20 Mexican-Inspired Recipes That Are Made in a Slow Cooker

This Mexican-inspired one-pot chicken dinner comes together easily in the crock pot. The instant brown rice is added near the end, to keep it from overcooking.

Loosely translated as "minced meat," the traditional texture of carne picada ranges from finely chopped to ground. Here we start with brisket, which becomes nice and tender in the slow cooker, then shred and chop the meat before serving. The seasoning is flavorful but not too spicy. Blistered jalapeños added at the end will satisfy the heat-lovers in the family. Pile the brisket into warmed corn tortillas, with lettuce, the jalapeños, cheese and avocado salsa for a healthy dinner that'll wake up your taco night routine.

These slow-cooker fish tacos require only 15 minutes of hands-on prep to whip together, making them a home cook's hero. The balance of cooked fish, tomatoes and onions with the raw cabbage and cilantro gives the dish a light, fresh feel. If desired, lightly toast the tortillas (see Tip) before filling and garnish the tacos with crushed red pepper. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

A taco night favorite! Boneless chicken breasts cook low and slow in a chipotle-orange sauce until they're pull-apart tender, then are paired with a fresh avocado-orange salsa.

Literally translated, "posole" means "hominy." Traditional posole dishes are soups or stews made with hominy along with pork, chicken or seafood. In these slow-cooker shrimp tacos, the hominy, cumin, oregano and shrimp render classic posole flavors that are amplified by the addition of typical posole toppings: cabbage, radishes, cilantro and lime. Toast the corn tortillas for extra crunch, if desired (see Tip).

Mexican pork posole is the perfect dish to serve to a crowd. It's hearty, comforting and full of well-loved ingredients. Mashing some of the beans and hominy thickens the slow-cooker posole and releases more of their earthy flavor. For a twist, substitute thinly sliced jalapeño chiles, finely shredded green cabbage and fresh thyme or cilantro leaves for the radishes, scallions, and oregano.

The meat in these slow-cooker tacos gets incredibly tender, thanks to plenty of time in the crock pot. The sauce in this dish is smoky and rich from the chiles, onion, fire-roasted tomatoes and beef. Toast the tortillas, if you'd like.

This healthy vegetarian take on the Mexican stew pozole gets tons of flavor from poblano peppers, ancho chile powder and dried herbs and spices, while cannellini beans provide substance, protein and fiber. Chewy hominy--corn that has been treated with lime to remove the tough hull and germ--is integral to the stew. Look for it in cans in the Latin section of your supermarket. Serve the stew with shredded cabbage, radishes, fresh cilantro and sour cream.

Mole sauce is a Mexican condiment primarily composed of fruit, chile pepper, nuts and spices. In our rendition, these ingredients take the form of raisins and tomatoes; ancho chiles; smoked almonds; and cocoa, cumin and cinnamon. The rich mixture coats the browned chicken thighs in the slow cooker, and doubles as a topping on the final dish. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

Use your crock pot for perfectly tender beef in this easy taco recipe. The quick fresh pico de gallo adds crunch, flavor and color, but your favorite fresh salsa will make a great taco topper in a pinch. 

Chile verde is a Mexican green chile sauce made with tomatillos, garlic and hot peppers. Here, the sauce is poured over chicken quarters and infuses them with a sweet spice as the dish slowly cooks. Don't skip charring the vegetables--it's key to opening up their bold flavors and giving the sauce its iconic dark green color. Garnish your slow-cooker salsa verde chicken with thinly sliced jalapeño chiles and fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Host a cocktail party or game night and serve guests these tasty slow-cooker turkey nachos. The turkey picks up smoky flavor from the chili powder and cumin, and the chips and toppings give the dish varied textures. Serve with margaritas or cold beer and fresh lime wedges, if desired.

You won't believe this enchilada-like casserole isn't made with meat! The smoky chili powder and cumin give it a satisfying meat-like flavor. Look for meatless crumbles in the produce section of the supermarket near the other vegetarian and vegan products. For a twist, swap the meatless crumbles for black beans or ground beef.

Follow this pork taco recipe as is to serve four and you'll have enough shredded pork leftover to make it again next week. It's so good, however, that we recommend doubling the rest of the ingredients and inviting over four more friends to enjoy everything right away!

Using bone-in chicken thighs in this soup ensures the meat stays moist over the long cooking time. Not only are chicken thighs inherently juicier than breast meat, but cooking chicken on the bone also helps it stay succulent.

Saucy tinga is most often made with chicken, but we opted for pork shoulder, which becomes meltingly tender in the slow cooker. Either way, it features a smoky chipotle-laced tomato sauce and a crispy chorizo topping. Serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

Let your slow cooker work--while you're at work!--and come home to a delicious bowl of hearty stew for dinner. Full of potatoes, hominy, green chiles, and chunks of pork sirloin, this filling stew recipe takes just 25 minutes to prepare in the morning.

A quick fresh-made blender enchilada sauce makes all the difference in this slow-cooker recipe for Mexican cheese dip. Serve it straight from the crock pot, with tortilla chips, to keep it warm and gooey.

Serve these slow-cooker nachos at your next party--they'll vanish! Tossing the cubed pork back into the slow cooker with the honey, lime and garlic gives it extra-tangy sweetness. For the prettiest appearance, use whole cilantro leaves instead of chopped.

A bowl of tender shredded chicken, hot cooked rice and slightly spicy black beans served with fresh toppings is a meal that will satisfy anytime. Make this slow-cooker chicken dish on the weekend and reheat throughout the week for easy at-work lunches or dinner at the end of a long day. For a variation, swap the brown rice for a grain medley.