Cinco de Mayo Chicken Quarters Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient… Drop raw chicken leg parts in the slow cooker with 2 easy kitchen helpers. Get a meal so tasty, your husband wants seconds right away!
This super-simple 3-thing slow cooker chicken tastes like fun Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, but way easier. Raw chicken legs cook slow with salsa and taco mix. Turns soft and full of spicy flavor. Shred it for tacos, rice bowls, or salads. Big taste, no work—perfect busy nights! (48 words)
This 3-ingredient slow cooker poor man’s Cinco de Mayo chicken is my go-to for tasty dinner on weeknights with almost zero work. Put raw chicken leg quarters right in the crock pot with one jar of salsa and one packet of taco seasoning—two things from your shelf that make all the magic. As it cooks slow and gentle, the spices and tomatoes sink deep into the meat for soft, easy-to-pull chicken with strong, spicy chile taste. It’s like simple Mexican or Tex-Mex home cooking, but cut down to basics so anyone can do it fast.
Put this pulled Cinco de Mayo chicken in warm tortillas with lime squeeze and toppings like lettuce bits, cheese, jalapeño slices, or sour cream dollop. It’s great over rice or cauliflower rice with canned black beans for a cheap bowl. To finish the meal, add easy green salad with lime and oil, or cooked corn. Try light Mexican beer or fizzy water with lime—it goes great with the smoky, yummy flavors.
Cinco de Mayo Chicken Quarters Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient
Servings: 4
Ingredients
-
3 to 4 raw chicken leg pieces (about 2 and a half to 3 pounds in total)
-
1 (15–16 ounce) jar medium salsa (red, tomato-based)
-
1 (1–1.25 ounce) packet taco seasoning mix (about 3 tablespoons)
Cinco de Mayo Chicken Quarters: Directions
-
Put the raw chicken leg quarters in a single layer on the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, skin side up if skin is on. They can touch a bit, but keep most meat facing up.
-
In a small bowl, mix the whole packet of taco seasoning with the jar of salsa. Stir until seasoning melts in fully; it makes thick, dark, tasty sauce.
-
Pour the salsa-seasoning mix evenly over the chicken quarters. Coat the tops well. Chicken should be mostly under sauce, with spice dust showing on top.
-
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours, or HIGH for 3–4 hours. Chicken gets very soft and hits 165°F (74°C) inside. Meat pulls off bone easy.
-
Serve leg quarters whole with sauce on top, or use tongs to move chicken to a board. Take off skin and bones. Shred with two forks, put back in slow cooker, and mix into juices.
-
Taste chicken and sauce. Add salt pinch or extra taco seasoning if needed. Keep on WARM mode until serving. Stir now and then so chicken stays wet and covered in dark, yummy sauce.