Rotel Crock Pot Chicken Recipe
Rotel Crock Pot Chicken for Easy Family Dinners
If you need a quick, budget-friendly, and versatile meal, this Rotel Crock Pot Chicken is the answer. With only a few ingredients and a slow cooker, you’ll have flavorful shredded chicken ready for tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and more. It’s one of those set-it-and-forget-it dinners the whole family will devour! I often pair it with our avocado black bean spread for creamy, hearty tacos.
What Does Rotel Crock Pot Chicken Taste Like?
Rotel chicken is tender, juicy shredded chicken simmered with Rotel tomatoes and taco seasoning. It’s zesty, savory, and slightly spicy (heat varies by Rotel variety). Once shredded, the chicken soaks up the flavorful juices, making every bite delicious. I especially love this chicken in tacos with avocado black bean spread and shredded cheese—simple and irresistible.
Slow Cooker, Instant Pot & Stovetop Directions
Slow Cooker: Place chicken, Rotel, and taco seasoning in the Crock-Pot. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours until chicken is tender. Shred and mix with juices before serving.
Instant Pot: Add chicken, Rotel, and ½ cup chicken broth to the pot. Cook on high pressure for 10–12 minutes (depending on thickness), quick release, then shred. For more guidance, see our Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken.
Stovetop: Place all ingredients in a large pot. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 35–40 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F, then shred and return to the juices.
What is Rotel?
Rotel is a brand of canned diced tomatoes blended with green chilies and spices. It’s a pantry staple for quick Tex-Mex meals and dips like queso. Learn more on the official Rotel site. For more ideas, browse all our Rotel recipes.
Serving Suggestions & Variations
- Tacos: Spoon into tortillas with cheese, lettuce, salsa, and avocado.
- Burrito Bowls: Serve over rice with beans, corn, and fresh toppings.
- Lettuce Wraps (low-carb): Swap tortillas for lettuce leaves.
- Nachos: Layer chicken over tortilla chips with queso and jalapeños.
- Meal Prep: Portion into containers with veggies and rice for grab-and-go lunches.
Tips for Success
- Use homemade taco seasoning for a budget-friendly, clean-ingredient blend.
- If the mixture looks watery, don’t worry—it thickens once the chicken is shredded and juices are absorbed.
- Freeze leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Make cleanup easier with a slow cooker liner.
FAQs About Rotel Crock Pot Chicken
Can I use frozen chicken?
Yes, but thawing is recommended for even cooking. If cooking from frozen, extend slow cooker time by 1–2 hours. Always ensure chicken reaches 165°F (per USDA chicken safety guidelines).
How do I store leftovers?
Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot. Add a splash of broth if needed to rehydrate.
Is this recipe dairy-free?
Yes. The chicken itself is dairy-free. Add cheese or sour cream only if desired, or use dairy-free alternatives.
Can I make it spicier or milder?
For mild, use Original or Mild Rotel. For heat, use Hot Rotel or add diced jalapeños or chipotle in adobo.
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Rotel Crock Pot Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 10 oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
- ⅓ cup chicken broth can use water as substitute
- 1 packet taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- soft corn tortillas
- 2 avocados
- 1 can black beans
- shredded Colby jack cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
- Mix Rotel, chicken broth & taco seasoning together, then pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Shred chicken, then mix with the remaining Rotel/broth mixture from slow cooker.
- Drain and rinse black beans. Warm the beans, if desired. Mash them with a fork, leaving mixture chunky.
- Scoop out contents of avocados and mash, leaving mixture chunky.
- Mix mashed beans & mashed avocado together. Spread mixture evenly on warm tortillas (warm tortillas in pan on stove over med-low heat). Sprinkle with cheese. Add a scoop of chicken mixture and a dollop of sour cream.
- Roll and enjoy!
Nutrition
About Stacy
Stacy Maines is a frugal living expert with 15+ years of experience sharing recipes, deals, and money-saving tips. She loves creating easy family-friendly meals and helping readers save time and money in the kitchen.
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What is rotel? this sounds so good but I have never heard of rotel and i am lost. THanks
Andy,
Here is the link for info about Rotel :https://www.ro-tel.com/products.jsp.You can find it at most grocery stores. Hope that helps! And trust me, the recipe is as good as it sounds! 🙂
All right, here is my stupid question. 🙂 I have just started using my Crock Pot more and does the chicken need to be defrosted or can it go in frozen? Thanks! 😉
Also for Andy…It can be hard to find in a grocery store. Sometimes it’s with the Mexican foods (like salsa), the pasta isle (like with the spaghetti sauce jars), or with the canned products (like tomatoes).
No such thing as a stupid question! Plop the chicken in frozen! That’s why Crock Pots are sooo FAB! You can use thawed as well. The recipe will work great both ways. And the cooking time is really 6-8 hours, but I like the chicken falling apart. So much easier to shred that way. So if you use frozen, I would cook on the long end!
