet from freezer.
• Dice tomato and avocado (if not using guacamole).

Cook

• Put chicken in crock pot with about 8 ounces of salsa, until covered. Cook according to instructions of your crock pot. Mine takes about 3-4 hours on low, 1 1/2 - 2 hours on high. The slower and lower you can cook it, the more tender it will be.
• Once chicken is cooked, shred it with two forks.
• Mix the shredded chicken back into the salsa and juices, getting all of the white meat covered.
• Add the rice or riced cauliflower.
• Add 4-6 more ounces of salsa. (This is to your taste, how wet you want it to be.)
• Cook until rice is heated through and tender, about 15-20 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning, adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Serve

• Serve as a Tex Mex bowl or tacos.
• Top chicken and rice with shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, and more salsa (if desired).

Vegetarian/Vegan Option

• Substitute 2 cans of no sodium added black beans (I like Eden brand) for the chicken.
• Increase rice or riced cauliflower to 2 bags.
• Add beans, rice, seasoning, and salsa to crock pot.
• Let cook until heated through. (This will take less time than the chicken.)
• Serve as a Tex Mex bowl or tacos.
• Top with shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, and more salsa (if desired).

Notes

Copywright: Angela Marinelli, M.S., M.Ed., Nourishment Connection 2013

Eat and Enjoy – Even if You are Vegan or Vegetarian You Have Options!

You can eat it as a Tex Mex Bowl or as a taco. If you go taco, I say, stick with a whole grain shell, like corn, whole brown rice, whole spelt, or whole wheat (if you eat wheat). For vegans and vegetarians out there, I gave you a special version at the bottom of the recipe. Enjoy!

Here’s what my Tex Mex Bowl looks like:

Here’s what my chicken and rice look like cooked down and shredded in the crock pot: