This is a really easy slow cooker fajita chicken recipe that makes a versatile meal. It tastes very similar to the chicken used in Mexican restaurants in their chicken taco salads. My kids will eat it plain, but I like it on a large salad with avocado and sour cream!
This recipe also freezes and reheats extremely well so it makes a great packed lunch or can be doubled to have a quick meal later. I like to pack as a salad by placing some at the bottom of a quart mason jar, topping with sour cream, then salsa, then cheese, then avocado, then lettuce. It can be dumped upside down for a 2-second salad on-the-go.
Easy Fajita Chicken Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (or 8 thighs)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 cup salsa
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a slow cooker and sprinkle with all the spices.
- Pour the salsa over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours until tender.
- Shred with forks before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
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Can someone help me? How much chicken – by weight – would you use for this recipe? I want to make large quantities to freeze for a wedding dinner. My research shows the amounts in the recipe to differ greatly: 3-4 breasts would equal 24-48 oz whereas 5-6 thighs would be approximately 16 oz. Also, I’m also planning to use a mix of breasts and thighs, and it would be a lot easier to adjust the recipe by weight rather than number of chicken pieces!
If you were to do this using a whole chicken, would you increase the seasonings? I almost never buy pre-cut chicken…I get organic whole chickens to save money! I love cooking whole chickens in the crock pot. 🙂
Yes, I would to taste 🙂
Would you be able to add fajita veggies to this recipe? Like onion, peppers, mushrooms etc? If so, would they need to be precooked? Added later? Or should they just be cooked later?
I tried this with pork and made stuffed sweet potatoes. I only made a half batch since there wasn’t as much meat. Everyone loved it.
Can you tell me which chili powder you order from Mountain Rose Herbs?
Any recommendations on what sides go with this for kids?
I just put this in the crockpot..can’t wait to try. However, I have a question…when you say ‘chili powder,’ do you mean a chili seasoning blend or just the red chili pepper powder? I feel that everyone uses these terms interchangeably. My husband is from India, so our chili powder means hot chilies!
The chili seasoning that isn’t spicy
This recipe is Awesome! Mine only took 4.5 hours
My hubby and I LOVE this!! We wrap the meat up in lettuce leaves with some cheese and tomatoes and devour!! It’s spicy, but not to the point where it takes away from the taste! This is a regular in our house, thank you!!!
a great way to shred chicken after it’s cooked is in your kitchen aid mixer. It works great and is so much easier and faster than shredding with a fork.
This is now in our regular rotation! It’s a great base chicken for so many different dishes, and wonderful simply in a salad. Thanks!
Delicious! I added chicken stock to help keep the meat moist. And then made taquitos with the meat. Sooooo easy!
Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing! Was definitely a crowd pleaser. I did omit cumin and cut in half the spices for chili powder and pepper but it still had great flavor. Even my preschooler ate it! 🙂
Love shredded meat for versatile and easy dishes. Thanks for the reminder! I’ll have to do this soon. 🙂
This is a great recipe that I make a lot! I try to cook this often and freeze the meat in two cup portions for homemade, oven-baked taquitos. Sometimes I mix the meat with brown rice and cheese and top with sour cream. But then again, I am pregnant and I have some pretty strong cravings.
How do you make the taquitos?