Short on time? This easy crockpot chicken recipe is one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever make! Plus it’s also delicious, filling and inexpensive. No wonder it’s a favorite!
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This Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken is one of my absolute favorite recipes ever! It’s probably the easiest recipe I make, it tastes amazing, and it makes enough that we usually can enjoy it for a second meal too. The only bad thing I can think of is that it isn’t exactly the most beautiful dish you’ve ever seen. But hey, you can’t have everything!
We usually eat this Mexican Chicken in tortillas and if I do that, I often will stir some cooked rice into it just to give it more substance and stretch it a bit further. But we also have eaten it over rice and a couple of times when I was out of tortillas, we put it on top of toast.
You could also treat it like taco meat and eat it with corn chips and lettuce. Really, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed any way that you try it. It’s a favorite here, even with our children who are slowly becoming somewhat picky eaters!
Looking for a great place to get quality fresh chicken? Check out Savory Butcher! They are a growing company and aren’t available in all areas, but are slowing expanding their market! They regularly have boneless, skinless chicken breast for $2.19/lb. And they also have ground beef for $3.19/lb. as well as bacon, ham and other meat too!
Easy Crockpot Chicken Recipe
Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken
This easy crockpot chicken recipe is one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever make! Plus it’s also delicious, filling and inexpensive. No wonder it’s a favorite!
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups salsa
- 1 can corn, drained (opt.)
- 8 oz. cream cheese
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
- cooked rice
- tortillas
- shredded cheese
Instructions
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Put chicken, black beans, salsa and corn into crockpot and place cream cheese on top. Cover.
-
Cook on high for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
-
Shred chicken (I love using my favorite kitchen scissors for this) and serve over cooked rice or use as tortilla filling. (If using as a tortilla filling, I often still use rice, but just mix it into the chicken mixture at the end of the cooking time.)
-
Top with shredded cheese if desired.
Recipe Notes
If this seems like it is going to be really soupy, you can leave the lid off for the last ½ hour to help thicken it.
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Saira says
January 22, 2015 at 4:20 PMTorturing myself by looking at this delicious dish, as I can’t eat any of it (on an elimination diet for my newborn). Thanks for sharing though! I found you through Thrifty Thursday.
Mila says
February 16, 2015 at 7:43 AMI don’t care if it looks pretty or not. Quick, easy and yummy is all I am looking for. Pinned this to my “chicken” board. Look forward to exploring your blog, Lydia!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 16, 2015 at 8:24 AMMila, sounds like this recipe will be perfect for you! I’m actually making it for our dinner tonight. Thanks for pinning!
Oh and I don’t usually care that much either if a recipe isn’t beautiful, but I probably think about it more as a blogger. I was trying to figure out how to get a picture of this dish that looked as good as it really is, and I struggled. 🙂
Bijee says
February 17, 2015 at 4:29 PMThis is finds be on the menu for next week!!! It looks delicious!!!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 17, 2015 at 10:09 PMI hope you enjoy it, Bijee!
Debbie says
February 28, 2015 at 7:52 PMThank you for sharing, I;m definitely going to try it for my family! Not sure what’s Mexican about it though, it’s more Southwest or Tex-Mex!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
February 28, 2015 at 8:34 PMIt’s such a great easy dinner, Debbie! And yes, you are right, it probably isn’t truly Mexican. Still good though! 🙂
Elise @frugalfarmwife.com says
June 14, 2015 at 9:28 AMThis looks like a perfect summer dinner. My kids would love it!
Thanks for sharing on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 15, 2015 at 6:09 PMIt’s a winner all around- frugal, easy to make and delicious!
Natalya says
June 24, 2015 at 4:20 PMmade this today, but for time reasons just cooked on low for 7 hrs. one of the easiest recipes I’ve made and pretty tasty! Next time I will try adding some cumin and chili powder, may be a jalapeño for extra kick. I used a mix of chix breasts and thighs and I think pinto beans would work great in this as well. Plan on eating this as burritos wrapped in the awesome partially made tortillas from Costco!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 24, 2015 at 9:58 PMNatalya, so glad to know you enjoyed it! And thanks for sharing the cooking time for the low setting. It’s always nice to have more options to work with different schedules. 🙂 I think pinto beans would be tasty too and yes, definitely spice it up to your taste. I sometimes add extra seasoning too, although my kids much prefer it without. 😉
Jennifer says
April 29, 2017 at 5:04 PMThank you for the comment..i was wondering how long I could cook this on low so I could make it while I was at work lol
Maureen says
July 4, 2015 at 6:59 AMI am planning on making this tomorrow. What would be the perfect timing to do this on low during the day? Is 7 hours, per comment, just right? Thanks.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
July 4, 2015 at 11:02 PMMaureen, I’ve never done it that way, so I can’t say for sure. But according to the comment Natalya left, it apparently worked perfectly for her. Hope you enjoy it!
