Easy CrockPot Salsa Chicken

Make dinner a breeze with this easy crockpot salsa chicken, perfect for busy nights and weekly meal prep. Juicy shredded chicken slow-cooked with salsa and spices is ideal for chicken tacos, low-carb and keto-friendly meals, and healthy crockpot dinners your family will love!

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Why this is the best Crockpot Salsa Chicken Recipe

This recipe is very easy and quick to prep. Rub the chicken with spices, dump everything in the CrockPot, wait, then shred the chicken and serve. That's really all there is to it!

This recipe is versatile. You can use whatever salsa you like - fresh or jarred; mild, medium, or hot; fruity flavored or traditional. The salsa is the base of the flavor in the recipe, so whatever salsa you choose is going to be the large part of the chicken in the end.

It's also versatile because you can do a lot of things with the cooked chicken. You can serve it with rice, as I have in my photos, but you can also use it to make chicken tacos, chicken burritos, burrito bowls, chicken nachos, and even chicken salad.

This recipe feeds a crowd or works for a whole week of meal prep. This recipe makes a lot of food, definitely enough for 8 servings or even more depending on what else you serve with it. If you make chicken tacos, it goes further than if you just serve the chicken over rice. Either way, you're going to have plenty of chicken to eat for dinner tonight plus a couple days of leftovers (or freeze it for another time!).

This recipe has deep and complex flavors. Most salsa chicken recipes have two or three ingredients which makes them super easy. This recipe has a longer list of ingredients, and that's why it's better than those 2-ingredient recipes. You will rub the chicken with a blend of Mexican spices which will give it a rich flavor that you just can't replicate by dumping a jar of salsa over a couple of chicken breasts. Don't believe me? Try it both ways. You'll see which tastes better.

This recipe is allergy friendly and great for special diets. CrockPot salsa chicken is dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, low carb, and good for keto and bariatric diets. As always, please check the labels on all the ingredients to ensure they fit your nutritional needs.

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What you'll need to make the best Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Equipment

• Crockpot - Obviously, you will need a slow cooker for this recipe. Any slow cooker is fine, brand is not important. Before our housefire, I had a programmable CrockPot brand and loved it. I've been trying to streamline with fewer appliances as we've been rebuilding, and I bought an Instant Pot with a slow cooker function instead. Whatever you have is fine, as long as it holds at least 6 quarts of food.
• Garlic press - A garlic press makes the fresh garlic into a flavorful paste. You can't mince garlic with a knife as finely as the press will do, but if you don't have a garlic press, go with the knife and make the pieces as small as you possibly can. But you really should consider buying a garlic press. After my favorite knife, I use my garlic press more than any other tool in my kitchen.
• Citrus juicer - You can juice your lime however you want, but I have this press and love it. It gets the most possible juice from citrus fruits and basically turns them inside out while pressing them. It's a neat little gadget.
• Instant read thermometer - Let me first say that this is not a sponsored post, and I purchased the Temp Spike on my own with no input from any company. This thermometer was a game changer for me. It's a heat-safe, wireless probe that you can insert into meat and then put the meat in the oven, Instant Pot, or CrockPot. The base of the unit communicates with your phone, and you can watch the internal temperature of the food as it rises to your desired temperature.
  The reason that most people dislike chicken in the Instant Pot and CrockPot is that it's usually way overcooked which makes it dry and tough, even if you cook it in ample liquid. The Temp Spike thermometer alerts you to the temperature of your chicken as it approaches 165ºF (and then it beeps obnoxiously when it hits the temp), so you are able to turn off the IP or the CP and get your chicken out when it's just done and still juicy and tender rather than hours later when it's tough and dried out. I promise you that once you start using the Temp Spike, you will use it daily and your meals will be so much better for it. It's well worth the investment.

Ingredients

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

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• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs or even bone-in chicken if you prefer. You cook all chicken to the same internal temperature of 165ºF but thighs take a little longer to cook than breasts do.
• Ground cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder - These three pantry staples come together to make the perfect Mexican spice blend to rub on your chicken breasts. Most salsa chicken recipes skip this step, but listen - this step will make your chicken sublime! Don't skip it!
• Table salt and freshly ground black pepper - Season your chicken as you please
• Your favorite salsa - I love Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa when I can find it (which isn't all the time), but you can use whatever salsa you want. If you use a mild salsa, there will be no heat in the chicken. If you use medium or hot, you will have a spicier shredded chicken. If you like a sweeter island flavor, go for pineapple, mango, or peach salsa. You can use fresh salsa or jarred salsa. My only caveat is that it's best to use a tomato salsa and not a fancy variety like cucumber salsa. That would not work in this recipe.
• Diced green chili peppers - These give the chicken a little sweetness but do not add heat.
• Onion, diced - The onion will cook down to mush in the CrockPot but it will give a nice flavor to the chicken. One of my kids refuses to eat onions, so I usually substitute onion powder.
• Fresh garlic, pressed or minced - There is no substitute for the flavor of fresh garlic. If you must, you can use jarred garlic or garlic powder, but the flavor will be considerably different. You can buy an entire bulb of garlic (about 10 cloves) for under $2. It's worth the cost.
• Fresh lime juice - As with the garlic, there is no substitute for the flavor of a fresh lime. The stuff you buy in a jar or a plastic lime does not compare to the bright flavor of fresh juice. You can buy a lime for less than $1. It's also worth the cost.
• Fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish - This is optional. If you don't like it, leave it out or use parsley or green onions instead.

How to make easy Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

1. Stir the cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper together. Rub the chicken with the seasoning mix on all sides.
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2. Place the chicken in the slow cooker, overlapping as needed.
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3. Add the chopped onion, pressed garlic, and lime juice on top of the chicken.
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4. Pour in the salsa, ensuring that each piece of chicken is coated.
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5. Place the probe from your heat-safe meat thermometer* into the thickest part of the largest chicken breast. Seal the lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature of 165ºF. (*See note in equipment section above.)
6. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks.
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7. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, mixing it with the salsa juices. Let it sit on warm for 10 minutes to absorb more flavor.
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8. Serve the shredded salsa chicken over rice, garnishing with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. Alternately, you can use the salsa chicken as a filling for chicken tacos.
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Variations

Instead of the three spices suggested, you could rub your chicken with a homemade taco seasoning or fajita seasoning before adding it to the CrockPot.

You can layer in a couple handfuls of frozen corn kernels, a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), and/or diced bell pepper with the onions and green chilis, before cooking.

You can layer in some diced or sliced jalapeños for some heat.

How to serve CrockPot Salsa Chicken

My favorite way to eat this shredded chicken is with white rice, as pictured. I usually add a heavy sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and mix that and the rice and the chicken. Then I top the whole thing with additional salsa, sour cream, and sometimes guacamole. It's so tasty.

You could serve the chicken with tortillas on the side, as shown, and allow your family to make their own tacos if they want to.

As stated above, you can also use this juicy shredded chicken to make chicken tacos, chicken burritos, burrito bowls, chicken nachos, chicken taco salad, chicken quesadillas, or chicken salad.

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How to store Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Store leftover salsa chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen chicken overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Warm salsa chicken in the microwave until it's heated through. Don't overcook it as overcooked chicken will get dry and tough.

More delicious CrockPot meals:

• CrockPot Steak with Mushrooms and Onions
• Crock Pot Beef Stew with Gravy
• CrockPot Chicken and Potatoes
• Crockpot Mexican Steak and Beans
• Crock Pot Potato Soup
• Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
• CrockPot Corn Chowder
• CrockPot Jambalaya
• Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
• Easy CrockPot Salsa Chicken

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