Just a tip, it really depends on your crockpot size. I have the mondo 6 quart crock pot, and a lot of the time if I cook things as long as recipes say, it burns and the chicken gets dry. Soooo you might want to consider that if your crockpot is on the big size!
Glad to know it’s not just me! I have been having that problem lately where I cook it even on the short end of what a recipe calls for and the meat is dried out. I just thought it was me. I never even thought of that it might be the crockpot! Lol. So, that makes sense. I have the same issue, as I use a 6-qt as well. Good to know…thanks!
I’m convinced that the brand of crockpot makes all the difference. I’ve had some different ones over the years, but I didn’t love crock-pot cooking until I invested in a really good quality appliance. I have a waterless slow-cooker by West Bend, and it is awesome!
I’ll put in a roast, chicken, turkey, ham, along with some broth (or with ham we like cream of celery soup) and whatever root vegetables I have on hand, turn it on low, and head off to work. When we get home 10 hours later, dinner is hot and ready, and the house smells wonderful. It’s especially wonderful to come home to in the winter months when it’s cold and dark by the time we get home. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the meat is always tender and juicy. I’ve never burned anything in this pot, unlike other crockpots I’ve owned in the past. Westbend is expensive, but for me it’s been worth every penny I spent on it.
Susan, Thank you so much for the advice about slow cookers! I was going to buy another Crock Pot this week, as my handle broke on mine. I will definitely look into getting a Westbend one instead! Can you tell me what model you bought?
This does sound delicious but PLEASE do not plop frozen breasts in the crock pot! I have been told from someone in the food industry that this is not 100% safe with poultry!
Hmm, I’ve never heard that! I do it all the time!
What is unsafe about it? I’ve taken chicken from the freezer and put it straight into a slow-cooker for years, and we’ve never gotten sick from it.
I set frozen turkey cutlets in my crock pot this morning. They turned out FAB! 🙂 I place frozen meat in the crock pot all the time.
IF I COOK THE CHICKEN ON HIGH ,HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
It depends on your slow cooker, but I would guess 3-5 hours?
Awesome 🙂 I’ll have to give this a try this coming week. Thanks for the recipe!
My sil taught me a quick way to shred meat. Once cooked, break up once or twice with your fork, then get out your hand mixer. Turn on your mixer and it will shred you meat perfectly. I wasn’t sure about it the first time, but it turned out great. I save tons of time using this trick. Plus spraying the crock pot with pam prior to cooking makes for a quick, easy clean up. I love my Crock Pot.
Emmy,
That’s how I do it! My sister taught me that & I too thought she was crazy. Works like a charm. I’ve been doing it that way ever since!
I didn’t even think to mention that in the recipe. I think I’ll add it now! Thanks for thinking of it!
I LOVE the Reynolds crock pot liners. I got them super cheap with coupons a while back and stocked up so now clean up is a BREEZE!
Thanks for this tip! I never would have thought of using a hand mixer to shred meat. We like pulled pork and make it in the slow-cooker quite often. Next time I’m definately using the mixer.
So, I just took out some chicken breasts to thaw the day before yesterday and have been wondering what I was going to do with them…well, I’m headed straight to the crockpot right now! 🙂 Lol. Oh, and a friend of mine gave me a very similar recipe a couple of weeks ago, but instead of the Rotel tomatoes, I used a jar of salsa. Also, after you’ve shredded your chicken and shortly before serving, throw in a couple of cubes of Velveeta cheese! It’s scrumptious!
Thank you for a way to use up some of my Rotel! Woohoo!
Thank you! Right after I read your post I fired up the crockpot and threw everything in! WOOT!
This is such a great dish. I didn’t know about Rotel tomatoes until Fab. Frugal. I bought some coupons on ebay for Rotel tomatoes. We probably have a stockpile for a year- been collecting since December.
What a great deal at Albies!
Thanks for this. I had some Zaycon chicken I thawed two days ago sitting in my fridge that I had forgotten about. Now it is in the crock pot!!
How did it turn out, Sophie?
Delish! I also roasted some sweet mini peppers to go with it. I dont like black beans, so I just melted the cheese on the tortillas, layered with sour cream, the chicken, the sweet peppers and avacado on top. It was so good!! And so easy!! This is going in my regular recipe rotation.
YUMMY! My mouth is watering!
Trying it this week, sounds yummy, thanks for sharing!
For those of us that didn’t get the Rotel when it was a great deal (assuming the deal is over), what can you use to replace the Rotel? Diced tomatoes, green chilies and spices?
Dina,
That would work perfectly!
I would love to see a pic of the end result. That way I know what mine is supposed to look like.
Angela
Very tasty and easy to prepare. It can be cooked in high for 4 – 5 hours with the same results. I removed the excess juice when I removed the chicken to shred. I used 2 – 2.25 pounds of chicken, which was great. I drained the chunky-style Rotel tomatoes before adding the taco seasoning and broth. My family enjoyed it!!
Thanks for your review, Sheila! Glad your family enjoyed it!
Can you use skinless shredded rotisserie chicken instead for those short on time.