Name: Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 370 min
Ingredients: 6 large (8 ounce) frozen chicken breasts or 3 lbs chicken tenders; 1/4 cup medium hot salsa; 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes; 1 cup tomato sauce; 1 cup chopped yellow onion; 1/2 green pepper chopped ((or any color bell pepper)); 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon diced jalapeño peppers ((I use the kind that comes in a jar.)); 2 tablespoons taco seasoning

This spicy chicken, made with chicken breasts, taco seasoning, and a variety of spices, is tender and juicy. Ten-minute prep, 4-6 hours in the slow cooker, and pow! You have an easy, amazing supper that everyone raves about.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Spicy Shredded Chicken

This tender spicy chicken is perfect over rice or in a taco salad. It's a simple dump-and-slow-cook for a few hours. Use chicken that is still frozen. It stays juicier.

This recipe is spicier than my other Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken recipe. I like both recipes. You might, too. I ate mine stuffed in Scoops Taco Chips. It was delicious. I think it would be even better in a crispy taco bowl with lettuce and tomatoes, topped with sour cream, but then you'd have all those extra calories, wouldn't you?

Recipe Development

I was planning to make my other slow-cooker chicken recipe. I always have frozen chicken breasts, but with this stupid pandemic going on, we only had a little bit of salsa. So I substituted what I had available. And it was even better than the original recipe.

I always keep canned tomatoes, canned tomato sauce, garlic, fresh onions, and (jarred) diced jalapeÃ±os on hand. They are lifesavers. I was happy I had an orange bell pepper and taco seasoning, too.

I was a little worried about whether I would have taco seasoning. I often don't keep that in my pantry. If I didn't have it, I would have used some cumin, chili powder, and either cayenne pepper or hot paprika to make my own.

What You Need

You will need a knife, a cutting board, a slow cooker, measuring cups, and spoons. Simple. But what you really want is some fun margarita glasses, right? Because you know you're going to have margaritas with this meal.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Ingredients

6 large (8-ounce) frozen chicken breasts or 3 lbs chicken tenders
¼ cup medium hot salsa
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chopped yellow onion
½ green pepper chopped (or any color bell pepper)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon diced jalapeño peppers (I use the kind that comes in a jar.)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning

Instructions

Place the frozen chicken in the slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix them briefly to blend the spices.
Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours for chicken breasts, or 4 hours for tenders.
A few minutes before serving, use 2 forks to shred the chicken and return it to the sauce.
Serve over rice, or wrap in tortillas with lettuce and tomatoes for a burrito or taco.