I love making bowl recipes—they come together quickly, offer tons of variety, and are always delicious. These Crockpot Chicken Taco Bowls 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.
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“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
Easy 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.
Chicken Taco Bowls
Cost $11.17 recipe / $1.86 serving
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.
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
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls – Step by step
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
Our Chicken Taco Bowl recipe was originally published 7/18/11. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 12/6/25.
I avoid “bowls,” due to the rice, which is high in calories & carbs, low in fiber, and, pretty tasteless. This perfectly spiced recipe, however, has many other applications. For a bowl presentation, I’ve used quinoa, bulgur, brown rice (which takes forever to cook), and polenta with the topping. Any of these grains can go into the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. I’ve used it, as suggested, as both taco and enchilada filling. Even this week, chicken is a real bargain. Family packs of boneless chicken breasts were priced, both at Aldi and my premium supermarket at $2.49 a lb. I watch for these sales and always stick some of the breasts in my freezer. one could, however, used leftover turkey for this recipe this time of year
I work two jobs, so on a Sunday when I don’t feel like cooking this is the easiest thing to make! I started it right before bed and it was ready in the morning before work. It makes plenty to eat! I will definitely be making it again!
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!
Can you all update this recipe to include instant pot directions too?
We’d have to test it out first, but if we do we’ll update!
This recipe is a family favorite! I love it for its versatility. We make salads, soft and hard shell tacos, bowls, and nachos with it. It is delicious all ways!
I love this website and most of the recipes I’ve tried here. Unfortunately, this recipe did not turn out well for me. It was edible but not enjoyable. I followed the recipe exactly, cooking for 4 hours on high, but it turned out a little liquidy and the chicken was very dry and the dish was very bland, even with the spices. It’s a good base recipe/concept but I’ll have to experiment more to make it more flavorful and so the chicken doesn’t dry out. I might try to salvage this meal by turning it into a casserole or something.
This meal kept me fed all through college. I often make it so I can return home to a nice meal after a long work day. My grandmother died this morning and I had to work for 10 hours. When I logged off, I served this to my family and my mom said, “This really hit the spot.” Thank you for making a hard day easier for my grieving mother.
Oh Josie, I don’t know if you’ll see this but I’m so sorry for your loss. The best part of this job is when a recipe brings comfort to our readers. Thinking of you and your mother. 🤍
This recipe was really good but it turned out more like a soup – very liquidy. Taste was delicious, though.
could be the salsa sometimes it can be watery I use a thick chunky style and have had no problems with it, if it seems watery just take the lid off the last 20-30 min and let it reduce
I love this recipe! I make it quite frequently. I have also added a can of diced tomatoes salsa style (Meijer brand) to add some more vegetables to the mix. This may seem like it might make it too moist, but it’s fine once all the chicken is shredded. This dish freezes well and makes for an easy lunch in the microwave.
Can you make this in the instant pot? What would the times be?
We haven’t tried this one in an Instant pot, so I’m not sure!
I made no changes to the recipe, and it was deliccious! I will make this again!
So easy and SO delicious!
Everyone loved it!
This is one of our favorite recipes. I double everything but the chicken (maybe go up to 2 lbs on the chicken) and it still is hearty and you feel like you get shredded chicken in every bite.
We repeat this recipe often! Question… can you use soaked dry beans instead of canned?