Slow cooker fiesta chicken is made with fall-apart tender chicken breasts, black beans, corn, zesty salsa, and cream cheese, with plenty of taco seasoning. It’s an easy and versatile recipe that you can serve over rice or make different meals out of – burritos, tacos, nachos, you name it!
Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken
Crockpot fiesta chicken is a budget-friendly, easy meal that comes together in simple yet flavorful ways. Most of the stuff can be store-bought; however, if you have time, there’s always room for the extra flavor and freshness of homemade taco seasoning or homemade salsa.
It’s an easy weekday family dinner on busy nights, and it’s ready to serve at the end of the day when weekends are too hectic to spend much time in the kitchen!
Plus, all those Mexican-inspired flavors make it one of the tastiest meals your family will enjoy.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 5 minutes of prep time. A hands-off meal that is truly effortless. With just 5 minutes of prep time, it couldn’t be easier.
- Minimal ingredients. There are just seven simple kitchen staples, and some of them are just seasonings.
- So much flavor. If you love Mexican food, you’ll love this slow-cooker fiesta chicken. It’s got all the basics: corn, black beans, salsa, cheese, and smoky, savory taco seasoning!
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker – this one is my favorite, read my full Hamilton Beach Set & Forget slow cooker review
- Tongs
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Chicken: Trimmed of excess fat, boneless skinless chicken breasts work nicely here. Once cooked and tender, they shred easily.
- Taco seasoning and salt: When using homemade taco seasoning, you get to control the salt content, so I add it separately.
- Black beans and corn: Canned beans should always be drained and rinsed of all of the excess sodium.
- Salsa: I have a really great homemade salsa recipe I recommend for recipes like this, but if you have a jar of salsa on hand, go ahead and use it.
- Cream cheese: Use a block of cream cheese and cut it into cubes. That way, it’ll melt easily and evenly into the fiesta chicken.
How to make Crockpot Fiesta Chicken
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Add chicken to the basin of the slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and taco seasoning.
- Step Two: Pour in the beans, corn, and salsa and stir to combine.
- Step Three: Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Either works; this always depends on your timeline.
- Step Four: When there’s 30 minutes left in the cook time, shred the chicken right in the crockpot (or remove it to shred; it’s up to you) and add the cream cheese.
- Step Five: Replace the cover, and once the cheese is nice and melty, stir to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
How to serve it
You can scoop it up with tortilla chips or serve it over cilantro rice, white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. You can even make crock pot fiesta chicken bowls with cilantro rice, a bed of salad, or roll it up in a tortilla.
I actually loved adding a scoop of it on some rice with some smoked street corn dip on top. So good!
- For a spicy kick, swap the regular salsa with spicy Rotel.
- To make it a bit lighter, substitute low-fat sour cream for the cream cheese.
- If you’re shredding the chicken right in the pot, you can do this with an electric hand mixer. There’s a bit of splatter, but it works great. Or, use forks.
- Make it a bit more “fiesta” by adding a can of fiesta corn instead of regular canned corn.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep crock pot fiesta chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
Once it’s completely cooled, transfer the fiesta chicken to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it.
Reheating Instructions
This reheats really easily in the microwave. You can also use a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat.
FAQs
Should I choose to cook the chicken on low or high?
The slow cooker is meant to deliver low and slow results, especially with meat. Even more so with lean meat like chicken breast. So, it is recommended that you cook the chicken on low; you certainly can choose high heat, but because all crockpots are different, you’ll need to check on it sooner rather than later. See my slow cooker temperature guide for more info.
Why is my chicken rubbery?
This is usually because it’s been overcooked. If you use high heat, check on it early. Most slow cookers run hot these days and chicken cooks quickly.
Need more Mexican-Inspired Chicken recipes? Try these:
One Dish Baked Salsa Chicken Casserole
Southwest Chicken Skillet Recipe
And if you’re after beef, try my crockpot taco pasta.
Click here to view my entire collection of Mexican recipes.
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Creamy Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 16 ounces salsa
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the chicken and lay in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker.1.5-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Sprinkle the taco seasoning and salt over the chicken.2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the rinsed black beans, corn, and salsa on top of the chicken. Stir to combine.15 ounces black beans, 16 ounces salsa, 15 ounces canned corn
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- 30 minutes before the cook time is up, shred the chicken and add the cubed cream cheese to the crockpot.8 ounces cream cheese
- Replace the cover and let the cheese melt. Once it's melty, stir to distribute.
- Serve over rice, in a tortilla, with chips, etc.
Notes
- Use 1-2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts.
- Use spicy Rotel instead of regular salsa.
- Homemade taco seasoning or a packet can be used.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Love this recipe. I have also done it on the stovetop utilizing a Costco rotisserie chicken as I needed the meal quickly. Came out perfect.
Yes! Great shortcut.
I HAVE LOVE THIS RECIPE AND IT’S EASY AND VERY DELIOUS. MY DAUGHTERS LOVED IT TOO AND WANTED THE RECIPE, AND NOW THEY MAKE IT AND THE KIDS LOVE IT TOO, THEY ASK FOR IT OFTEN FOR ME TO MAKE AND THEY’RE MOMS ALSO. I GIVE MORE STARS IF I COULD IT IS THAT GOOD
I have made many of your recipes. This is by far my favorite. My husband does most of the cooking because i hate to cook. But when i find a simple easy to make one of yours, i try to give him a night off.
My husband and I loved it so much we invited friends over and made this. I don’t like black beans so I used pinto beans. I served it with Spanish rice and flour tortillas. Our friends loved it so much they asked for the recipe. . I only wish i had taken a picture!! It is so easy, simple and Delicious. Oh, yes. Of course we had to serve margaritas with it. 😉
I love that! 🙂
Just made this and it was incredible. Even my picky eaters loved it. I have a Halloween potluck planned and now I’m definitely adding this to it because of how easy and good it was to make. I just have to come up with a Halloween theme name for it now. 😂
I’m so glad you liked it! Oooh…how about Cauldron Cream Chicken or Phantom Fiesta Chicken…?
Love how easy and tasty this is! My whole family thought it was great!
Thanks, Linda! It’s a favorite here, too.