Crisp homemade taco cups hold slow-cooked chicken rich with spice and flavor. Add fresh toppings and you have an tasty appetizer, Cinco de Mayo dish, or Taco Tuesday treat.
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There are clever taco serving dishes, with ridges to make the overflowing tacos stand up. They're very handy for tacos that would otherwise flop over on your plate, spilling their contents. But what if you don't have any of these silly plates?
This was the dilemma that inspired my recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups, featuring homemade taco shells that stay up all on their own.
Chicken thighs are coated in taco spices, and slow-cooked until perfectly tender. Next, I'll show you how to make simple taco cups using tortillas and a muffin pan!
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Why you'll love these Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups
Fill these cups with tender and spicy shredded chicken and set them out for family or guests to fill along with fresh toppings. There's no need for those fancy, pricey taco serving dishes. (Actually, they are plastic and cheap... but anyway, you won't have to buy any!)
While you're working or out or busy about the house, the chicken for the taco cups simmers away in the slow cooker with a zesty Mexican spice blend. This makes it an easy dinner or appetizer to pull together.
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups are a fun twist for your Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday or Saturday.) They're easy to set out for a party as an app, or for your kids' next pre-sleepover supper.
My recipe lists several toppings, but feel free to add in your favorites: sliced black olives, crumbled queso blanco, diced jalapeño, crema, or a crunchy, spicy slaw.
Winner winner!
Chicken and Quinoa Dinner!
Oven-baked chicken, fluffy quinoa, and fresh vegetables come together for a tasty family dinner, or a make-ahead lunch for work.
🔪 How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups
Prepare the chicken
Add the chicken to the slow cooker along with chicken stock, lime juice, and spices like cumin and oregano. Set the slow cooker to low and allow the chicken to cook for about 8 hours. It will be fall-apart tender when done.
Make the taco cups
Turn a muffin pan upside-down. Microwave a small stack of corn tortillas to warm them through and make them flexible. Brush both sides with olive oil and fit them into the spaces between the muffin wells. Bake the tortillas to create the taco cups.
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Shred the cooked chicken
Use a fork to pull the chicken apart into shreds. Pile the chicken into a serving bowl. Add in a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid and toss it through the shreds.
Assemble the taco cups... and eat!
Set out the bowl of shredded chicken and the baked taco cups, along with bowls of toppings like sour cream, salsa, shredded or crumbled cheese, diced tomato, lettuce - anything you'd like to pile onto those tacos!
Another spicy favorite!
Chorizo Quesadillas
Toasty tortillas filled with chorizo and cheese... they're freaking amazing!
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups Tips:
- This recipe calls for chicken thighs, which are great for a long, slow simmer in the slow cooker.
- These taco cups are pretty easy to make, and don't take too long. You can make them a day or two in advance and seal them in an airtight container
These taco cups make a tasty appetizer for a Cinco de Mayo party at your place - just add some Mexican beer, or better yet have your guests bring the beverages. If you're making them for dinner, round out the meal with a side of seasoned rice or refried beans.
Whether you make these for friends, family, or both, don't forget to switch on some music to set the mood - a mariachi music station on Pandora perhaps, or play your Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass records!
The Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups recipe is below. Here are a few more Mexican-inspired dishes you can try:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Cups
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Ingredients
- ½ cup chicken stock
- Juice from 1 lime
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
- 20 small corn tortillas (6-inch)
Optional Toppings:
- Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
- Shredded iceberg lettuce or small spring greens
- Diced scallions
- Mexican-blend shredded cheese or crumbled queso blanco
- Sour cream
- Salsa
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Pour the ½ cup chicken stock, Juice from 1 lime and 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a slow cooker or crock pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1½ teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Rub this blend all over the 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs. Place the chicken in the liquid in the slow cooker and cover.
- Cook the chicken on the low setting for about 8 hours until it is very tender and pulls apart easily.
Prepare the taco cups:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Have a 12-cup regular-size muffin pan ready and flip it upside down.
- Prepare the 20 small corn tortillas (6-inch): place a stack of 6 corn tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave them for about 20 seconds until they are very soft and warm. Brush both sides of all the tortillas with the remaining olive oil.
- Tuck one of the warmed tortillas into the space between the muffin wells to create a cup. Tuck the other 5 tortillas in the other spaces. Sprinkle a little salt over the cups.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake the tortillas for 15-18 minutes, until the cups are crisp but not too browned. Remove the taco cups to a cooling rack. Repeat the previous warming, oil and baking steps with the rest of the tortillas until all the tortillas are baked.
Shred the chicken
- When the chicken is done in the slow cooker, remove it to a cutting board: reserve ½ cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and discard the rest.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use a a fork to shred it.
- Place the chicken back in the slow cooker and toss it with the reserved liquid. Set the slow cooker to Warm and cover, until you are ready to serve the taco cups.
Serve the tacos
- Pile the warm chicken into a bowl. Set it out along with the taco cups.
- Set out bowls of your other toppings: Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced, Shredded iceberg lettuce or small spring greens, Diced scallions, Mexican-blend shredded cheese or crumbled queso blanco, Salsa and Sour cream—and any other toppings you like.
- Have your guests serve themselves, filling the taco cups with chicken and any toppings they desire.
Notes
- This recipe calls for chicken thighs, which are great for a long, slow simmer in the slow cooker.
- These taco cups are pretty easy to make, and don't take too long. You can make them a day or two in advance and seal them in an airtight container so they're ready to go on taco night.
Nutrition
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