Pop your ingredients in the Crock-Pot and have this slow cooker shredded chicken ready and waiting for you to make a tasty and filling chicken burrito bowl! This gluten-free, dairy-free, healthy, and low-carb Mexican shredded chicken is so easy to make and is full of flavor with minimal effort!
Chicken Burrito Bowls + Life-Changing Chicken!
Just when it seems like you have exhausted all possible ways to cook chicken, a new, life-changing way emerges.
OK, maybe this slow cooker shredded chicken recipe isn’t exactly life-changing, but it sure does make meal prepping for the week or whipping up an amazing dinner on the fly a breeze!
And the best part about this Mexican shredded chicken recipe… you can completely make it your own by using whatever salsa and topping ingredients you have in your refrigerator.
Additionally, this crockpot shredded chicken recipe is already gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free and can easily be made Paleo and low-carb by serving it over cauliflower rice instead of regular rice!
Now let’s learn how to make this slow cooker shredded chicken burrito bowl!
How to Make Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
The first thing you will need when making slow cooker shredded chicken for these chicken burrito bowls is a 6-quart Crock-Pot.
If you want to keep clean-up quick and simple you can also use one of these handy dandy Crock-Pot liners. Not necessary, but definitely awesome!
Next, you will want to pick out your salsa. In this particular recipe I used a pretty mild salsa verde so it didn’t make the shredded chicken too spicy.
If you want to kick your slow cooker shredded chicken up a notch, simply use a medium salsa in the recipe instead.
You can even make this Slow Cooker Whole Chicken to use, too!
You’ve got your Crock-Pot, your salsa, and now it’s time to add everything into that slow cooker. Make sure you lift up your chicken breasts so there is some liquid on the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the chicken from burning!
While the slow cooker shredded chicken is cooking away, you will want to prepare your toppings. The toppings we use for this chicken burrito bowl recipe include:
- Avocados. An avocado a day keeps the taste buds happy!
- Jalapenos. You can use fresh or canned.
- Cilantro. Gives this chicken burrito bowl a nice freshness.
- Rice or Vegetable rice. If you want the chicken burrito bowl to be low-carb, try cauliflower or broccoli rice.
How to Shred Chicken
Once your chicken is done cooking in the slow cooker, you will want to shred the chicken during the last 30 minutes.
The easiest way to shred chicken is to take two large forks, place them into the chicken breasts, and pull apart the chicken until it shreds. This slow cooker Mexican chicken will be so tender that it should shred pretty easily.
If you want to get adventurous you can always add your chicken breasts to a stand mixer and shred it in no time!
What to Make with Shredded Chicken
There are SO many different dishes that you can make with this Mexican shredded chicken!
Here are some of my favorite recipes to make with shredded chicken:
- Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl – as seen pictured here!
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos – I made these with this exact slow cooker Mexican chicken and they were awesome!
- Shredded Chicken Stuffed Potatoes – you can fill regular russet potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- Shredded Chicken Sandwiches – load up the chicken onto a bun and enjoy!
How Can You Evolve this Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl?
As mentioned earlier, these Crockpot shredded chicken burrito bowls are already gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Here are a few more ways you can change them up!
- Make the Crockpot shredded chicken with medium salsa for an extra kick.
- Serve the chicken over cauliflower rice or broccoli rice for a keto burrito bowl.
- Change up the toppings by adding fresh tomatoes, corn, or black beans.
- Serve it up with this creamy Chipotle sauce to take it over the top!
Want more recipes like these Mexican Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowls?
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Slow Cooker Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
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Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowl
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts
- 1 ¼ cups salsa verde mild or medium
- 2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
- ¾ cup red onion finely diced
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Sautéed Onions
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp. salt
Toppings
- 2 large avocado thinly sliced
- Jalapeno optional
- Cilantro optional
- Rice or cauliflower rice
- See this recipe in Healthy Meal Plan #2
Instructions
- In a 6-quart slow cooker place chicken, salsa verde, butter, red onion, salt, and pepper. Lift up chicken breasts to allow some of the liquid to get underneath them.
- Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6 hours. During the last 30 minutes of cooking shred the chicken breasts and let finish cooking.
- While chicken is cooking, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, red onion slices, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, or until tender.
- Serve shredded chicken over cooked rice or cauliflower rice with sautéed onions, sliced avocado, cilantro, and jalapeños and enjoy! See this recipe in Meal Plan #2.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fo you use boneless or bone in chicken?
Thanks!
Boneless chicken breasts are used in this recipe.
I bought wayyy too spicy of salsa verde! Do you think it would be good to cut it with some milk or sour cream in the cooker?
That’s a great idea, Erin! You might even want to decrease the amount you use and substitute it with some canned or diced fresh tomatoes! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Really good! thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome, Saraha! Thanks for the comment and rating!! 🙂
Wow, these look good! I’m always on the lookout for healthier recipes my whole family will enjoy, so I pinned these to add to our menu rotarion. Cant wait to try it!
Hi Celeste! So happy to hear you pinned these burrito bowls!! They’re definitely a crowd pleaser 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and rating!