Crockpot Quinoa Chicken recipe is a healthy slow cooker recipe your family is sure to love. Bright Mexican flavors blend perfectly forming a delicious family-friendly healthy crockpot meal. Gluten-Free.
Healthy crockpot meals
Slow cooker recipes make getting a healthy dinner on the table super simple. This delicious chicken recipe needs to be printed and saved for a day when you have 5 minutes to make dinner before heading out the door to work.
This healthy crockpot recipe can be made in a flash – it utilizes canned foods and only requires you to shred the chicken before serving this quinoa recipe with chicken.

If you’re searching for a healthy slow cooker meal that the entire family will love, this is the one for you. Plus, the ingredients of this recipe make for great healthy crockpot meals on a budget as well!
Keep reading for step by step instructions or check out the video here:
Tips for using a slow cooker
Resist the urge to peek—keep the lid on. In meat, keeping the temperature anywhere from 160° to 205° F helps the collagen begin to gelatinize and results in a tender end product. Because the slow cooking process utilizes a little heat and a lot of time, it causes the collagen in the toughest cuts of meat to eventually break down, leaving you with shreds of tender, juicy meat.
Make sure leaner cuts of meat stay submerged in the cooking liquid (eg, broth, water, wine). This will ensure they don’t dry out and stay juicy and tender. Cook lean cuts of meat on high so they don’t dry out as quickly; fattier cuts will do better on low.
No need to presoak most dry beans and lentils. Slow cooking is one of the best ways to cook pulses perfectly every time. This inexpensive protein source is a great option for the slow and steady heat of the slow cooker. Note: Kidney beans contain a toxin that can cause gastrointestinal distress. You must bring them to a full boil on the stovetop for 10 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker.
Layer veggies appropriately to preserve their texture. Place hearty veggies like potatoes, squash, and sweet potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker (dry pulses go here as well). Veggies that hold up well in the middle portion of the slow cooker include carrots, onions, and peppers. Delicate vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and fresh herbs do best when added in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Don’t throw out the excess liquid. Simply mix it with a bit of flour, cornstarch, or a cooked roux. The result? Instant gravy.
How To Make
- Add all of the ingredients, except the cheese and chicken, into a 4-quart crockpot, stir.
- Add chicken breasts
- Cook on high for 4- 6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours
- Stir in cheese before serving

The great part about this crockpot meal is that it requires very minimal meal prep to prepare.
Pro Tip: You do not need to precook the quinoa, it cooks in the crockpot.


Add all ingredients besides chicken and cheese into your slow cooker. People often tend to want to add more black beans to the recipe, and if you want more protein, do so.
All you need to do with this simple crockpot recipe is open the cans and add them to the slow cooker. Dice an onion, add your spices, pour in the quinoa, and give it a good stir.
Stir and add chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Once you have the ingredients blended, nestle the chicken breasts in the liquid and put the cover on to cook. Don’t want to use chicken breasts? You could use boneless chicken thighs, boneless pork chops, or even a beef roast to make a completely different experience.
You could cook this recipe without the chicken and add leftover shredded or rotisserie chicken at the end as well.

More quinoa crockpot recipes
- Slow Cooker Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
- Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa Burrito Bowl
- Healthy BBQ Chicken Quinoa Casserole
More Healthy Crockpot Meals:
- Crockpot Potato Soup
- Chicken Drumsticks
- Crockpot Lasagna
- Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Pulled Pork Gyros
- Crockpot Chicken Thighs
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Crockpot Quinoa Chicken
Ingredients
- 3- 4 chicken breasts ✅
- 12 ounces quinoa
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 10 ounce can enchilada sauce ✅
- 10 ounces water
- 1 can black beans ✅
- 1 can corn kernels, drained ✅
- 4 ounce can diced green chilies ✅
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder ✅
- 1 tablespoon cumin ✅
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar ✅
Instructions
- Combine ingredients. Add all ingredients, except the cheese, into the crockpot or slow cooker.3- 4 chicken breasts, 12 ounces quinoa, 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, 10 ounce can enchilada sauce, 10 ounces water, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn kernels, drained, 4 ounce can diced green chilies, 1 onion, diced, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt
- Cook. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- ⭐️ Shred the chicken and add cheese. Once cooked, shred chicken then stir cheese into the casserole.1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Janita Taylor says
Thanks Jodi, the dish turned out great, I had already decided to use 1 cup of corn. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I took it to a church potluck today and it was wonderful. I am planning to fix it again later this week and think I will try a green chili enchilata sauce this time.
