This easy Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas recipe only needs a few ingredients for delicious healthy chicken fajitas in your slow cooker.
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I always search for good recipes and extra points for great Mexican, slow cooker, or chicken recipes. This triple-winner makes an excellent Mexican dinner while cooking chicken in your slow cooker.
👍Why you will love this recipe
- Crock pot fajitas are an easy way to have great Mexican at home.
- No need to marinade or saute before cooking the raw chicken in the crock pot.
- You can use chicken breasts, thighs, or even rotisserie chicken.
- Use a few pantry ingredients for seasoning (recommended) or packed seasoning mix.
- Cheap and easy to make. Even the most inexperienced home cook can handle it.
- Goes well for many healthy diets like low-calorie, low-fat, keto, or low-carb.
- It makes delicious and tender chicken fajitas the whole family will love.
Other chicken fajita recipes you may like include Easy Chicken Fajitas, a stovetop recipe with wonderful marinade. Or by different methods with Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas or Grilled Chicken Fajitas. Or, for a change of pace, try these Chicken Fajita Quesadillas.
This recipe was inspired by chicken fajita from Reynolds. But I have expanded the details, simplified, and added options so you can make it your way.
🐓Ingredients
- Chicken—usually skinless boneless breasts or thighs
- Salsa
- Bell peppers and onion
- Seasoning—Packaged fajita or taco seasoning or pantry spices (preferred): chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
👨🍳How to make crock pot chicken fajitas
- Trim raw chicken into chunks and prep bell peppers and onion.
- Add the chicken, salsa, and spices to a smaller crock pot, mix until the chicken is coated, then add bell pepper and onion.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours until chicken reaches 165°. Shredded chicken, then cook another 20 minutes for flavor.
- Serve with tortillas and toppings of your choice.
This is a summary of the steps. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for full instructions.
✔️Tips
- You can cut the chicken into thin strips across the grain or use chunks to shred near the end of cooking. Whole breasts are likely to lead to overcooked vegetables.
- If using thighs, cook to 185° to be tender.
- To use precooked rotisserie chicken, use 3 to 4 cups. Add it to the cooker when the vegetables are tender—cooking time will be decreased.
- Salsa adds a lot of great taste, but you can also use diced tomatoes with green chilies (RoTel), or for a blander taste, use diced tomatoes.
- Premade fajita or taco seasoning may replace the spices, but most of them are fillers and will not add much taste.
- To adjust the "heat" of the fajitas, you can change up the salsa or add a little cayenne pepper.
↕️How to make this more "for two" or "family size."
This is a straightforward recipe to cut in half or double. As written, it makes
The full recipe makes about eight servings of single fajitas (for four people or 2 with leftovers).
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to half or double.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot.
- A double recipe fits in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
❓FAQs
No. Frozen chicken is a safety and health hazard in a slow cooker. You will have difficulty reaching a safe temperature due to the cooking temperature, according to the USDA. Also, there is a risk of breaking ceramic inserts.
It will take longer to cook than thawed chicken so the other ingredients may be overcooked.
So always thaw chicken before placing it in a crock pot.
When you start cooking this recipe, it will look like it needs added liquid, like chicken broth. But moisture is released from the chicken, and the bell peppers may produce excess liquid at the end of cooking.
Remove the chicken and vegetables from the crock pot with a slotted spoon and allow any liquid to drain back into the crock pot. When all the solids are removed, discard the liquid.
🍴Serving and leftovers
Use finishing ingredients like corn or flour tortillas, cheese, lime juice, cilantro, and sour cream. Common sided-dishes are guacamole, sliced avocado, pico de Gallo, salsa, refried beans, Mexican rice, or black beans.
To store leftovers, refrigerate in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Good in the freezer for 2-3 months, but thaw overnight in a refrigerator before reheating
Reheat in the microwave, on a stovetop, or in the oven. Leftovers are excellent cold served on a green salad.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Use the raw chicken you want—skinless boneless chicken breasts, thighs, or chicken tenders.
Trim 1 ½ to 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts. You can cut them into a few chunks to shred later in the recipe. Or, if using chicken strips, cut the chicken cross-grain and only about ¼ to ⅜ inch thick.
Chop 2-3 bell peppers color of your choice—slice 1 large onion into thin rings.
Add ¾ cup salsa to a smaller crock pot. Mix in 4 teaspoons of chili powder. Add 1 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Mix well and spread over the bottom evenly.
Add chicken to the salsa, coat the chicken, and then top with all the veggies.
Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or low heat for 4 - 6 hours. It is done when the chicken is 165° and the vegetables are tender.
If you want shredded chicken, pull out the chunks of chicken and shred them. Mix back into the crock pot and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from crock pot with a slotted spoon and discard excess fluid. Serve with tortillas and toppings of choice.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds Chicken - breasts, tenders, or thighs
- ¾ cup salsa
- 2-3 bell peppers - color of your choice
- 1 onion - large sliced thin
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- tortillas and toppings for serving
Instructions
- Trim 1 ½ to 2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts. You can cut them into a few chunks to shred later in the recipe. Or, if using chicken strips, cut the chicken cross-grain and only about ¼ to ⅜ inch thick.
- Chop 2-3 bell peppers color of your choice—slice 1 large onion into thin rings.
- Add ¾ cup salsa to a smaller crock pot. Mix in 4 teaspoons of chili powder. Add 1 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Mix well and spread over the bottom evenly.
- Add chicken to the salsa, coat the chicken, and then top with all the veggies.
- Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or low heat for 4 - 5 hours. It is done when the chicken is 165° and the vegetables are tender.
- If you want shredded chicken, pull out the chunks of chicken and shred them. Mix back into the crock pot and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from crock pot with a slotted spoon and discard excess fluid. Serve with tortillas and toppings of choice.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can use the chicken you like. Skinless boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders are mostly used. You can use thighs but will need to cook a bit longer to about 185°.
- You can use precooked chicken, cut up, or shredded. Use 3 to 4 cups and put it in the crock pot and mix well when the vegetables are tender.
- This fits nicely in a 3 ½ quart crockpot but can be cooked in a larger crock pot. If doing a double batch, use a 6-quart or larger. A half recipe will work in a 2 quart crock pot.
- Cooking time varies due to crock pot variations. Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or low heat 4 - 5 hours. It is done when the chicken is 165° and the vegetables are tender.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days. Good frozen sealed well for 2-3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published July 30, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Nancy says
very good
Laurie says
I made this a few days ago and we loved it. It was tasty, not too spicy and simple to prepare. The only problem with it is the favorable smell went thru the house! We had some leftover to freeze which made us very happy!
Thank you!
marcy youker says
love your recipes, I usually cut them down for 2, thanks, keep up the good work!
Johnny says
How wide do you slice your chicken strips? Yours look pretty wide in the photo. Also, yours look a lot longer than 1" in the photo. Is the idea to cut them into eatable strips before cooking like you would if you were making fajitas in a skillet, or do you cut the chicken up a bit after it has cooked? By the way, I love your Easy Chicken Fajitas, but I just wanted to try them in the crockpot. Thanks.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Johnny,
Welcome to the blog. I break up the chicken some after cooking with a spoon. My wife likes what she calls "chunky shred". But cut them up a bit before cooking if you want.
Dan