These Tequila Chicken Tacos are made in the slow cooker for an easy, flavorful dinner. Chicken breast is simmered with Mexican spices and tequila, then served in tortillas with jalapeno cream and pico de gallo.
If you love Mexican food, you’ll love these Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas too. Or shake things up with these Slow Cooker French Dip Sammies!
Why this Recipe is Best
Going out to dinner with me, you can always count on me to order tacos. Usually my choice would be Fish Tacos. Mainly because I love the sauce and fixins they put on it!
Instead of fish tacos today, I’ve got a Tequila Chicken Taco recipe that my whole family loved.
- This chicken cooks for hours in the slow cooker while you don’t lift a finger.
- It’s extra juicy with a mouthwatering tangy, spicy and sweet flavor.
- I topped these with m pico de gallo for a hint of freshness.
- Homemade jalapeno cream sauce gives this dish that “bite” you want!
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – I opted for chicken breast in this recipe. Boneless chicken thighs could be used as well.
- Tequila – The alcohol cooks off while the sauce simmers leaving behind a complex, tangy flavor you’ll love.
- Spices – A blend of cumin, ginger and garlic salt is used to season the chicken.
- Pico de gallo – I made a batch of this homemade pico de gallo. Or you can use store fresh salsa if that’s easier!
- Jalapeno sauce – This is made from a blend of sour cream, mayo, lime juice and spices for a delicious blend of cooling, creamy and spicy flavors.
Easy Instructions
The most labor intensive part of making these Tequila Chicken Tacos is preparing the jalapeno cream sauce. Even that takes only a few minutes to blend everything together.
For the chicken:
Add the chicken to the bottom of your slow cooker. Stir together the other ingredients and pour them over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours, until the chicken is easy to shred with a fork.
For the toppings:
While the chicken cooks, combine the ingredients for the jalapeno cream sauce. Whisk together until smooth and combined. Cover the sauce and chill it for at least 4 hours.
Prepare the pico de gallo before the chicken finishes cooking, if you haven’t done so already.
To serve:
Use two forks to shred the chicken. Ladle it onto tortillas then top with pico de gallo and jalapeno cream sauce. Serve right away!
Tips and Tricks
- Make the cream sauce in advance. The creamy jalapeno topping tastes even better when it’s had more time to chill. I like to prep the sauce the night before I make the tequila chicken tacos.
- Heat your tortillas. For best tasting tacos, warm the tortillas in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few seconds per side. It makes a difference!
- Storing leftovers. Store the chicken in an airtight container in the fridge separately from the toppings and tortillas. Enjoy leftovers within 2- 3 days.
- More serving suggestions. This chicken is delicious on more than just tacos! Try it on salads, in burritos, or in a bowl over rice.
Recipe FAQs
Pair these tacos with a side of cilantro lime rice or this Mexican street corn salad for a dinner that’s better than chipotle. Give these churros a try for dessert!
If you prefer not to cook with tequila, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth instead. Even water would work, although it won’t impart the chicken with as much flavor.
Taking the time to chill the sauce gives all those separate flavors a chance to mingle and combine. I highly recommend planning ahead to allow time for chilling.
Since you’re slow cooking the chicken, you can whisk together the sauce ingredients right after you put the chicken in the slow cooker. By the time the chicken is done, your sauce will be chilled and ready to go!
Yes, you can freeze the chicken after slow cooking. I recommend making the sauce fresh!
More Easy Weeknight Dinners
- Taco Potato Boat: all your favorite taco ingredients piled high onto a baked potato!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili: no time for prep, this easy chili recipe is a huge hit!
- Baked Tacos: forget the crumbly shell, these crunchy tacos don’t fall apart after one bite!
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Tequila Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup tequila
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
For the toppings:
- 3 cups fresh pico de gallo
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 jalapeno finely diced and seeded
- ¼ teaspoon dill
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- tortillas
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, place chicken breasts in bottom. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, tequila, garlic salt, ginger, cumin, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Whisk together and pour over chicken.
- Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Prepare pico de gallo ahead of time to serve on tacos.
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, jalapeno, dill, paprika, cumin and chili powder. Whisk until fully blended. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or more.
- To serve: shred chicken in large chunks. Place in middle of tortilla. Top with fresh pico de gallo and spoon some jalapeno sauce over the top. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Slow cooker Tequila Chicken Tacos are an easy meal that’s perfect for a busy weekday. You’ll love the combination of spicy, cool and creamy flavors in these chicken tacos!
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I wish you could have seen my face when I scrolled to the picture, lol. These look amazing! We’re in the never-ending move right now, but I’m so incredibly ready to get back into planning legit meals. No offense, to pizza rolls, but I think we’ve all had enough of that. These are definitely on my menu!
Haha the moving meals….I’m all too familiar. I hope you settle in soon 🙂
Does the tequila reduce so kids can enjoy as well?
Sure does 🙂
Aimee, I just found this recipe on Pinterest (suggested to me by Pinterest 😉 and it sounds so yummy! Do you think the chicken and sauce would freeze well (separately of course)? I seem to have developed a second job cooking and freezing for the child who’s away at college 🙂
You can definitely freeze the chicken. I would make the sauce fresh though! So glad you found me 🙂
Anything with tequila gets my attention! These are fantastic.
Oh I love Mexican food, these look fantastic Aimee! I can’t wait to try this!
These taco look amazing!
These tacos look amazing and you are a genius!! 🙂 If the hubby won’t take you out, just refuse to make dinner. Throw a tantrum. It always worked with the kids, right? Lol. I would love these for dinner tonight!!
Could you suggest a substitute for the tequila? I don’t cook with alcohol, but these do sound delicious.
Thanks!
You can use chicken broth…or even water. ENJOY 🙂
Totally wish I had a couple of these bad boys right now! Love the tequila spike 🙂
A shot for the chicken and a shot for me 🙂
Tequila chicken tacos, you just nailed it today, Aimee! 😉
YES! Thanks 🙂
These tacos sound delicious! Usually I just do basic shrimp tacos, but I can totally get behind these flavorful chicken ones.
Shrimp Tacos sound amazing too 🙂
I love making tacos using my slow cooker and am always looking for new flavor combos so this sounds great!
Thanks Erin! I think you will love this one 🙂
Sounds good to me! We eat so many Chicken tacos in my house!
Enjoy Julianne!
These look so fresh and juicy! Yum 🙂
Those look perfect for Cinco de Mayo! I love the jalapeno cream.
I seriously love any dish that you can make in a slow cooker! What a time saver! I call my slow cooker the “magic time machine”. You just put the ingredients in, walk away, and return later to find an amazing flavorful meal! I love your make ahead tips, those are so helpful for me since I work two jobs – definitely got to plan ahead! Great recipe!
magic time machine…just yes!!!
I love tacos a lot too, but I almost never order them out because we eat them all the time around here! Love the flavor combo you have going on in these colorful tacos. And that jalapeño cream sauce…YUM!!!
I love all the colors in this dish! So much yum!
I think I could eat ANYTHING that has jalapeño cream sauce on it! Starting with these tacos sounds like the best plan though. 🙂