First published September 12, 2022. Last updated April 24, 2025 for editorial improvements.
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Spice up taco night with a Tex-Mex twist that’s easy, hearty, and perfect for busy weeknights. This slow cooker Santa Fe chicken is a dump-and-cook dream—just toss it in and walk away. It’s packed with healthy ingredients and makes enough to feed a crowd. Serve it over rice with a little Monterey Jack on top, and you’ve got a fiesta-worthy dinner the whole family will love.
🧾 Ingredients
We like to use skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use thighs, whole chicken, or even make Santa Fe shredded pork by using a small pork butt or pork tenderloins. It's a favorite crockpot tailgating recipe during football season!
🔪 How to make Santa Fe Chicken
By letting the chicken continue simmering after shredding it, you allow all the flavors to blend—don't skip this step!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken
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- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
- 10.5 ounces Rotel, or other diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 8 ounces frozen corn
- 4 ounces chiles, fire roasted
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the crock with non-stick cooking spray or use a liner.
- Lay the chicken in the bottom.
- Top with the remaining ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 ½ hours.
- Shred chicken with 2 forks,, put the cover back on and cook an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve over rice with your favorite toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc.
Notes
- For extra easy clean-up, use a crockpot liner.
- Save time by using frozen, chopped onions.
- Chicken thighs or boneless pork can be substituted for the chicken breast.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Double-check with your slow cooker's instructions (or look 'em up on the brand's website) to make sure. Most of the time, you can safely replace 8-10 hours on low with 3-4 hours on high, but some slow cookers recommend not altering recipe instructions.
If the perfect meal for you involves something creamy, go ahead and add a half-block of cream cheese and a handful of cheddar cheese after shredding the chicken. The final 30 minutes will let it get all melty and warm. Just give everything a good stir before serving. (Or, try this fiesta chicken recipe!)
🍽️ Serve with...
Although this doesn't need much to make it a meal I like to serve it over rice with Frito Corn Salad to add some crunch. Hatch Chile Cheese Bread is so unique and delicious! The flavors go perfectly with the chicken. And, if you need to end on something sweet - Mexican Hot Chocolate Cobbler is done in minutes in the microwave!
📚 Related recipes
- Texas Two-Step Salsa Chicken only requires a handful of ingredients, even fewer steps than that to prepare it, and comes out tasting tender, spicy, and a little sweet—it's pretty much dinner perfection.
- Creamy, spicy, and full of Sante Fe flavor, Easy Fiesta Chicken is Tex-Mex comfort food at its finest. Use it in tacos, burrito bowls, or make it into soup!
- Chicken Fajita Soup is one of those recipes that simmers all day in the
slow cooker , and has an aroma so enticing that you'd better be ready to answer the question "is dinner ready yet?!" about a million times.
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