A delicious taco bowl loaded with cilantro lime rice, seasoned chicken, black beans and corn. Easily made in the slow cooker and dinner is ready when you are!
Want more easy Mexican recipes? Try cheesy taco pasta, navajo tacos and sheet pan fajitas, too!
Table of Contents
Easy Crockpot Taco Bowls
When it comes to easy Mexican dinners, this chicken taco bowl recipe is at the top of my list. It’s made in the crockpot and takes only 5 minutes to prep. Some of my other easy favorites are Mexican lasagna and Mexican chicken casserole!
These chicken taco bowls join the ranks of this taco bake as an easy recipe for Taco Tuesday! They are a family favorite and are on our monthly (sometimes weekly) rotation. The slow cooker does all the work for you just like with my crockpot fajitas and the taco bowls are super easy to assemble.
We love to serve our bowls over cilantro lime rice, however you could easily serve over lettuce or in a tostada shell too. They have great flavor and are filled with so much goodness! These chicken taco bowls are delish and my whole family loves them!
Why I Love Them
- You can throw it all in a crock pot (in less than 5 minutes).
- It’s some-what healthy! You can even use brown rice or cooked quinoa to make it healthier.
- You can freeze the leftovers. Just place the chicken in a freezer zip lock bag and pull it out when you need a quick meal.
- The leftover shredded chicken also works great in tacos, nachos, taco salads or burritos!
- You can customize with your favorite toppings.
- My kids love them (which is the main reason I love to make these taco bowls so often).
What to Put in Them?
- Chicken: I used 4 frozen chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds.
- Beans: I love to use 1 can black beans, but pinto beans would work too. Make sure to drain and rinse your beans first!
- Corn: Canned corn is my go-to for convenience, but frozen or fresh corn work great as well.
- Seasonings: To season the taco bowls, you’ll simply add in the following to the crockpot: salsa, chili powder, cumin, minced garlic, lime juice and salt.
- Rice: We love to serve our chicken taco bowls with cilantro lime rice. It has such great flavor! You could also serve over Mexican rice or even just plain white rice.
- Optional toppings: Sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream, cilantro lime crema, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro
How to Make Taco Bowls in Crockpot
Scroll down for the printable recipe.
- Add chicken to crockpot. Place chicken in the bottom of a large crockpot and pour water and salsa over.
- Add in spices, beans and corn. Then add in chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic, lime juice, black beans and corn.
- Cook until tender. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is tender and easily shreds with a fork.
Cilantro Lime Rice
While the chicken cooks in the crockpot, you can prepare the cilantro lime rice on the stove. In a large skillet over medium-heat, melt the butter with the rice. Then stir in chicken broth and remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Add more chili powder or salt if desired. Fluff with a fork.
Serving + Toppings
When the dish is ready to serve, place the rice in the bottom of 6 bowls, then add chicken mixture on top. Top with any of the desired toppings below. We love to use cheese, avocados and sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.
- Salsa (red or green)
- Pico de gallo
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Sour cream
- Cilantro lime dressing
- Shredded cheese
- Cilantro
- Avocado lime dressing
- Lime juice
- Tortilla strips or tortilla chips
Meal Prep and Freezer-Friendly!
Another reason why I love these chicken taco bowls is because not only are they great for meal prep, but they make a perfect freezer meal too. I’m all about dishes that make life easier, and this taco bowl recipe is one of those meals!
- Meal prep: This is the perfect dish to meal prep! Simply add rice (or quinoa) to the bottom of 4-6 meal prep containers, then add chicken mixture on top. Cover with lid and place in the fridge until ready to enjoy. You can even prepare your desired toppings ahead of time too. That way you can literally just grab and go!
- To freeze: Chicken taco bowls make a wonderful freezer meal! Just add the chicken mixture to a zip top freezer bag and label it with the date. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then just pull it out when you need a quick meal! I usually let mine thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
Need more easy slow cooker recipes? This seafood stew recipe, crack chicken crock pot and Mexican crockpot chicken are always dinnertime wins!
More Mexican Dinners
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Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls
Video
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds chicken , I used 4 frozen chicken breasts
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup fresh salsa
- 1 teaspoon chili powder , more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt , more to taste
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn , drained
- ½ Tablespoon lime juice , juice from 1/2 a lime
Cilantro Lime Rice:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup uncooked white long rice
- juice and zest from 1 large lime
- 14 oz can chicken broth
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large crock pot and pour water and salsa on top. Next add in chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic, lime juice, black beans and corn. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours, or until chicken easily shreds.
- To make the rice: In a large skillet over medium-heat, melt the butter with the rice. Add the chicken broth and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Add more chili powder and salt to taste. Fluff with a fork.
