Chicken quarters make a GREAT slow cooker cooking option! If you're a working person and using boneless, skinless chicken usually leaves you with a dried out, rubbery mess for dinner...well you might want to try bone-in chicken as an option. And THIS crock pot Mexican chicken is a YUMMY way to use them! AND it only takes 5 ingredients too 😊
This recipe came about on a farm work day. One of those days I'd be "around" but not close enough to watch anything cooking. I had intended to go for a shredded crock pot Mexican chicken. That's what I wrote the original recipe for anyway.
BUT guess what? I forgot to check for boneless, skinless chicken meat. Well, I didn't actually forget...I looked and thought that's what I had. But didn't look close enough. SURPRISE...it was chicken quarters. Pssstt...larger freezer labels OR better handwriting might be a good freezer meal tip. I know it's something I personally need to focus on. 😊
SO, as a result of a mild oops on my part here's a new crock pot Mexican chicken recipe. It turned out really good!
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Step by Step Crockpot Mexican Chicken Quarters
There's absolutely nothing difficult about this. I didn't have any time to get super involved. I KNOW some people hate the term...but others LIVE by it. It's a super easy "dump and go" crock pot recipe.
- Toss the chicken in the slow cooker; oil or spray the insert first.
- Pour the broth over the top of the chicken. 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups depending on how soupy you want it when you serve it. I opted for 1 even cup.
- Dump on the tomatoes, then the chiles, and lastly the Mexican seasoning.
- Cover it up and cook it all day.
Slow Cooker Cook Times for Bone-In vs Boneless Chicken
Bone-in chicken is a great option for all day cooking in the crockpot. You can easily cook bone-in chicken for 7 hours on low without your dish drying out.
When using boneless, skinless chicken dark meat is more forgiving time-wise. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts...not so much. I suppose the easiest way to say it is if you want to do boneless, skinless chicken breast for a longer cook time, you need to make sure it's submerged in some sort of sauce.
I did a pretty extensive explanation over on Choosing Your Chicken for Crockpot Chicken Recipes. It's a subheading under Crockpot Balsamic Chicken, but that previous link takes you directly to the info. So, you can check that out if you want.
Mexican Seasoning Options
I TRY to make my seasonings from scratch. I know HOW. But time's limited for us all. So when I can't get around to it I try to have this Mexican seasoning
This Mexican seasoning has all 5-star reviews. I had never tried it the first time I ordered it so I was going on faith. I was NOT disappointed.
Also, since I tend to measure almost all spices in tablespoons on SlowCookerKitchen I'll say it has a bit over 12 tablespoons per jar..the back of the jar says 40 teaspoons. But concerning tablespoons, that's enough for 6 to 12 crockpot recipes. So it's well worth the price. Lastly, it's got no MSG and
Lastly, it's got no MSG and only has critic acid as a preservative. And that's just to keep it from becoming a clumped up brick inside the jar.
Homemade Mexican Seasoning
NOW, if you want to make your own homemade Mexican seasoning, this is the one I use. And here's a tip if you go this route. Smoked paprika, not regular paprika makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
It has a great flavor that goes great with any Mex, Tex-Mex or Barbecue dish.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a jar and store.
- For a more powdered consistency, pulse using your blender until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
Pinnable & Printable for Crock Pot Mexican Chicken
5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Homemade Taco Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken quarters
- 1 16-ounce can "chili ready" diced tomatoes (Red Gold has a good option if you can find it)
- 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 4- ounce can green chiles
- 2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker.
- Pour the broth over the chicken, then the tomatoes, chiles and lastly sprinkle with the seasoning.
- Cook on low about 7 hours.
- Serve over rice or pasta if desired.
Freezer Meal Directions:
- Place the chicken in a pre-labeled, 1-gallon freezer bag.
- Stir together the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chiles, and seasoning; pour over the chicken.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible and lay flat to freeze.
- Defrost overnight before cooking.
Serving Suggestions for Crock Pot Mexican Chicken
NOW you have an excellent Mex chicken recipe. But what to serve with it? Here are a couple suggestions. NOT all are from Slow Cooker Kitchen. But I researched and they do look YUMMY! Heck, I wanna make some of them myself 🙂
- 5-Ingredient Mexican Rice by Your Homebased Mom. This one's VERY easy to make. Even easier if you have some Make-Ahead Crockpot Rice frozen!
- Mexican Street Corn Salad by Live Eat Learn. Yep, I gotta make this one.
- Tex-Mex Pasta Salad by Chelsea's Messy Apron. Another reader on this blog suggested using Catalina dressing if you don't have time to make your own. I think that sounds like a delicious, time-saving option.
- Mexican Coleslaw by Lemon Tree Dwelling looks amazing too! It's like taco salad and coleslaw had a baby 🙂
Other Crock Pot Chicken Dishes
If you liked this crock pot Mexican chicken, here are a few more slow cooker chicken dishes you might want to check out too!
- 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken and Mushrooms
- Honey Garlic Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
- 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff
- 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo Tortellini
- Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
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