Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos.
I know.
Cookies without calories this is clearly not.
But I can wish anything into existence!
I threw this in the crockpot at nearly 11PM one night last week. Yes, that is like three hours past my bedtime but I was feeling saucy or something.
Actually, I couldn’t stop thinking about BBQ beer chicken sandwiches and well, beer in general… but since I have a penchant for rarely making the same thing twice I simply threw some Mexican-type seasonings in there. I mean, if it was up to me I’d cook the freaking chicken in sangria or margaritas.
That’s how much I want to marry the cuisine just so my face can be stuck in it forever.
Anyhoo…
This is good stuff. Really good. It’s cheesy and beery and all-around delicious. You can make it to go in other things too, like um… cheddar beer enchiladas? Cheddar beer chicken soup? Cheddar beer ice cream sundaes? What?
It’s like you don’t even KNOW me.
Orrrr maybe you do.
Because you’re probably wondering why there isn’t more cheese and avocado and sour cream on that taco up there. And even some crushed blue corn chips. And queso. And where is my flippin’ margarita?
I’m right there with you.
Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos
[taco seasoning adapted from allrecipes]
serves 4+
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup beer (I used an amber ale)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese + more for topping
taco shells
your favorite toppings: greek yogurt, avocado, cilantro, salsa, chopped onion, black beans, shredded lettuce, etc.
In a bowl, mix together chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Measure out 3/4 cup of your favorite beer, and whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning into the beer.
Place chicken in the crockpot and dump in beer with seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
When you first remove the lid, it will seem as though there is a lot of liquid and the chicken is just sitting in it, but take two forks or kitchen tongs and shred, shred, shred until it all comes together. Taste and season with additional taco seasoning if desired, then let sit in the crockpot for another 15 minutes or so. Turn the crockpot completely off, and right before serving toss in cheddar cheese. Once combined, immediately transfer the chicken to a large bowl so the cheese does not stick to the crockpot. Make your tacos!
Now about those cookies…
154 Comments on “Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos.”
Ha – my boyfriend would flip at crockpot beer chicken. He loves using the crockpot. Is the beer taste very prevalent? While he LOVES all things beer, I am not quite a fan (I know, I know).
Yeah….probably going to have to give this a try. That BBQ Beer Chicken is now one of my Hubs’ very very favorite meals. And something tells me he is going to be into the tacos.
This looks fantastic. I am making them tonight!
: ))
Jen
This looks amazing! I will have to try it ASAP! Anything that helps me combine beer with food, especially cheese, is a good thing.
One tip I thought i’d share since I got overly excited when I found out about it…. when the chicken is done, pull it out with tongs and and place in your mixer. Yes, your trusty old KitchenAid. You want to attach the paddle and turn it on LOW! You can gradually increase speed a bit, but when you’re finished you have the most beautiful, restaurant quality, shredded chicken! I only found out about this 2 months ago and I make some form of chicken chili around once a week. It made such a difference! But if you like it with bigger chunks, who am I to judge! As long as there’s beer (and cheese) in it, you really can’t go wrong!
It’s 7:20am… is it wrong that i’m drooling over this?
I totally agree that this is a great way to shred chicken, however I wouldn’t suggest it for this recipe because you want to shred it in the crockpot with the beer and the spices so the chicken soaks it all up. Transferring it all to the crockpot (chicken and liquid) would be a little too messy I think!
I’ll have to try it both ways then! LOL I actually don’t like chicken very much, if at all, but for some reason, I love it shredded in tacos or chili. I find if I shred it in the mixer it has a better texture for me. Mind over matter I guess. I’ll try it your way first. Then I’ll try my way and just add the chicken back to the crockpot and let it sit a bit to soak up the deliciousness. I already had dinner planned for tonight, but I have a feeling the menu is going to change a bit now! Thanks for sharing!
I swear I can almost smell how delicious this is this morning! This would be a great recipe to throw into the slow-cooker on Superbowl Sunday! By the time guests arrive to watch the game the whole house will smell incredible and everyone can serve themselves! That’s my kind of party! ;-)
Super yum! I love crockpot chicken. This recipe looks wonderful! I am on such a spicy kick this week, and these will go perfect!!
Oh yum! This looks so amazing! I my slow cooker. I love tacos. And I LOVE beer! :)
Yeah, this is pretty much a wet dream for me.
You had me @ Chedddar Beer! This sounds wonderful and I actually think the beer that I have in my fridge right now is an Amber Ale..huh. I guess I need to make these then. I like that you put the cheese right in the crock pot with the chicken and all of the yummy juices..
Beer cheese is the only way I’ll “eat” beer – my husband would love this chicken recipe though!
I will be making this and I WILL be adding guacamole and queso. While I’m disappointed in you for leaving them off, I applaud your restraint. Super Bowl maybe?
I know you have some great dips and chicken and beer recipes, maybe you could make a list like you did for Christmas with all your fab hearty, fatty, Super Bowl-appropriate recipes?
XO,
Doux Rousse
http://www.douxrousse.com
cheesy AND beer-y? sign me up!
Despite the fact we ate a ton of shredded meat (pork) over the weekend, I still want this. Now.
Oooh I need to get some Mexican cuisine into my life ASAP – I’m ashamed to say I don’t even have salsa in the fridge right now! These sound delicious!
… you had me at “beer”.
Want want want!
Cheesy and beery?
Yes, please.