- Add rice to the bottom of 6 bowls, then top with chicken mixture. Add favorite toppings like cheese, sliced avocado and sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Chicken, Cinco De Mayo, Crockpot, Crockpot, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Mexican, Nut-Free, One Pot, One Pot
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
These look so good! You had me at cilantro lime. Such a great flavor combination. Thanks for the dinner idea!
Hope you enjoy! They are a favorite around my house. :)
This looks so delicious! I also like that you can modify the meat and some of the other ingredients. Thank you so much for the great content, I am going to the grocery store tonight and buying the ingredients!
Hope you enjoy! :)
I have a clarifying question. Your recipe says to use 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, but then you state you use four large chicken breasts. I just bought four large chicken breasts at the store today and the package says they equal just over 4 pounds. So, which amount should I go by when making this recipe?
Hi Tanner! I would use 1.5 pounds of chicken…so maybe 2 of your chicken breasts! :)
I love this recipe of yours. I am going to be doing it for a bridal shower as a topping for nachos. If I triple it in my crock pot will I need to adjust the cooking time or will it be the same?
Hi Krystal! I would probably divide it into 2 crock pots if you can so that it cooks evenly! :)
Instead of dividing it into two crock pots, Could I cook it in a white roaster oven? And if so what temperature would I cook it at and for how long?
These sound perfect!!
I made these for our family on Monday night and they were SO DELICIOUS! The Hubs and The Littles, as well as myself, ate it up. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
I’m cooking this now but there seems to be a lot of water left in the crock pot. I seem to always have this issue when cooking anything frozen. Am I doing something wrong? Should I cook it longer? The chicken is done and falling apart but the beans and corn are floating in water.
Hi Dara,
Since you have this issue when you cook anything from frozen, then your slow cooker is likely cycling off more than than it should be, which would allow for less steam to escape. If you like to cook from frozen a lot, it might be time to replace your slow cooker.
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out great for me. I cooked it on high for 4 hours and it came out perfect. I LOVE that you don’t have to thaw the chicken. I also made the rice and I LOVE it. My 2 yr old ate it and my friend’s 9 yr old and 7 yr old ate it too so it’s been a winner for me for adults and kids alike! My husband preferred to make a burrito/taco out of it with a tortilla rather than as a rice bowl, but he loved it nonetheless! My cousin who ate it compared it to eating a bowl at Chipotle! This one is a keeper! :) Thank you!
I am so glad your family enjoyed this recipe! It is a favorite at my home. Thank you for your kind comment! :)
Have you ever tried going beef instead of chicken?
I haven’t with this recipe but it would be delicious with chicken! :)
I’m super late to the party and just found this recipe now, so I’m not even sure if you will see this question. Do you chicken breasts need to be frozen or can I use fresh chicken?
Hi Sasha! Sorry I didn’t see you comment in time. You can use frozen or fresh, just make sure to cook it less time if you are using fresh. :)
Recipe looks great, I have it in the slow cooker now. I added chopped onion, jalapeno and some ground pepper. Going to chop up some cilantro to add on top after it’s finished. Can’t wait until it’s ready!
I hope you enjoyed these! Such a yummy meal! :)
I’m from South Texas & like a lot flavor in my food. I did triple the spices in this recipe. This is really good and I made enchiladas out of some of the leftovers. My grandson raved over the enchiladas. With the rest of the leftovers I’m going to try making taco soup. I’ll add chicken broth and then tear up a few corn tortillas and throw those in the last few minutes. This made several meals for us. I just divided it up and put it in the freezer. It freezes very well.
I’m glad you got so many meals out of this chicken! Thanks for your comment Betty, it is always nice to hear new ways to use my old recipes! :)
This looks great! I just got back from Texas and I am obsessed with all things Tex-Mex. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoy these! :)
I have made these twice now and just had to come back to say how much we love them!! My husband doesn’t usually rave about food even when he likes it but he couldn’t stop saying how “Super yummy” this was. The chicken itself is wonderful and can be used so many ways (tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, salad, etc.) but with that cilantro-lime rice it is absolutely awesome. AND it is so easy to make :) Thank you!
How many does this serve? thanks :-)
It serves about 4-6! :)
I made this the other night.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Made this tonight and had a little bit of BBQ sauce in a bottle, so I mixed that with the water. It added a nice zing to it! Super easy recipe and super delicious!
sounds really good. do you kno the nuttrition fcts
Hi Shari! These bowls are about 300 calories per serving without any extra added toppings. :)
I made this and enjoyed it as a taco bowl but I had some lefted over and I put it in a quesadilla – it was the bomb