Description
This 6-Ingredient Slow Cooker Enchilada Chicken recipe delivers tender, flavorful shredded chicken perfect for enchiladas, tacos, or served on its own. Made with simple pantry staples like tomato sauce, onions, and a blend of spices, it requires minimal prep and cooks slowly to perfection in the crockpot, making it an ideal stress-free weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Sauce
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Juice of 1 lime
Optional
- Easy Guacamole, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Thinly slice the onions and gather all the spices and tomato sauce to have everything ready for the slow cooker.
- Combine in Slow Cooker: Add the sliced onions, tomato sauce, kosher salt, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder into a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir everything together until well combined to create a rich sauce base.
- Add Chicken: Nestle the boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs into the slow cooker, ensuring they are fully covered by the tomato and spice mixture for even cooking and flavor infusion.
- Cook Low and Slow: Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 7 hours. The sauce should thicken, the onions soften, and the chicken become tender enough to fall apart easily.
- Shred the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks, then return the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, stirring well to combine it with the sauce.
- Finish and Serve: Stir in the fresh lime juice and adjust the seasoning with additional salt if desired. Serve the enchilada chicken warm, topped with hot sauce if preferred. It is perfect served on its own, tucked into warmed tortillas, or used as a enchilada filling.
Notes
- This recipe requires no pre-cooking of the chicken, making it super simple and convenient.
- The leftovers are perfect for quick lunches or other Mexican-inspired dishes.
- Adjust the spice level by using hot chili powder or adding a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like heat.
- Serve with easy guacamole or your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, or chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/6 of the recipe)
- Calories: 192 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 378 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 97 mg