I made Mexican Beer Pulled Pork in my crockpot (or slow cooker as I call it) and posted it not long ago – that was so good, but this looks extra yum too!
And look at all those vegetables – well done :-)
OMG I must try that with pork… since you know, I’m obsessed with it.
Please find those calorie-free cookies for me, I could use them too!
Love this, beer + crockpot… perfect!
Cheddar, beer and taco all in the same recipe title.
This is Sunday football foot at its finest.
Wow! I usually use salsa + taco seasoning but I am trying it with the beer next time! Also, I can vouch for using the kitchen aid to shred. Just put the shredded chicken back in the crockpot with the juices and it will soak it all up! So much easier than shredding it by hand!
Cheesy and beer-y sounds like it is full of flavor! …..Now what about those margaritas?!? ;)
Love this recipe. I’m all about beer and cheese. Oh and chicken too!!
love corn tortilla tacos… especially when there’s beer involved!
Cheddar and beer? OMG.
Tacos and beer are magic words in my house. This chicken would definitely be a hit.
I’m pregnant, so want to stay away from the beer…think if I replaced beer with chicken stock that would do the same trick?
Yes!
It think that would be ok, but I’d add in a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to give it the sour twist that beer adds!
Since I’m all about the crock pot these days, this will definitely be added to my list! Also, if you use a crock pot liner (made by Reynolds) there’s no need to worry about the cheese getting all stuck to the sides of the crock pot. Just pull it out and throw it away! Those things are pure genius!
I’ve never used a crockpot liner! I’m so behind the times.
My friend introduced me to them and I wouldn’t use my crock pot without them now so definitely check them out!
I made something similar last night… These look much better, though!
These look and sound so good! I can’t wait to try it. I think it would be a great idea to use the leftovers to make a soup! Yummy.
Love love LOVE. I’ll have to make this for my dad and brothers the next time we’re all in the same house (we’re spread out all over the country haha). They’ll go crazy for this!!
Ohh these look sooo good! I am a taco FIEND and find ways to make even boxed tacos seem interesting–a fave of mine is making my own “double decker supreme” but with guac holding together the soft and hard shell rather than refried beans–but I hardly ever make them from scratch. And anything with beer is a-okay with me. Well done, I have this bookmarked to try myself!
That’s an awesome idea!
These look delicious! I love that they are made in the crockpot! Makes it super easy!
I’m just glad it’s not crockpot tofu, which for some reason I have seen three recipes for this week.
I wish I could eat cookies for dinner. Although last night I adjusted what I ate for dinner to be a bit healthier just so I could excuse myself to a few cookies afterwards. But about these tacos… again I love that it is a crock pot meal with beer in it!
Sounds perfect. I love how you can use this for so many recipes.
Cheese. Beer. Crockpot. Uh… sounds like the perfect meal to me!!! I’m with you on wanting to marry the Mexican Cuisine…
I think I’m the only one left on the planet who hasn’t done chicken or pork in the crock pot with the intention of shredding it for delicious taco meat or BBQ sandwiches. God, this looks good. I really need to get on that!
Oh HECK YES. I want these right now. And I just finished breakfast.
The beer tacos sound and look amazing. Can’t wait to try them out!
Oh Yummy! This looks absolutely decadent!
I think I’m in love.
haha I know what you mean about cookies… I mylself is the cookies monster. And as much as I would like to find the perfect no calories recipe, I’m resigning to healtified my recipes by mixing whole wheat flour to unbleached regular flour and sometimes, when I feel groovy, chia or flaxseed meal. I also try to subsitute butter to avoid some saturated fat. It makes me feel better about eating cookies for dinner! My mind get trick so easily.
Aaaand then I passed out face-first in the crockpot. The end.
I have not used my crockpot in like….a year! I need to dust that bad boy off.
5000 cookies for dinner is a fairly normal craving for me :)
My husband has a weird thing for alliteration, so we frequently have Taco Tuesday’s at our house…definitely going to add these to the rotation, thanks!
This looks amazing! Can I just have it for breakfast? Well, cereal is probably a smarter choice… but gonna have to try it out soon for sure :)
Hi Jessica! Another great recipe for me to pin, thanks! Question: what size crockpot do you use? The only reason I ask is because 3/4 cup of beer doesn’t seem like a lot of liquid to me for 8 hours of cooking on low. I made your Crockpot Parmesan Garlic Chicken the other day, and it was delicious–however, I had to add more liquid towards the end of cooking because I found that the amount of liquid your recipe called for was not nearly enough for cooking the chicken all day–my crockpot was dried out when I got home. Thoughts on this? I am thinking it is maybe just a crockpot size issue but thought I better ask.
Thanks very much! Keep up the great work! :)
My crockpot is a 6 quart, but you know, I’m pretty sure that the model I have isn’t even made anymore although it’s only 3 years old. This happened to a few other people with the parm garlic chicken (while some were totally fine) so I am thinking that it is my crockpot that probably isn’t very powerful. With this, after 7 hours on low my chicken was still sitting in liquid, so I say use your judgement – if you think you need a little more liquid, I say add it! The worst that can happen is that you might need to drain some. :)
holy crap delicious! chicken – yum. Shredded chicken, even more yum. guac – yes. no greek yogurt, only sour cream – yes yes. you’re a genius! I love you!!!! :-)
Mexican food is always a great go-to…love this crockpot version! I think a blood orange marg would work beautifully with this…