This Slow Cooker Creamy Mexican Chicken makes a quick, easy dinner or freezer recipe. Made with simple ingredients but full of flavor, it’s great on its own or served over rice, farro or cauliflower rice.
*Originally published 2/2019. Updated 9/2024*
Hi friends!
This Crockpot Creamy Mexican Chicken recipe is for those of you requesting more crockpot recipes. It is SO easy to throw together the night before or the morning you want to make it. Or you could easily make it a freezer meal by tossing everything but the cream cheese in a ziploc bag and sticking it in the freezer until you need it.
Mexican Shredded Chicken in the Crock Pot
This dinner gets most of its flavor from the spices so feel free to really amp them up! Taste test and add more at the end if you want. You can make it mild or spicy by choosing the spice level of your salsa, peppers and chilis. If you’re a cilantro lover, mix a bunch of fresh cilantro in at the end. If you hate cilantro, leave it out! Want it creamy AND cheesy? Add a few handfuls of cheese after it’s done cooking. Or leave it out. Serve it over rice or farro, or cauliflower rice…or just by itself with some chips for scooping.
How to make slow cooker pulled Mexican chicken
Making this recipe couldn’t be easier thanks to the slow cooker. All you need to do is:
- Pour the salsa on the bottom of the slow cooker
- Add remaining ingredients except cream cheese and stir to combine
- Top with cream cheese.
- Shred the chicken and stir in the cream cheese.
- Serve however you want to!
Instant Pot Mexican Chicken
You could try this as Instant Pot Creamy Mexican Chicken if you want to but I would probably make a few adjustments. I would add about half a cup of chicken broth and leave out the cream cheese. Cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Shred the chicken, then add the cream cheese. Rest the cover on top and let it sit on the warm setting for 10 minutes or so until the cream cheese warms enough to mix in.
Crockpot Mexican Chicken Soup
If you wanted to turn this into a soup, you could do so by adding chicken broth. The cream cheese will still make it creamy but the broth will add liquid to make it more soup-like so you can easily eat it with a spoon.
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken is super flexible and you can’t really mess it up! The best kind of recipe in my opinion.
Slow Cooker Creamy Mexican Chicken
Easy Mexican Chicken Recipe
Here’s how you make it:
Slow Cooker Creamy Mexican Chicken
This Crockpot Mexican Chicken makes a quick, easy dinner or freezer recipe. Made with simple ingredients but full of flavor, it’s great on its own or served over rice, farro or cauliflower rice.
Ingredients
1 cup salsa
1.5 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced (optional)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chilis, optional (hot or mild)
8 oz cream cheese
Optional mix-ins: shredded cheese, avocado, fresh cilantro
Rice, farro or cauliflower rice for serving, optional
Instructions
- Pour salsa onto bottom of slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients (except cream cheese) and stir to combine.
- Place cream cheese on top.
- Cook on low 4-6 hours until chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred chicken and stir to mix in cream cheese. You can also mix cream cheese in about halfway through.
- Top with avocado, cheese, cilantro, additional salsa etc if desired.
- Serve over rice, farro or cauliflower rice if you want to!
Notes
To freeze, combine all ingredients except cream cheese in a ziploc bag and freeze. When ready to make, thaw in the fridge overnight, dump in slow cooker, top with cream cheese and cook as directed.
You could probably make this in the instant pot although I haven’t tried it myself. You’d just need to add 1/2 cup or so of chicken broth and probably remove a little bit of liquid before shredding and stirring to mix in the cream cheese.
So there you have it! So easy and so delicious!
Slow Cook Creamy Mexican Chicken Recipe FAQs
How can I make this slow cooker creamy Mexican chicken a meal?
I love this recipe because it’s already packed with protein and veggies. The best ways to make it a meal are to serve it over rice, use it as a topping for nachos, serve it with chips for scooping and put into tacos or lettuce wraps! You could also serve it over cauliflower rice or another grain like farro.
Can you freeze this creamy Mexican chicken and rice?
Yes. There are a couple of ways you could freeze this. Make as directed, cool and portion into Souper Cubes (aff link) or Ziploc bags to freeze. Or you could mix all the ingredients except cream cheese in a Ziploc bag and freeze before cooking. Then thaw in the fridge overnight, add to the crockpot and top with cream cheese. If you’re serving with rice, you can make and cool the rice and then freeze it separately.
What’s the best way to season Mexican chicken (Best spices for Mexican chicken)?
I love all the seasonings in this recipe. The cumin, chili powder and paprika go well together. You could also try taco seasoning to replace some or all of those spices. The jalapenos and green chilis are an easy way to add spice if you want it! And fresh cilantro at the end adds even more flavor.
Do you have any recipes for Mexican chicken thighs?
I don’t have any on this site but you could try:
What’s the best recipe for marinated Mexican chicken?
Here are a few marinades to try:
Could you make this Slow Cooker Creamy Mexican Chickenas baked Mexican chicken in the oven?
I have not tried adapting this recipe to the oven. If you’re looking specifically for a casserole you make in the oven, I probably wouldn’t try this recipe.
Slow Cooker Creamy Mexican Chicken
What are some other Mexican chicken recipes?
If you’re looking for some other Mexican-inspired recipes, try one of these or find more slow cooker recipes here:
Mexican Street Corn Dip
This Mexican Street Corn Dip is sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering. Spicy, flavorful and easy to make it’s perfect for dipping with chips!
Slow Cooker Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
This slow cooker chicken quinoa enchilada casserole is perfect for lunch or dinner on a busy week. Or enjoy some now and freeze half for later.
Sweet Potato Chicken Chili {Instant Pot or Slow Cooker}
This Sweet Potato Chicken Chili can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy, healthy dinner. And the leftovers make the perfect packable lunch.
Cilantro Lime Chicken {Slow Cooker or Instant Pot}
This Cilantro Lime Chicken is the perfect healthy dinner recipe and can be made in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot. Serve it over rice or as a filling for tacos. You can even prep it ahead of time and freeze until you need it.
Instant Pot Farro Enchilada Casserole
This Instant Pot Farro Enchilada Casserole is the perfect weeknight dinner. It’s also great for meal prep, freezes well and is made with pantry staples!
Baked Ranch Chicken Taquitos
These Baked Ranch Chicken Taquitos are a quick and easy, kid-friendly option for lunch or dinner and a great way to use up leftover chicken. Make a double batch and freeze some for a busy week!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
