A great dinner idea to take to someone with a new baby or a family friendly meal is this crock pot cafe rio chicken copycat recipe served with cilantro lime rice!

Ok, so if you live in Utah there are probably 3 Mexican fast food chains that you try to copy their chicken or pork. (Mostly the pork, but I’ll do that one later.) This Crock Pot Cafe Rio Chicken Copycat recipe is seriously so good and if you don’t want to do a salad then turn it into a burrito!!

This chicken is one of those life saver crock pot (slow cooker) recipes. Kinda like this regular Crock Pot Chicken. I love that you can throw everything together in less than 5 minutes, let it cook all day and then feel like a hero as you serve it to your family. The only thing you really need to watch out for is how darn much the recipe makes.

Watch the full video here:

Scale that sucker back! It’s too much chicken for just our little family! However, that usually means it’s a great opportunity to invite someone over to surprise a neighbor with dinner. And I’m definitely all about that.

How to Make Cafe Rio Chicken in an Instant Pot

This copycat recipe for cafe rio chicken could totally be made in an instant pot as well. To make chicken in an instant pot just set it to the poultry setting for about 6 minutes, release the pressure and serve! If the breasts are frozen you’ll want to increase the time to 10 minutes.

More Crock Pot Recipes:

All Our Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes:

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork {Copycat} Recipe

Cafe Rio Copycat Sweet Pork Quesadilla

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch Dressing [+ Video]

Smothered Cafe Rio Chicken Burrito

Cilantro Lime Rice Cafe Rio Copycat [+ Video]

All our favorite Mexican Recipes here!

Crock Pot Cafe Rio Chicken Copycat

Looking for a Cafe Rio Copycat Tomatillo Ranch Dressing? This one has that cilantro lime ranch flavor everyone loves just like the restaurant! ohsweetbasil.com

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

0 from 0 votes

Copycat Cafe Rio Chicken Recipe

Cafe Rio Chicken in a slow cooker or instant pot is a great meal idea for taking dinner to someone or for a new baby!

Cook Time5 hrs

Additional Time10 mins

Total Time5 hrs 10 mins

Course: Mom's Best 100 Easy Chicken Recipes

Keyword: cafe rio, chicken, copycat, salad

Servings: -8 servings

Calories: 660kcal

Author: Sweet Basil

Ingredients

1 Bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
3 Cloves of Garlic minced
5 LBS Boneless skinless chicken breasts
[For Dressing Recipe]
[Cilantro Lime Recipe]

Instructions

Mix ingredients and pour over chicken in a crock pot and cook on low 4 hours.
Remove chicken and shred.
Place back in crock pot for another hour.
Serve over copycat cilantro lime rice, as a burrito or salad with Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Video

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @OhSweetBasil or tag #OhSweetBasil!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

30 comments on “Crock Pot Cafe Rio {Copycat} Chicken [+ Video]”