Jodi Danen says
That is great to hear Janita! I love your idea to use green enchilada sauce. I may have to try that as well 🙂
Janita Taylor says
I fixed this again using green sauce and liked it even better than with traditional red sauce. One thing I modified was that I doubled the green chilies and didn’t add any water. The consistency was great and I think it would have been a bit runny with the water.
Jodi Danen says
That is great, Janita! I actually just remade this recipe myself this week. The consistency was perfect with the water, the quinoa soaked it all up 🙂 I love the extra green chilies, I will have to give that a try.
Yum Girl says
Welcome to Yum Goggle! We are following you on all your social media and we hope you follow us back. We will try our best to tag you each time we promote your posts. Kelli at YG>
Jodi Danen says
Sure did! Thanks Kelli 🙂
Jennifer St Louis says
It sounds really good. I’m looking forward to trying it.
Jodi Danen says
Even my picky husband loves this recipe. He has no idea he is eating quinoa:) I hope you enjoy!
Michelle S. says
I have a quinoa and black bean recipe which is similar in ingredients without the chicken or diced tomatoes or crock pot for that matter and all of my family members love it. In fact, my son even requests that I make it! It is always nice when you find a healthy recipe that everyone likes!
Jodi Danen says
That is for sure, Michelle! It doesn’t happen as often I as I would like here at my house, so those recipes are keepers!
Annette Daly says
I love spicy food and am having fun trying out new quinoa recipes. I made a spinach quinoa salad yesterday that was so fresh. Your slow cooker mexican dish does look delish!
Jodi Danen says
Thank you, Annette! It really is delish. If I can get it past my 7 year old and husband, that is saying something:)
Erin says
I just made this and it is a fantastic recipe! I thought I had green chiles, but I guess I bought jalapeños instead, so I substituted those, and I used chicken stock in place of the water. I also had this lovely tri-colored quinoa I’ve been meaning to use up. Honestly, I already had everything in the pantry except for the chicken and onion, so this was a good pantry clean out recipe as well.
Jodi Danen says
I totally agree, Erin! I love using up things that are laying around, and this recipe works so well to add some extras to. I am thrilled you liked it as much as my family did:) Thanks for sharing!
Audre says
Make stir fry rice with quinoa it works great. And i make lemon pudding no recipe just mix quinoa lemon sugar little cream. Chilli use your favorite recipe and add quinoa. I font use meat but my grandson perfers ground turkey ir hamburger mix in
Create Kids Club says
These are great ideas Audre! I love your suggestion of using quinoa in a stir fry!
Eilish says
Hi, this looks great-going to try it this weekend. Do you put in the chicken breast whole or chop them up?
Create Kids Club says
Awesome ! I put them in whole, and shred once they are cooked! Good luck!! ?
Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says
Yum! I make something very similar to this and we LOVE it. I’m all about crockpot meals this time of year; I love the convenience of it.
Create Kids Club says
Me too, Chrissy! There never seems to be time for more than crock pot meals!
Emily | EmPowered Nutrition says
I love Mexican inspired meals & I love my crockpot! So fast, easy, & delicious!
Create Kids Club says
So needed for busy nights! 🙂
ilkasblog says
This is such a super tasty looking casserole! I think it’s perfect for family weeknight dinners!! Yum! Pinning!
abbey sharp says
This looks soooo hearty and delicious! I have tried quinoa with my husband and we both love it. I’m totally loving your mexican style feel to it.
Create Kids Club says
Thanks Abbey! It was the first time I got both my kids and hubby to actually eat quinoa, Mexican food for the win!
Cassandra says
I’m addicted to my slow cooker this time of year. There’s nothing better than coming home, smelling that awesome meal and knowing dinner is ready! I love the addition of quinoa instead of rice in this dish.
Create Kids Club says
I 100% agree Cassandra! And the quinoa works really well here, and I love that it doesn’t need to be pre-cooked 🙂
xtinaluvspink says
Yum! I have a similar dish, but vegetarian and baked in the oven. I’ll have to try it out in the slow cooker for those busy days.
Create Kids Club says
This one would be really good without the chicken too 🙂
Kristin says
This looks amazing! My husband had a Mexican quinoa casserole at a potluck once and wanted me to get recipe. This would be great – thanks!!
Create Kids Club says
Your welcome Kristin! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
carmyy says
This sounds delicious! I’ve been trying to get my SO to get more quinoa in his diet too!
Create Kids Club says
This was the recipe that got mine eating quinoa :). No one seemed to notice it was in there :). Good Luck!
Melissa (@melissagabbs) says
I love one pot meals – they make getting dinner on the table so easy on busy days! Even better that it uses the crock pot, no cooking!
