Queso Chicken Tacos

My queso chicken tacos taste like the best part of chicken nachos. The queso coats every piece until it is creamy and thick, with a little heat behind it. Ten minutes and the crock pot does the rest.

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These tacos have been on my site for years and I still make them the same way I always have. I get everything into the crock pot in the afternoon and go back to work. Nothing about that has ever needed fixing.

I use salsa con queso for this, and it is the one part of the recipe I would not change. It is the pourable kind that comes in a jar, and it loosens right up in the crock pot so it runs all the way through the chicken. Everything else is opening cans and walking away.

This queso chicken tacos recipe is one of the easy Mexican recipes I come back to most. If you want the same flavors without the tortillas, my taco spaghetti and my crockpot taco spaghetti both get you there with pasta.

GAME DAY FAVORITE

The Crock Pot I Set Out in the Backyard for Football

I get the most use out of these tacos in early fall, once the games start. We watch out in the backyard with the TV going, and the crock pot sits right there next to a stack of tortillas. Everybody eats when they get hungry instead of all at once, nobody waits on me to serve them, and that is exactly how I want a Sunday to go.

The Ingredients Worth Getting Right

Salsa con queso: The pourable cheese dip that comes in a jar. Not queso fresco, and not a bag of shredded cheese.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Breasts pull apart into the long soft strands you want in a taco. You use one jar of queso whether you buy two pounds of chicken or three, so a lighter package gives you a cheesier batch.

Diced tomatoes and green chilies: The whole can goes in, juice and all, and that juice is what seasons the chicken while it cooks.

Diced green chiles: Readers ask why chiles show up twice and it is not a mistake. One can is tomatoes with chiles in them, the other is chiles on their own. Both come in different heat levels, so between the two you decide how hot this gets.

How to Make Slow Cooker Queso Chicken Tacos

Step 1: Season the Chicken in the Pot Lay the chicken breasts in a sprayed slow cooker and scatter the taco seasoning, salt and pepper over the top. Nothing needs stirring in.

Step 2: Add Both Cans and Let It Cook Pour the tomatoes and the green chiles over the chicken, juice and all, then cook on high for four hours. It is done at 165 degrees, and pulling it right around there is what keeps the breasts from drying out.

Step 3: Shred It Right in the Pot Two forks, straight into the slow cooker. It should come apart with almost no effort, and if it is fighting you it needs a little longer.

Step 4: Stir In the Queso Pour the queso over the shredded chicken and stir until it is all coated. Give it a minute to settle before you decide how it looks.

Step 5: Build the Tacos Spoon the cheesy chicken into street taco size tortillas and set the toppings out. Cold sour cream is the one I want every time because it cuts through the rich chicken, and easy guacamole goes on right after it.

What I Do With the Leftovers

Leftover queso chicken does not have to go back into a tortilla. I pile it on chips and turn it into sheet pan nachos. Other nights it goes into crockpot queso chicken quesadillas.

It also makes a good burrito bowl or a plate spooned over my Spanish rice. Most days though, I end up standing at the counter dipping chips straight into the container and calling that lunch.

More Crock Pot Dinners to Set and Forget

• Crockpot Salsa Chicken
• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
• Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
• Crockpot Lasagna
• Slow Cooker Chili

4.94 from 91 votes

Slow Cooker Queso Chicken Tacos

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 6

Queso chicken tacos built on shredded chicken and a jar of salsa con queso, spooned into street taco tortillas.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 medium-sized chicken breasts)
• ▢ 1 ounce package mild taco seasoning or use homemade taco seasoning
• ▢ 10 ounce can mild diced tomatoes and green chilies with juice
• ▢ 4 ounce can diced green chiles
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• ▢ 15 ounce container salsa con queso
• ▢ Street taco size flour tortillas
• ▢ shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro optional garnish

Instructions

 

• Lightly spray the inside of a 5-6 quart slow cooker with nonstick spray.
• Lay the boneless skinless chicken breasts in the bottom of the prepared slow cooker.
  2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Sprinkle the taco seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper over the chicken breasts.
  1 ounce package mild taco seasoning, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• Pour the 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes and chiles and the 4-ounce can of green chiles over the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4 hours.
  10 ounce can mild diced tomatoes and green chilies, 4 ounce can diced green chiles
• Once the chicken has finished cooking, use 2 forks to shred the chicken breasts.
• Pour the container of salsa con queso over the top of the chicken and stir to thoroughly combine. (you can use less if you prefer)
  15 ounce container salsa con queso
• Serve in the flour tortillas, and garnish with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, chopped cilantro and sour cream.
  Street taco size flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro

Jenn’s Notes

Tips:

• If the filling looks thin when you stir the queso in, take the lid off and cook it a few extra minutes before you fill any tortillas.
• If you start with frozen chicken, drain the liquid off before you shred it.
• Pull the chicken right around 165 degrees so the breasts do not dry out.

Storage:

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To freeze, cool the chicken all the way down, move it to a freezer bag for up to two months, and thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through and stir once so the queso comes back together.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1524mg | Potassium: 874mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 909IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg

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