Heather Vance says
July 28, 2015 at 12:29 PMdo you cook the chicken first?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
July 28, 2015 at 3:45 PMHeather, no, the chicken should be raw. Makes it so super simple!
Heather says
July 28, 2015 at 6:27 PMthank you!!!!
Miranda says
August 3, 2015 at 3:29 PMadd the chicken into crockpot raw?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 4, 2015 at 3:26 PMMiranda, yes! If it’s frozen, just make sure it is totally thawed. It couldn’t be easier, right?
Kelly says
January 18, 2016 at 5:46 PMEven if it’s frozen, it’s fine, just adjust cooking time.
Celeste says
September 5, 2015 at 3:21 AMSuggestion on something I could use to replace the salsa? We have an onion allergy in the family.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
September 7, 2015 at 7:09 AMYou could probably use Rotel or even just canned diced tomatoes. But if you do that, it’s going to be a lot more bland, so then you’ll probably want to add some more seasonings. I would probably just make it without any extra seasoning and then season to taste before you serve it. Hope that helps!
Stephanie says
September 14, 2015 at 10:12 AMI would think if you were just using canned tomatoes that maybe a packet of taco seasoning might be a great way to add flavour?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
September 14, 2015 at 10:41 AMI’m sure that would work great, Stephanie!
carolyn says
October 11, 2015 at 1:30 PMHad me at black beans and cream cheese. I would use brown rice or a mixture of the rice and quinoa. I definitely be making this soon. Glad I found this recipe!!,???
ThriftyFrugalMom says
October 13, 2015 at 11:12 AMYou pretty much can’t go wrong when there is cream cheese involved, can you? 🙂 And quinoa would work great for this, Carolyn! I hope you love the recipe as much as we have.
Corrie says
October 18, 2015 at 3:17 PMTrying this tonight! My husband and children are looking forward to dinner! I’ve opted to cook rice separate and add into bowls as serving.
It’s in the crockpot as I type 🙂
Thanks for posting this very easy recipe! It took a total of 10 minutes to gather and dump ingredients into the crockpot!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
October 19, 2015 at 1:18 PMYou are very welcome, Corrie! I love when dinner is this easy. 🙂 Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we do!
Jodee says
January 15, 2016 at 8:08 PMAnyone have the nutritional info?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
January 16, 2016 at 2:32 PMJodee, if you want the nutritional info of a recipe, there are lots of free online tools that you can use to easily get that for you. One that I like to use is this one. Simply copy and paste the ingredients of this recipe (or any recipe) into the “Ingredients” spot and then click “Analyze Recipe” and you should have the info you need.
Heather D. says
March 31, 2016 at 2:54 PMJust wanted to say thank you for the recipe, it was really good. I added some jalapeños and used my favorite salsa, it was really great with queso fresco and pickled onions. I’m thinking it would also make a good enchilada filling – next time I’ll make a double batch!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
April 6, 2016 at 2:31 PMAh, I like the idea of using it as an enchilada filling! That would be yummy!
Rena says
June 8, 2016 at 11:54 AMDo you think I could cut this recipe in half and it would work the same?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 8, 2016 at 12:14 PMAbsolutely! Should work fine and be just as delicious.
Jessica says
July 17, 2016 at 2:28 PMThis may seem like a silly question, but how many frozen chicken breast should I thaw for this recipe? I can’t weigh it since they’re frozen. Thanks in advance!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
July 17, 2016 at 8:26 PMNo, that’s not really a silly question, Jessica, but I’m not entirely sure because it varies so much on the size of the breast or thigh. But I would say roughly 2 to 3 pieces. If you have a tiny bit more or less, it’s not going to make a huge difference. Hope that helps!
Jessica says
July 18, 2016 at 7:25 PMThat helps a lot, thank you so much for your quick reply!
