Crockpot Salsa Chicken

At a glance

What stands out: Crockpot salsa chicken is full of southwest flavor and straightforward to mix in the slow cooker! Serve juicy shredded salsa chicken over rice or as a filling in burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and more.

How long it takes: 10 minutes of prep, 6 hours on low
Equipment you’ll need: slow cooker
Servings: makes 7 cups

Straightforward Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Crockpot salsa chicken, affectionately known as “taco slop” in our household, is one of our favorite family dinners. Made from simple ingredients like tender boneless chicken, chunky salsa, and diced veggies, it’s reliable for busy weeknights. We often serve ours in tortillas topped with avocado. It’s wholesome, flavorful, and always hits the spot.

We make this crockpot salsa chicken at least twice a month. It’s not gourmet or fancy, but the flavors are satisfying, bellies are filled, and it puts smiles on everyone’s faces. Salsa chicken is good food, plain and simple, and it couldn’t be easier to make in the slow cooker.

What goes in

• Boneless Skinless Chicken – we use a combination of boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs in this recipe. We love the extra flavor that comes from thighs. Feel free to use all breasts or all thighs, whichever you prefer, as long as they’re boneless.
• Salsa – we recommend jarred chunky salsa. It can be the spicy or mild kind depending on what you prefer. Jarred salsa works better in slow cooker recipes than fresh refrigerated salsa (like pico de gallo) which contains more liquid.
• Taco Seasoning – Making from-scratch taco seasoning is straightforward to do with a handful of spices and herbs. However, you can use a package of your favorite store-bought brand, too. You could also use southwest seasoning or fajita seasoning for a different twist.
• Diced Veggies – Finely diced red bell pepper and onion are straightforward additions to crockpot salsa chicken. Veggies are optional, but we love to include them for extra nutrition and flavor.
• Fresh Lime and Cilantro – Add a splash of lime juice and a sprinkle of freshly minced cilantro to the shredded chicken right at the end, to brighten the flavors.

Salsa Chicken Topping Ideas

Depending on how you’re serving your crockpot salsa chicken, you’ll also need tortillas, rice, or tortilla chips, and your choice of toppings. We love taco toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, green chilies, diced tomatoes, and avocado. Keep reading for more serving suggestions.

How it comes together

Who’s ready to make some southwest magic happen? The crockpot makes this salsa chicken recipe straightforward, it does sometimes feel like magic. Here’s how to make it:

Add the ingredients to the crockpot. Place your chicken into the bowl of your slow cooker, along with diced red pepper and onion (if you’re including veggies). Add the salsa and the taco seasoning, and stir.

Cook. Set the crock to cook on low for 6 hours. Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out of the pot and shred it using two forks.

Combine. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, add lime juice and cilantro, and stir everything together.

Serve. Dish up your crockpot salsa chicken over rice, roll it up in tortillas, or serve it with chips and your favorite toppings!

Is It Safe to Put Raw Chicken in a Slow Cooker?

According to the USDA, it’s safe to put raw chicken in the slow cooker. Crockpots are designed to cook raw meat using direct heat and steam over lengthy cooking times. It’s enough to destroy bacteria and makes the slow cooker a safe option for cooking raw chicken.

It’s NOT safe to put frozen chicken in the slow cooker. Although it’s fine to cook raw chicken in the crockpot, it’s important to note that the same can’t be said for frozen chicken. Chicken that’s not thawed will not cook fast enough in low heat and can lead to food-borne illness. Always thaw the chicken first! Leave it in your refrigerator overnight to thaw it.

Helpful Tips

Use boneless chicken. Use white meat, dark meat, or both, but boneless, skinless chicken will be easiest to shred.

To make this recipe simple, leave out the veggies and use only chicken and salsa. It will still turn out juicy and flavorful. This is handy if you have picky eaters!

Don’t overcook the chicken. Check that your chicken is doneby taking the temperature at the thickest part of the breast (or thigh) using an instant-read thermometer. Chicken is finished cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Overcooking can cause the chicken to come out of the crockpot tough, dry, and/or rubbery. Make sure to set your crockpot to cook on low, and check the chicken for doneness as it nears the end of the cooking time.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

One of the things we love most about crockpot recipes like this one is that this cozy salsa chicken is straightforward to customize to your tastes. Try these fun variation ideas:

• Bulk it up. Add rinsed and drained black beans and/or corn kernels to the chicken after shredding. Stir them in and continue to cook for another 30 minutes to an hour. Another option is to wilt in chopped spinach at the end of cooking. You don’t taste the spinach, and it adds lots of vitamins and minerals.
• Make it spicy. Use hot salsa or kick the heat levels up a notch with diced jalapeños. If you like the smoky spiciness of chipotle, be sure to try our slow cooker chipotle chicken tacos.
• Make creamy salsa chicken: After cooking, stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, cut into small pieces, until melted.
• Use salsa verde. For crockpot chicken with a “green sauce”, make slow cooker salsa verde chicken instead. The flavors are fresh and tangy!
• Looking for a faster alternative? Try Instant Pot shredded chicken. It’s ready in no time and so handy for food prepping.

How To Serve Salsa Chicken

Tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas: Serve shredded salsa chicken in soft tortillas or taco shells for speedy and rich chicken tacos, loaded up with toppings like shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and avocado. Bundle everything into a flour tortilla with refried beans for a hearty chicken burrito! Slow cooker salsa chicken is rich served over from-scratch nachos or stuffed into quesadillas.

Meal bowls: Salsa chicken is so good in a bowl, too, with cilantro lime rice (try cauliflower rice as a low-carb option). Top the bowl with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and a squeeze of lime, or any of your favorite toppings. For a straightforward side, pair it with sautéed fresh corn or Mexican corn dip served with tortilla chips.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Leftover crockpot salsa chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

Freeze: Cool the salsa chicken to room temperature (not more than 2 hours) before storing it in a freezer-safe container or bag, and placing it in the freezer. Leftover chicken can be stored frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost leftovers in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheat: It’s speedy and straightforward to reheat the shredded chicken in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

• Yield: 7
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 6 hours
• Total: 6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups ( 16 ounces) chunky salsa (the jarred variety works better than fresh refrigerated salsa)
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or a 1 to 1.25 ounce package)

Optional ingredients (use as many as you like):

• 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper (about 1 bell pepper)
• 1 cup finely diced onion (about 1 small onion)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro (more for topping)

For serving:

• rice, tortillas, or tortilla chips
• cheddar cheese, scallions, fresh tomatoes, avocado and/or sour cream for topping

Method

1. Put chicken, salsa, red pepper (if using), onion (if using), and taco seasoning in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is done (when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF as measured with an instant read thermometer).
3. Remove chicken, shred using two forks, and return to slow cooker. Add lime juice and cilantro, if using.
4. Serve over rice, tortillas, or chips with desired toppings.

Notes

Chicken: You may use all dark or all white meat, whatever you prefer, as long as it’s boneless.

simple option: If you want to REALLY simplify this recipe, you can make salsa chicken with just the chicken and the salsa, and omit all other ingredients.

Bulk it up: If you want to make this more substantial, add 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained and 1 can (15-ounce) corn kernels, drained, to the chicken after shredding it. Cook for an additional 30 to 60 minutes or until heated through. Chopped spinach can be added after cooking, too. Stir until wilted. For creamy salsa chicken, after cooking, stir in 4 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into chunks, until melted.

Nutrition note: Nutrition information is based on crockpot ingredients (including onion, pepper, lime juice and cilantro), but not garnishes or what you choose to serve it with.