Description

This easy and flavorful Santa Fe Chicken recipe combines seasoned chicken breasts with black beans, corn, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and enchilada sauce, all slow-cooked to tender perfection. Topped with melted Mexican cheese blend and green onions, it’s perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or served over rice for a satisfying southwestern meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons taco seasoning

Vegetables and Beans

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Other

10 ounces enchilada sauce
1 cup Mexican cheese blend

Instructions

Season the chicken: Thoroughly coat both sides of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts with taco seasoning to infuse them with southwestern flavors.
Prepare crock pot mixture: In the crock pot, combine the drained and rinsed black beans, corn kernels, diced tomatoes with green chilies, sliced green onions, and enchilada sauce. Stir well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Slow cook the chicken: Nestle the seasoned chicken breasts on top of the mixture in the crock pot. Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours, allowing the chicken to cook thoroughly and flavors to meld.
Shred the chicken: Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken breasts from the crock pot. Using two forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces for easy mixing.
Combine shredded chicken: Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to integrate all ingredients evenly throughout the dish.
Melt the cheese: Sprinkle the Mexican cheese blend over the mixture, cover the crock pot, and let it sit for 5 minutes to gently melt the cheese into the hot ingredients.
Serve: Serve the Santa Fe Chicken hot as a filling for tacos, burritos, or quesadillas, or over a bed of rice for a hearty meal.

Notes

You can substitute the taco seasoning with homemade blend for customized spice levels.
Leftovers refrigerate well for up to 3 days and can be used in various Mexican dishes.
For a spicier version, add diced jalapeños or hot sauce before cooking.
If you don’t have a crock pot, this recipe can be adapted for stovetop simmering in a covered pot over low heat until the chicken is tender, about 1.5-2 hours.
Use low-fat cheese to reduce calories if desired.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Slow Cooking
Cuisine: Southwestern Mexican

Keywords: Santa Fe Chicken, crock pot chicken, slow cooker chicken, Mexican chicken recipe, easy chicken dinner, southwestern chicken