M.C. — April 5, 2019 @ 3:58 pm Reply
I am guilty of obsessing over the sweet pork but I didn’t want to buy a bunch of coke for a single recipe, so I went with this one. Yummy! Thanks! Instant pot worked great. I added a smidge more water and had a higher sauce to meat ratio than this but it was just right. Thanks!
- Sweet Basil — April 6, 2019 @ 8:24 am Reply
  Yay Mary!! So glad that you enjoy it!!
Heidi — April 5, 2019 @ 5:45 am Reply
I love this recipe, it makes so much. Do you think it would still work if I halved the recipe? Would the time change?
- Sweet Basil — April 5, 2019 @ 1:06 pm Reply
  Hey Heidi! Yes it will definitely still work. I would start with 2.5 hours and check it. So glad you enjoy it! It is definitely a recipe for a large crowd! It also freezes great if you want to make a full recipe and then save some of it for later.
Dee W — January 29, 2019 @ 9:07 pm Reply
I’m surprised that 5 lbs of chicken only serves 6-8 people. Is that correct?
- Sweet Basil — January 30, 2019 @ 1:26 pm Reply
  Hi Dee! It depends on how much chicken you put on a the salad. If you go light, you could probably serve 8-10 people.
Becky Siddoway — September 17, 2018 @ 12:58 pm Reply
Have this currently in the crockpot! What kind of tortillas do you use and where do you find the tortilla chip strips?
- Sweet Basil — September 18, 2018 @ 7:59 pm Reply
  We love Tortilla Land fresh tortillas that you cook up yourself. The strips we either make on our own or you can get them in the produce section of your grocery store.
Tara — June 19, 2018 @ 3:59 am Reply
Hi, we are looking for a good recipe for cafe rio chicken for our wedding. All of the other recipes I have found have all called for a package of ranch as well but yours doesn’t? Do you know which is the closest to how cafe rio makes it? I don’t eat meat so I have no idea. 😊.
- Sweet Basil — June 19, 2018 @ 1:32 pm Reply
  oh dear, I’ve never heard of ranch in it. There’s a ranch dressing that is served over the salad which we have a recipe for, but that is all.
Richa Gupta — December 22, 2017 @ 5:57 am Reply
This looks delicious and healthy!
- Sweet Basil — December 22, 2017 @ 5:55 pm Reply
  Thank you!
Heather — December 21, 2017 @ 10:38 am Reply
Love this has an easy weeknight dinner meal! Definitely will spice up the work week!
- Sweet Basil — December 21, 2017 @ 3:01 pm Reply
  Yes, for sure! Thanks Heather!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) — December 20, 2017 @ 1:58 pm Reply
The chicken looks so juicy and flavorful!! Thanks for sharing!!!
shawnna — December 19, 2017 @ 9:01 pm Reply
yummy!
Christie Dixon — January 27, 2015 @ 5:54 pm Reply
Why did the tomatillo dressing recipe get taken down?
- Sweet Basil — January 27, 2015 @ 9:39 pm Reply
  Shoot! It disappeared when I updated the recipe. It’s back!
Pingback: 60 Freezer Meals, 3 Days, $300
courtney — April 30, 2014 @ 8:41 am Reply
Any idea what size bottle you use of Italian dressing?
- Sweet Basil — April 30, 2014 @ 1:22 pm Reply
  Oh, yes I need to add that. 16 Oz bottle! 🙂
Big Daddy — September 14, 2013 @ 12:08 pm Reply
It clearly states add ALL ingredients and boil.
ariel — March 10, 2010 @ 7:56 pm Reply
question:
when do you add the lime to the cilantro lime rice? it's not one of the ingredients on your list. do you just squeeze it on after it's cooked?
Aggie — February 4, 2009 @ 7:41 pm Reply
Great recipes! I love tomatillas and can’t wait to try that dressing!!
Jennifer — February 3, 2009 @ 3:11 pm Reply
In case there were any doubts, this is really good. Carrian made it for me once. Delicious!
.caroline armelle. — February 3, 2009 @ 12:48 am Reply
that looks so good.
and yes, could you email me the america’s test kitchen sugar cookie recipe? i was wondering about that one. also, any good frosting recipes?
thanks!!
aubrie — February 2, 2009 @ 5:12 pm Reply
This looks so good! I can’t wait to make it. I’ve never found a good Cafe Rio chicken that I like, it seems like everyone else is crazy about the pork. Thanks so much for posting this! I’m suddenly craving Cafe Rio (even if it is only 10 in the morning). I love the blog!
Crystal :@) — February 2, 2009 @ 6:37 am Reply
I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sharon — February 2, 2009 @ 5:13 am Reply
I always “forget” to take pictures because there are hungry people waiting to eat 🙂 I love the sound of this meal, especially the cilantro lime rice!
Annika — February 1, 2009 @ 2:10 am Reply
That sound delicious! I love healthy cooking and recipes, glad I found your blog 🙂
Annika

Crock Pot Cafe Rio {Copycat} Chicken [+ Video]

How to Make Cafe Rio Chicken in an Instant Pot

More Crock Pot Recipes: