All the flavor of chicken enchiladas but with the ease of a Crock Pot and wrapped and pan-fried into a crispy delicious taco. These Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos are our new favorite taco night dinner!
It has been a brutal winter. Between my job and kids in daycare, it feels like I'm always battling something. So when I was finally feeling normal enough again for real food, I (and the baby) wanted it all. Enchiladas. Tacos. Cheese. Chicken. Being the hungry preggo I am, made it all: Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos to the rescue!
This recipe is seriously SO easy, thanks to our trusty Crock Pot! It has all of the flavors we love of chicken enchiladas, but then wrapped up and pan-fried into a delightful crunchy taco!
Ingredients Needed
For these super easy and delicious enchilada tacos, the most important piece (and the one that adds the most from-scratch flair), is our Homemade Enchilada Sauce From Scratch!
- Chicken - We prefer boneless chicken breasts, but you could also use boneless thighs, too!
- Enchilada Sauce - Have you made your own from scratch, yet?
- Cilantro - Fresh is best!
- Black Olives - Sliced.
- Cheddar Cheese - Shredded sharp or mild.
Then it's just what you need for your favorite Tacos!
- Corn or Flour Tortillas - Have you made your own from scratch yet?
- Fresh Pico de Gallo From Scratch
- Fresh Spinach Guacamole
Tip: Make a big batch of Enchilada Sauce and freeze it, so when you're ready for some of these tacos, you can just pull the sauce out of the freezer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
One of the best parts of this recipe, it is SO easy to make.
First step: Add the salted chicken, enchilada sauce, and cilantro to a Crock Pot / slow cooker and let cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hrs on low.
Truly, is there anything better than a meal that you can just set it and forget it? Plus it'll make your house smell amazing when we got home after coming home from work!
Tip: One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that this is a Crock Pot meal that you don't have to worry about it drying out because of the enchilada sauce, so if it's in there for longer like 10 hours, no problem. It will still be delicious!
Second Step: Shred the chicken breasts in the enchilada sauce and then top it with the cheddar cheese, sliced black olives, and let cook for another 10-20 minutes on low to melt all of that cheese.
All the deliciousness of chicken enchiladas, ready for some tacos!
Add that delicious cheesy shredded chicken to your favorite taco sized tortillas and fry them up in your favorite pan (ours is a Finex!) for some crispy Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos!
Serve It With
Not in the mood for tacos? (Not sure how that's ever a thing!) We also love to serve this over salads or with a side of rice and beans.
It's also great to feed a crowd and as the protein for a taco bar party!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Equipment
- Crock Pot or slow cooker
- skillet or saute pan
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2-3 lbs
- 2 cups Enchilada Sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt to season the chicken
- 12 oz sliced black olives
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp)
- more fresh cilantro
- 6-8 corn or flour taco sized tortillas
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add chicken breasts to the Crock Pot and season with salt. Pour over you Homemade (or favorite) Enchilada Sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs or high for 3-4 hrs.
- Once done, shred chicken and mix well with sauce in Crock Pot. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/2 the olives and mix. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and olives. Turn Crock Pot to low, cover, and cook for another 10-20 minutes or until the cheese is all melted. Top with fresh cilantro.
- Heat a skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan.
- Hold tortilla in your hand and use tongs to add cheesy enchilada chicken with olives into the taco. Gently place in the hot pan and fold in half. Add two to three to the pan, dependent upon the size of your pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes and then flip and fry another 2-3 minutes until both sides of the taco are golden and crispy.
- Serve with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, or any of your other favorite taco toppings!
Deborah
Very good but very messy for tacos. I used nearly 3 pounds of chicken and a little less than 2 cups of enchilada sauce. The plan for our party tonight was these tacos. Disaster. So runny & messy. Thank goodness for leftovers. I will add cream cheese to the chicken sauce and layer over corn tortillas tomorrow for lunch. Next time I will use less enchilada sauce.
Lisa Anderson
How many does this recipe serve?
Tracy
Hi Lisa! It's made with 4 chicken breasts so usually it'll make at least 8-10 good sized tacos, maybe more dependent upon the size of the chicken.
Penny
Very mouth watering. I used too much enchilada sauce because we put it in a taco shell, and it was extremely messy, but wonderful flavor. I also had a helping w/o the taco shell. Tasted great. We topped it with tomatoes avocados and sour cream for me and hot sauce for my husband. Thanks, will use it again.
Tracy
So glad you liked it!! I love it on salads, too!
Brenda
All looks great, but I need to know how much sugar and carb are in thess recipes.
I am a diabete so I need to know the nutrition is in these great recipes thank you!!
Amanda
It's recipes like these that make me realize that I need to use my crockpot more often! What a fantastic and flavorful dinner, and a great way to combine two of my favorites (tacos and enchiladas) into one. I'm always looking for convenient ways to cook chicken with a busy schedule and this is definitely going into our rotation!
Marisa Franca
WOW!! Do I ever like enchiladas, especially using chicken. But doing it in the crockpot is such a time saver plus the whole bit of cleaning up. This would be a great recipe to make ahead and have for a gathering.
michele
Nothing beats a great comforting crock pot meal! I tried this and used your homemade enchilada sauce.... ...wowzers! I will never buy store-bought again, it made such a crazy difference on the flavor. The chicken was so tender and Im looking forward to having the leftovers today!
Tina
I really love my slow cooker. It's nothing fancy but it makes life so much easier. Your recipe is right up my alley, saving this to make this week. We love enchiladas and yours sounds easy and healthy. Thanks for sharing this recipe, this is going to make my life easier and for that I am thankful!
Annemarie
I love these crockpot enchiladas! I mean, slow cookers are basically made to cook up meat in sauce for shredding and this is a great rendition. I'm glad you're feeling better and that you and the baby got to enjoy some yummy Mexican food. 🙂 Sadly no cilantro for me though. No one else in the house will eat it.
Meg
That sucks so much! I've been on that boiled chicken, yogurt, bland diet before and it's so awful. After a couple of days, it's pure torture watching TV and people eat. This is certainly the best "I can eat real food again" meal, it looks delicious!