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 on hand.

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.

Recipe

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Gwen

This homemade taco seasoning mix is perfect for making just about any Mexican dish. Want to use it on fajitas? No problem. Add the juice of one lime, add some oil for marinade and you're off to the races 🙂

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

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.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Pinnable & Printable for Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

Recipe

5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Homemade Taco Seasoning

Gwen

This 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Chicken is yummy! And being that it uses bone-in chicken quarters, its a great option for busy, busy days. If you're wanting to try the homemade taco seasoning, here's that too!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 7

Total Time 7 5

Servings servings

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.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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 🙂