Kendra Childs-Jones says
July 17, 2016 at 7:46 PMI made this for dinner tonight. AMAZING!!!!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
July 17, 2016 at 8:22 PMYay, so glad you loved it, Kendra! 🙂
Jenn says
October 10, 2016 at 11:01 AMIs this with frozen chicken and if not should I double the time?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
October 10, 2016 at 11:51 AMThe recipe is for thawed chicken. If you are using frozen, I’m not sure what to tell you as far as the cooking time since I’ve never done that. Enjoy!
Kyris says
October 10, 2017 at 11:16 AMWhen do you add the beans in? I assume with the chicken at the beginning but it doesn’t say.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
October 10, 2017 at 12:24 PMOh dear…thanks for letting me know that! Yes, you add them with the other ingredients. I recently switched the recipe over to this printable recipe card and edited the instruction a bit to make it more clear and in the process must have missed that key detail. I appreciate you letting me know!
Alyssa Perez says
October 24, 2017 at 2:14 PMDo you think using fat free cream cheese would work for this recipe? It’s all I have and I’m trying to avoid a trip to the store for a single item!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
October 24, 2017 at 2:51 PMIt should work just fine! I have often used the Neufchâtel cheese, which is basically lower fat cream cheese, and it’s just as delicious as ever.
Cath says
March 29, 2018 at 2:06 AMYum yum yum!!!! Thank you for this super easy and incredibly delicious recipe.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
April 1, 2018 at 11:02 PMSo glad that you enjoyed it, Cath! Hearing that always makes my day. 🙂
Cbailey says
June 19, 2018 at 3:02 PMI’ve made this and LOVE IT! Soooooo good. I REALLY wanted make it tonight and just realized i dont have black beans, I wonder if anyone has tried refried black beans or if it would work or be good w refried instead..or what i could substitute for black beans.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 19, 2018 at 3:20 PMOh shucks! I hate when I go to make something and then discover I don’t have all the ingredients. You could probably substitute another kind of bean such as kidney, pinto or even navy or great northern without it affecting the taste too much. I’m not sure the flavors would work super well with refried beans, but I doubt it would be awful either. 🙂 If you do end up trying refried beans, I would wait and mix them in at the end or even just heat them up and add them since I think that they might get burnt and tend to stick to the Crockpot insert if you mixed them in at the beginning. Of course, you could always just leave the beans out altogether too! You might miss them a bit, but it should still be tasty! If you do try refried beans, I’d love to know how it worked out and if you liked the taste…because now you have me curious! 😉
Cbailey says
June 19, 2018 at 5:07 PMI opted against refried this time, maybe next time! Do you think the black beans would cook enough if I throw them in the last hour. My hubby is bringing some home for now and I want to add them the last hour. What do you think?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
June 19, 2018 at 8:03 PMWell, if they are canned beans, they are already technically cooked, so really you just need them to get hot so they taste right with everything else and aren’t cold. I think one hour would be enough to heat them well, but if you want to be doubly sure, you could always heat them a bit on the stovetop or in the microwave before you add them.
Can you tell that I do this kind of improvisation way too often? 🙂
Maggie Unzueta says
August 21, 2018 at 1:42 AMThis looks incredibly delicious. Yum!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 29, 2018 at 10:41 AMWe think it is! 🙂
McKenzie Schumpert says
August 22, 2018 at 1:30 PMHow many people does this serve?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
August 25, 2018 at 10:09 AMIt makes quite a bit. When I serve it as a tortilla filling I’d say it serves at least 10 people. If you are going to eat it over rice, it would probably serve more.
Jenni says
January 1, 2019 at 11:28 AMThank you for sharing! How many does this serve?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
January 1, 2019 at 10:12 PMIt makes quite a bit, Jenni. When I serve it as a tortilla filling I’d say it serves at least 10 people. If you are going to eat it over rice, it would probably serve more.
Celia says
June 27, 2019 at 12:51 AMI’ve made this a few times, and everyone loves it! The first time I made it my fiance was looking in the crockpot like “what the heck” but once he took a bite he was hooked. Definitely recommend it. It’s so fast and easy to make, especially for those crazy busy days and you know you won’t have a whole lot of time to cook.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
July 1, 2019 at 11:28 AMThe part about your fiance looking into the crockpot made me laugh. It really doesn’t look that pretty or amazing does it? But we all know that looks can be deceiving of course! So glad you all enjoyed it!