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๐Ÿ Home ยป Recipes ยป Mexican Recipes

Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken

Updated: Jan 21, 2024 ยท Published: Sep 17, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan ยท 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Time: 4 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Make creamy Tex-Mex in your slow cooker with this easy Festa Chicken recipe with chicken, black beans, salsa, and sour cream. Use in tacos, nachos, burritos, on a salad, or in a bowl with rice.

Only a few minutes of active work will get you a easy weeknight dinner to remember from your slow cooker.

Ingredients

Chickenโ€”raw chicken breasts or thighs
Salsa
Vegetablesโ€”black beans, corn
Sour cream or cream cheese
Pantry ingredientsโ€”chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper

spoon full of fiesta chicken over the crock pot.
Jump To (scroll for more)
  • Ingredients
  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Festa Chicken in the Crock Potโ€”Step by Step
  • Variations
  • Can I use Rotisserie Chicken?
  • Other Tex-Mex Recipes
  • โ†•๏ธHow to make this a "for two" friendly recipe or larger for a crowd
  • Serving
  • Storage of leftovers
  • FAQs
  • ๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

Feast chicken combines Mexican flavors with chicken, black beans, and corn in a creamy spicy sauce.

This is an excellent recipe for when you want something different from the ordinary and don't want to work for it. Feast chicken and black beans pair well with rice; just serve it over rice or with rice in a tortilla or bowl.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Festa Chicken in the Crock Potโ€”Step by Step

Raw chicken with spices and black beans.
trimmed chicken breasts on a red board.

1. Trim chicken of any trimmable fat.

rinsing black beans under running water.

2. Drain and rinse black beans. One cup of beans is enough, but I like a lot of beans and use the entire can.

adding black beans to slow cooker.

3. To a 3 quart or larger crock pot, add 1 cup of black beans, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, ยฝ teaspoon of cumin, ยฝ teaspoon of garlic powder, ยฝ teaspoon of onion powder, ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.

covering chicken breast with bean mixture.

4. Add the chicken into the mixture and spoon some on top. Cook on low for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender and 165ยฐ.

shedding chicken with forks.

5. Remove the chicken breasts and shred them. Place back in the pot and add ยฝ cup sour cream or cream cheese. And finish cooking another 30 minutes.

Fiesta chicken as nachos with tomato and cheese topping.

6. Serve as you wish, as nachos, in tacos, on tortillas, over rice, or in a burrito bowl with rice.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

Variations

  1. Make it lower fat by using low-fat sour cream and choosing low-fat serving methods like a salad. Do not use low-fat cream cheeseโ€”it will not melt well.
  2. Make it spicier with spicy salsa or RoTelยฎ๏ธ. You can also add a bit of cayenne pepper.
  3. Skinless boneless chicken thighs may be used instead of breasts but must cook closer to 180ยฐ to shred well.
  4. Optional ingredients like bell pepper or sliced olives may be added, but be aware they may need the entire cooking time if you use rotisserie chicken. I like a lot of black beans, so I usually double the beans.
  5. Add the juice of one to two limes with the sour cream for a Feast lime chicken.

Can I use Rotisserie Chicken?

Pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, will be fine. It will take about 3 cups of shredded chicken to replace each pound of raw chicken. You can also use this freezer-burnt chicken recipe to use in this recipe.

Cook the initial ingredients with the cooked chicken for about 1 hour on low, then add the sour cream for another 30 minutes.

Other Tex-Mex Recipes

If you like this recipe, check out these other Tex-Mex recipes like Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Homemade Enchilada Sauce, and Crock Pot Chicken Tacos.

Or make your Mexican healthy with Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casseroleโ€”Easy and Quick, Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Carnitas (Carnitas de Pollo), or Pork Tenderloin Carnitas.

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โ†•๏ธHow to make this a "for two" friendly recipe or larger for a crowd

This is an easy recipe to cut in half or double. The full recipe makes about 8 cups of 4 large servings.

  1. Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings.
  2. Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructionsโ€”those do not adjust.
  3. The half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot. A double recipe will need a 6-quart or large crock pot.
  4. Cook for the same amount of time.

Serving

Serve with typical Mexican toppings or side dishes, like corn chips and salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, Guacamole, or Mexican Rice.

