Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken is a great recipe for dinner, and it’s completely picky-eater-approved. If you are looking for a simple and drama-free supper option, you’ll love this chicken dish!
Table of contents
Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken
Sometimes, you just need an easy, fuss-free meal. We don’t get delivery out where we live, so picking up the phone and ordering a pizza or something is not an option. I have to keep stuff on hand for those times when things get crazy or, to tell ya the truth, for when I just don’t feel like cooking.
Believe it or not, it happens to us food bloggers too! Life happens.
Sure, I could feed my family cereal for supper. Been there, done that. I’ve given them ramen noodles, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and tuna sandwiches. Those tend to be my default “meals.” Mostly because I always have that stuff on hand. Not very inspiring, huh? Not very healthy either.
That’s where my Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken recipe comes in handy!! An easy, quick meal for a lazy day. Besides, I’m trying to make a better effort to use my crock pot, and really, why shouldn’t I?! It practically does everything for me! Just throw all the ingredients in and let it do its thing.
Okay, sometimes you have to do a little chopping. However, this Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken recipe couldn’t be easier that way. No chopping! It’s a great meal for those times when you don’t really wanna cook, or for when you do! It’s great over rice or in a tortilla, or even mixed up with corn or hominy.
Now, how stress-free does this recipe sound?! Perfect, right? And, delicious!
Crockpot Fiesta Chicken: Ingredients & Equipment
For this Fiesta Chicken recipe, you’ll need …
Ingredients
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – or your favorite cut of chicken. I just think breasts taste the best in most recipes like this one.
- black beans, whole kernel corn – add-ins for your Fiesta Chicken. They really make this meal filling.
- salsa – is another one of your add-ins. Depending on your taste, this can be as hot or mild as you like. (FYI, I love that you can adjust the heat in this recipe as needed!)
- cream cheese – you’ll add this to the Fiesta Chicken about a half hour before it’s done.
- cooked rice or warm tortillas – optional! This recipe goes great with either of these. Or you can eat it by itself, but I always try to add a little something to my Fiesta Chicken when I make it!
Equipment
- slow cooker or crockpot – obviously, but the good news? You won’t need anything more than this to cook your fiesta chicken. Yay!
Fiesta Chicken: FAQs
About 6 depending on serving size – perfect for most families (or a get-together of all your favorite people).
OK, bear with me on this one. While it takes almost 5 hours, 99% of that is cooking time. Only 10 minutes of it is prepping all the ingredients. Then you just throw them into the crock pot and let them cook! Zero effort! (Well, except for the effort of resisting the urge to peek every five minutes …)
Try something like my Mexican rice! Of course, as I said, it’s optional; you can use plain white rice. In fact, you may not feel like making it at all. Still, if you have the time and energy, the rice makes this meal ten times better.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Fiesta Chicken and Rice
Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken is a simple dinner recipe. Serve it in tacos, burritos, or over rice for an easy meal the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can (16 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (14-16 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 jar (16 oz.) salsa, as hot or as mild as you like
- 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
- cooked rice or warmed tortillas, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the black beans, corn, and salsa. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- About 30-minutes to an hour before serving, remove the chicken and shred. Place it back into the slow cooker. Add the cream cheese. Cover and continue to cook until the cream cheese has melted - about 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, mix the chicken mixture until well combined.
- Serve over rice or in warmed tortillas.
Notes
- Pinto beans or kidney beans are also great in this recipe.
- For even more flavor, try adding a packet of taco seasoning, or try my homemade taco seasoning!
- Chicken thighs also work well in this recipe.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 297mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 51g
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Originally published on May 27, 2013. Updated on August 15, 2022.
Whenever the hubs is traveling for work, it's cereal time for supper for me!! Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking for 1. THIS might sway me, however. 🙂
I like easy 😉 Think I will add the corn !
Yum, I'm slow and pressure cooking ATM love my slow cooker in winter 🙂 I'm going to add this one to the list
Oh yes! We ALL need some quick and easy recipes in our arsenal!
Looks delicious! I thought you were going to say that you opened up a can of tortilla soup and poured it over rice. lol…I will try this!
Linda
mysewwhatblog
Yum! Simple and delicious!
Great job Jamie! This sounds delicious 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Jamie, I really need to start using my crock pot…this sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, am pinning and have a great Tuesday!
Ha! Tonight is one of those "don't feel like cooking" nights for me. I really should use my crock pot more often…I tend to forget about it. My husband would want this in tortillas, my son over rice, and I'd want it over tortilla chips. But it's easy enough to accommodate all of that. Thanks for linking, Jamie. This will be good for summer when the kitchen gets too hot.
Thank you for linking this week!
This sounds delish! I love the addition of cream cheese. Just pinned this, and can't wait to try it.
Cheers, Andrea
Sounds like a great family meal. Thanks for posting on Tried and True recipes: http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/05/tried-and-true-recipe-14.html
This sounds so easy, and it looks delightful. Another recipe I have to try out.
Heidi’s Wanderings
Hi Jamie,
What a great Slow Cooker recipe, it looks like it is full of flavor. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a fabulous weekend.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
It is good to know that all of us foodlie want and take a break for cooking. Yes, world we don't alway want to cook. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us on foodie friday. Crockpot meals are really the best at the end of a long day.
This is a recipe that would go down a treat in my family! 🙂 Can't wait to try it! I've pinned it; thanks for sharing with us!
Man, it doesn't get much easier than this! I've made something similar but without the cream cheese so I'm going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing!
~Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy
That plate of food looks great Jamie! I would definitely like to try fiesta chicken and rice.
Great recipe! I love my slow cooker, especially in the summer. So nice to have a cool kitchen!
Thanks for linking up to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link party! I am so glad you dropped by!
Cynthia at http://FeedingBig.com
Your fiesta chicken recipe looks delicious. I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
fantastic recipe In the summer, especially, I adore my slow cooker. What a treat to have a hip kitchen!