Create Kids Club says
Me too, Melissa! I love that you can toss everything into this recipe and then leave it all day. Not much better than that!
Autumn says
I only have ground chicken, I’m worried it will be too dry? Should I pre-cook the meat and add at the end?
Create Kids Club says
Hi Autumn! Yes, I think that would probably be a good option. You could try just pre-cooking the meat before adding it to the crock pot with all the ingredients. I don’t think it would end up to dry. If it looks dry at the end you could always add a bit of chicken broth, another can of diced tomatoes, or even a bit more water to add moisture. Let me know which way you go and how it turns out! 🙂
BryMatt says
How much is 1 serving?
Create Kids Club says
Hi Bryan – I use 1 cup as a serving size for this casserole. I hope you give it a try 🙂 I’d love to hear how you like it if you do!
Samantha says
When do you add the refried beans? On the side or in the crockpot?
Create Kids Club says
Hi Samantha! There are no refried beans in the ingredients, but they would make a delicious side dish! I hope you enjoy!
Mary says
The perfect way to try quinoa.
Sannah Evangelista says
I have made this several times for pot luck and I always go home with a cleaned out crock pot and numerous requests for the recipe! Thank you for a simple healthy fabulous recipe!
Create Kids Club says
Thank you so much for sharing this with me Sannah. It made my day! If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to rate the recipe on the blog post. This small act really helps me out! I hope you give some of the other recipes on Create Kids Club a try too! 🙂
Jessica says
This is definitely one of my fav family crock pot meals to make! It’s so good, and makes great leftovers for lunch at work the next day. We’ve made it plenty of times, and it just gets better!
I didn’t save the recipe though, and scrolling through the post I can’t find the recipe. Am I just missing it? I want to add it to this week’s meal plan, but can’t remember the instructions 🙁
Create Kids Club says
Hi Jessica! I am thrilled to hear you enjoy the recipe! I recently converted all the recipes over to a new recipe service and it looks like this one got messed up in the process – I really appreciate you reaching out to let me know! I have updated the recipe and instructions. I’d love for you to leave a star rating if you don’t mind! Thanks so very much 🙂
Gabriël says
Amazing recipe, thank you. Perfect for a bachelor like myself who doesn’t have the time to cook daily. I was wondering, though, should I add any water? The recipe doesn’t state so, but it is brought up in the comments.
Create Kids Club says
Great catch Gabriel!! In the process of transferring recipes to a new layout, I think the water got missed. I updated the recipe to reflect the change – thank you for letting me know! I hope you enjoy the dish!
Marcy says
I have an incredibly picky group of teenagers and 2 year old grand baby to feed and they all loved this recipe. I haven’t had anything disappear this quickly in a long time! Thanks so much for making it available to us ?
Create Kids Club says
I am thrilled to hear this, Marcy! Picky teens + a 2-year-old?! That’s awesome – Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
My favorite crock pot recipe, ever. Just perfect. I, too, always use green enchilada sauce per one of the comments. I’ve actually never tried it with red because I liked the green version so much. I could literally eat this every day. Thank you for creating it!
Create Kids Club says
Sarah – you made my day! Thanks for the kind words, and the encouragement to try the green enchilada sauce myself! I use it in one of my enchilada recipes on the blog and it really is delicious!
Mitchi Anne says
I was wondering what changes to the cook time there would be if I changed the quinoa out for rice! I’m not much of a quinoa person myself but this recipe sounds delish.
Create Kids Club says
If you use regular rice (not the 10-minute rice) I think you could leave it the same. I’d love for you to let me know how it works if you try it!
PaigeM says
Hi, Do you add the liquids with the canned vegetables? Also, will regular quinoa (not white) work? The quinoa is not precooked right? I want to be nice and think like in the picture.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Paige! You only drain the corn and keep the liquid from the rest. Any kind of quinoa would work, and yes, it’s not cooked, just add it dry. I’d love to hear how it goes! 🙂
RMartha says
The flavor of this recipe is incredible. I did sub green enchilada sauce only because they were out of green chilis at the store. My only complaint is that the texture was kind of “bowl of mush.” It doesn’t stop me from loving it, but my picky husband couldn’t get past that. Definitely plan on troubleshooting that issue (less cook time? Add the quinoa at the end?) but would still make it again and eat the whole thing by myself!
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Martha! I wonder if the green enchilada sauce added too much liquid making it mushier? My other suggestion would be to not over stir. That could also make the quinoa a bit mushier. To completely avoid any of these, you could precook the quinoa and stir it in at the end of cook time. I’m glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Martha says
Thanks for the suggestions! I think I’ll try adding it at the end – will let you know how it works out!
Martha says
Meant to give it 5 stars!