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Crockpot Chicken Burrito Bowls for Busy Weeknights

Crockpot Chicken Burrito Bowls

A hearty and flavorful slow cooker meal featuring tender shredded chicken, black beans, sweetcorn, and a smoky tomato sauce, served over rice with your favorite toppings.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, but thighs stay juicier)
  • 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 200 g tinned sweetcorn drained
  • 400 g tinned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon chilli powder adjust to your heat preference
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 400 ml chicken stock low-sodium if possible
  • Juice of 1 lime
For serving: cooked rice, avocado, fresh coriander, grated cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, lime wedges

Method
 

  1. Prepare the slow cooker base. Add the tinned tomatoes, drained sweetcorn, rinsed black beans, diced onion, and minced garlic to your slow cooker. Stir them together until everything looks evenly combined — you should see the bright yellow of the corn and the deep red of the tomatoes mingling together.
  2. Season the chicken. In a small bowl, mix the cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, chilli powder, salt, and pepper. Rub this spice blend all over the chicken thighs until they are completely coated. The chicken should look dusty and fragrant, with the rich, earthy smell of the spices clinging to the surface.
  3. Nestle the chicken into the slow cooker. Place the seasoned chicken thighs on top of the vegetable mixture, pressing them down slightly so they are partially submerged. Pour the chicken stock around the edges — try not to wash the seasoning off the chicken as you pour.
  4. Cook low and slow. Put the lid on and set your slow cooker to low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours. After about 3 hours on low, you should start to smell the cumin and paprika warming through the house — that’s the signal that things are coming together nicely.
  5. Shred the chicken. Once the cooking time is up, carefully remove the chicken thighs to a cutting board. They should be so tender that they practically fall apart when you touch them with a fork. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. You will notice the chicken is moist and pulls apart easily, with visible shreds of meat.
  6. Return the chicken to the pot. Put the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker with the tomato-bean mixture. Stir everything together well. The sauce should have thickened slightly during cooking, clinging to the chicken and beans. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir again. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
  7. Let it rest (if you can wait). If you have time, let the mixture sit on the warm setting for 10-15 minutes. This allows the flavours to marry further. The sauce will look glossy and rich, and the chicken will have absorbed even more of the smoky tomato flavour.

Notes

Adjust chili powder to taste. For a milder version, reduce or omit. Letting the mixture rest on warm before serving enhances the flavors.