Storage of leftovers

Good store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

FAQs

Why is the chicken dry?

Chicken becomes very dry is overcooked. While you should cook to 165ยฐ for safety, for best results, stop cooking breasts at that point. For thighs, you should cook to 180ยฐ for tenderness.

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

Crock Pot Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Mini Crock Pot Recipes, Small Crock Pots Recipes

Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions

spoon full of fiesta chicken over the crock pot.

Crock Pot Fiesta Chicken

4.45 from 20 votes
From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Make delicious and creamy Tex-Mex with this easy Crock Pot Festa Chicken recipe with chicken, black beans, salsa, and sour cream. Use it in tacos, nachos, burritos, on a salad, or in a bowl with rice.
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings #/Adjustable :4
Print | Pin | Email share | Like and save for later Saved!

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric
  • 1 ยฝ pounds Skinless boneless chicken breast - or thighs
  • 1 to 2 cups black beans - drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn - frozen
  • 1 cup salsa - thick and medium spicy preferred
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon cumin
  • ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ cup sour cream or cream cheese

Step-by-Step Instructions
 

  • Trim chicken of any trimmable fat.
  • Drain and rinse black beans. One cup of beans is enough, but I like a lot of beans and use the entire can.
  • To a 3 quart or larger crock pot, add 1 cup of black beans, 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, ยฝ teaspoon of cumin, ยฝ teaspoon of garlic powder, ยฝ teaspoon of onion powder, ยฝ teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
  • Add the chicken into the mixture and spoon some on top. Cook on low for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender and 165ยฐ.
  • Remove the chicken breasts and shred them. Place back in the pot and add ยฝ cup sour cream or cream cheese. And finish cooking another 30 minutes.
  • Serve as you wish, as nachos, in tacos, on tortillas, over rice, or in a burrito bowl with rice.

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

  1. This fits nicely in a 3-quart crock pot. You can use a bigger crock pot if you want. A double recipe needs 6 quarts or bigger and a half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot.
  2. I like black beans and suggest a whole can rinsed and drained. But half a can is fine.
  3. Cook until the chicken is 165ยฐ or a bit more. It will shred well at that point. The exact time will vary by the thickness and size of the chicken alone with your crock pot.ย 
  4. You can use skinless boneless chicken thighs, but cook to 175ยฐ - 180ยฐ.
  5. You can also use pre-cooked shredded rotisserie chickenโ€”see instructions in the recipe post above.
  6. The seasoning is still relatively mild. You can adjust it to your taste.
  7. I have never been a fan of cream cheese in recipes like this, but it is common. Use either sour cream or cream cheese.
  8. Good refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for 3 months.

Your Own Private Notes

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To adjust the recipe size:

You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.

Nutrition Estimate (may vary)

Calories : 372.7 kcal (19%)Carbohydrates : 25.7 g (9%)Protein : 43.3 g (87%)Fat : 11.3 g (17%)Saturated Fat : 4.1 g (21%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 1.5 gMonounsaturated Fat : 2.9 gTrans Fat : 0.02 gCholesterol : 125.8 mg (42%)Sodium : 1248.5 mg (52%)Potassium : 1123.4 mg (32%)Fiber : 6.7 g (27%)Sugar : 5.4 g (6%)Vitamin A : 1243.5 IU (25%)Vitamin C : 5.7 mg (7%)Calcium : 80.2 mg (8%)Iron : 2.6 mg (14%)

Editor's Note: Originally Published August 21, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

Molly and Lilly with a stuffed toy.

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  1. Diana says

    April 05, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    Seems this item could be used for tacos or quesadillas. Using Carb Balance tortillas which have just 6 grams of fat each is helpful for diabetics. They are tasty! And no, I donโ€™t work for them. LOL

    Reply
  2. Lara says

    August 21, 2016 at 1:10 pm

    Have all the ingredients on hand and will make this tomorrow. Yummy!

    Also ... recipe shows adding 1 cup of corn twice? Assume this is just a typo?

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      August 21, 2016 at 1:17 pm

      Thanks for the proof-read. I actually added the second one in after not seeing the first one just before publishing... The vision is going.

DrDan imageHi, I'm DrDan.
Welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy step-by-step photo instructions.
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