Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
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OMG this was good, made it today. Served it over Lime-Cilantro rice and fiesta corn. My husband told me to put it in the rotation. ~Joye
Why This Is a Great Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Recipe
If you’re looking for an easy, flavor-packed chicken dinner that practically cooks itself, this Crock Pot shredded salsa chicken is one you’ll come back to again and again.
- With just a handful of simple ingredients and minimal prep, the slow cooker does all the work, leaving you with tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken every time.
- This is one of those recipes you’ll love for its versatility as much as its ease.
- The chicken turns out incredibly flavorful from the vegetables and spices, and it’s perfect for shredded chicken tacos, burrito bowls, salads, or even just piled over homemade Spanish rice.
- It’s cozy, satisfying, and makes busy days feel just a little bit easier without sacrificing the taste.
- Fresh homemade salsa base: I build the salsa from fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and jalapeños, so I know exactly what’s in it. It tastes better and more balanced, with no preservatives.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs both work here. Thighs come out more juicy and flavorful but I’d recommend cutting away access fat.
- Jalapeños: Jalapeños vary a lot in heat. For a milder salsa chicken, remove the seeds and membranes, or leave some in for extra heat. Jalapeños with light brown veins on the skin tend to be spicier.
- Chipotle chili powder: This gives the chicken its smoky heat. Use more if you like it spicier. You can also use regular chili powder or ancho chili powder if needed.
- Cilantro: Cilantro rounds up classic Mexican flavors. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, use flat-leaf parsley instead or leave it out.
How to Make Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
This is a very easy, “throw it all in and cook” kind of dish. (Aren’t those the best?!)
- Prep the vegetables: Dice the tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, and jalapeños, then mince the garlic and cilantro. Measure out the cumin, chipotle chili powder, and salt so everything is ready to go.
- Combine everything in the crock pot: Place the chicken in a 5 to 6 quart crock pot (I use a 6-quart). Add the vegetables, garlic, cumin, chipotle chili powder, salt, cilantro, and lime juice, then use tongs to toss everything together until the chicken is well coated.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Keep the lid closed the whole time so the heat stays in.
- Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
- Strain and combine: Strain the vegetables from the cooking juices and add them to the shredded chicken. Stir in about ½ cup of the juices to keep everything moist and flavorful. Save the rest of the broth for soup or a sauce, since it’s full of flavor.
Optional Add-Ins For Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
I love this salsa chicken just as it is, but it’s also easy to customize. Here are my favorite ways to change it up:
- Black beans and corn: Canned or frozen both work. If you use canned, drain them well first.
- Canned diced green chiles: A can of green chiles makes a great addition. Mix it in with the veggies.
- Chipotles in adobo: Use these carefully, since they’re very strong. I recommend 1 or 2 peppers at most, so they don’t take over the whole flavor. Chop them first before adding with the veggies.
- Make it creamy: Add 8 oz of cream cheese when you mix the shredded chicken and vegetables together, and stir until it’s smooth and fully combined. (NOTE: remember to not freeze the chicken with cream.)
- A touch of sweetness: Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of agave nectar before cooking.
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
- Make Ahead: This is a great make-ahead recipe and works well for meal prep since it stores and reheats beautifully. Simply store cooked and cooled chicken in the refrigerator.
- Store cooked chicken in an air-tight container with a lid, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- If you made a double batch or it’s just too much, you can also freeze it.
- To freeze salsa chicken, portion it into freezer zip-lock bags, get as much air out as you can, and seal. Make sure to label the bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
- It’s best to portion the chicken in separate bags instead of everything in one large bag. This way you defrost just enough for what you’re making.
How To Serve Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
There are just too many delicious possibilities to list them all. I’m sure you can come up with many other ways to use this delicious Shredded Salsa Chicken and will keep making it again and again!
- Tacos, with some cheese, shaved lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream.
- Enchiladas, wrapped in tortillas and baked with sauce and cheese. (Use it to make my easy chicken enchiladas.)
- Breakfast Burritos, wrapped in a tortilla with scrambled eggs (so tasty).
- As a sandwich or wrap, on a soft bun with some lettuce and tomato.
- As a main dish, with a side of grilled veggies.
- Nachos, piled on top of crispy tortilla chips with extra jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and cheese.
- Quesadillas, grilled inside a tortilla with gooey cheese.
Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Recipe FAQs
Yes! Instant Pot salsa chicken is amazing and you can turn this recipe into something similar. The main difference in making this recipe in an Instant Pot is adding 1 cup of chicken stock for extra liquid. You’ll find the full Instant Pot instructions in the recipe card below.
Absolutely. This is a great make-ahead recipe and works well for meal prep since it stores and reheats beautifully.
Yes for slow cooker, always (but no need for Instant Pot). The USDA recommends always thawing meat and poultry before it goes into a slow cooker, because frozen chicken spends too long at unsafe temperatures while it thaws. The best way is to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
No. Tossing the fresh vegetables with salt draws out their natural juices from the vegetables. Between those and the juices from the chicken, you’ll end up with plenty of flavorful broth. Seeing extra liquid at the end is normal, so I strain the vegetables and add back just about ½ cup to shredded chicken to help keep it moist while stored.
Yes, just make sure your crock pot is big enough to hold it, so use a larger one. For a doubled batch, I recommend cooking on LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
Yes. Bone-in chicken cooks in the same time: LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Discard the bones as you shred the meat.
More Recipes To Try
- Creamy Pulled Chicken Tacos Recipe
- Instant Pot Buffalo Ranch Chicken
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
- Tequila Chicken Tacos
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Crock Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh meat
- 3 large tomatoes on a vine
- 1 red onion
- 2 red bell peppers
- 3 jalapenos
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1.5 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp chipotle chili powder more if you want spicier
- 2 tsp kosher coarse salt more or less to taste
- 2 Tbsp fresh minced cilantro
- 1 lime – juice only
Instructions
Cooking In Crock Pot:
- Dice and slice all the veggies, mince cilantro (set aside), cut the fat off the chicken if you wish, and measure the seasoning. Adjust the spice: one way to adjust how spicy your dish will be is jalapenos. You can choose to leave the jalapeno seeds and membrane in to keep it more spicy or discard if you want to make it milder.
- Place chicken in the slow cooker and add in the bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, cumin, chipotle chili powder, salt, cilantro and lime juice.
- Use tongs to mix the veggies and the chicken together.
- Close the crock pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Take the chicken out once it’s cooked and shred it using two forks.
- Strain veggies from the juices and add veggies to the chicken. Add about 1/2 cup of the strained juices to the chicken and mix well. (Broth that remains from cooking chicken is actually very tasty. Save it and use it in soup or to make a sauce.)
If Cooking In Instant Pot:
- *You will need a cup of chicken stock in addition to other ingredients.* Dice and slice all the vegetables and cilantro and mix it together in a bowl with herbs and seasoning.
- Spread half the vegetable mixture in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place chicken over the vegetables and spread remaining vegetable mixture over the chicken. Pour a cup of chicken stock all around.
- Close the lid of Instant Pot and make sure it is latched. Turn the steam valve to “seal” and set the pressure cooker to cook at high pressure for 15-18 minutes. (18 minutes for larger chicken breasts.)
- Let the pressure cooker do a natural release for about 10 minutes and then carefully do a quick release. (Make sure to consult your pressure cooker manual for exact buttons and instructions.)
- Take chicken out once it’s cooked and shred it using two forks. Strain veggies from the juices and add veggies to the chicken. Add about 1/2 cup of juice back in with the chicken.
Video
Notes
- Adjust the heat: Seed the jalapeños for mild flavor or leave some seeds for extra heat. Use spicier chili peppers for more spice. You can also adjust the chipotle chili powder to taste.
- Chicken options: Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used instead of breasts for a juicier result. Cook time remains the same.
- Don’t skip the juices: After shredding, add some of the cooking liquid back into the chicken to keep it moist and flavorful.
- Watch the cook time: Cook just until the chicken is tender and easy to shred, overcooking can make it dry.
- Extra liquid is normal: The vegetables and chicken release juices as they cook, creating a flavorful broth.
- Make ahead & storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat with a little extra juice to keep it from drying out.
- Freezing: This chicken freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Serving ideas: Great for tacos, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, or salads.
Nutrition
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Categories:
Chicken Dinner Recipes, Cinco de Mayo Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Instant Pot Main Dishes, Instant Pot Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Mexican Dinner Recipes, Most Popular Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
OMG this was good, made it today. Served it over Lime-Cilantro rice and fiesta corn. My husband told me to put it in the rotation.
Hi Joye,
I love hearing that you loved it!!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Can you make this with frozen chicken or is it best to defrost first?
Hi Jen! For food safety, thaw the chicken first. You should always thaw meat and poultry before slow cooking, since frozen chicken can spend too long at unsafe temperatures while it thaws. Overnight in the refrigerator works great.
When do you add the cilantro?
Hi Sean,
I’m so sorry, I must have missed it. You mix it in with all the veggies in the beginning. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
Looks yummy
Thank you!