Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Name: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 245 min
Ingredients: 600 g Chicken breast; 400 g Salsa

Diet: Gluten Free / High Protein / Low Carb / Low Fat

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Recipes do not come much more simple than this 2 ingredients Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken that takes just 2 minutes to prep. Just add some homemade, or store bought, salsa into your slow cooker with chicken breasts and cook until they are ready to shred. Serve with rice, in tacos, enchiladas or on nachos. This easy Mexican chicken is so versatile and freezes well too.

Salsa chicken in a dish next to some guacamole, flour tortillas, sliced peppers, sour cream and nachos.

The beauty about slow cooker meals is how easy they are, and it doesn't get any easier than this salsa chicken in the slow cooker. A few chicken breasts and a generous amount of salsa (store bought if you want to make it even easier), and you have yourself a spicy and tender chicken dish that not only has lots of uses, but freezes well too.

Chicken with salsa in the slow cooker is perfect for when you are craving Mexican food but don't want to make much effort to get it. Serve it on rice, add it to tacos - the options for salsa chicken are almost endless. Just 200 calories a portion too.

If you are looking for some other salsa recipes to try, then why not try our tangy Pineapple Salsa, easy Sweetcorn Salsa or our delicious Mango Salsa?

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Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken - Step by Step
Homemade Salsa
What to Serve with Salsa Chicken
Storage
Extra Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed to make this recipe, each with a text overlay label.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Chicken - We used boneless skinless chicken breasts to keep this lean, but you can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs which are juicer and have more flavour and they are more forgiving with cooking time too. They don't shred as well though. You could use frozen chicken breasts, but make sure to thaw them first.
Salsa - This is where all the flavour comes from. We used homemade restaurant style salsa, but you could use your favourite store bought salsa if you prefer. Just try to use the best quality you can, as the cheaper salsas tend to be really watery. The chicken releases its own juices when cooking, so that will water it down.
Fresh coriander (fresh cilantro) - Optional, but we like to add some just before serving.

More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.

How to Make Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken - Step by Step

A slow cooker pot containing chicken breasts, salsa and herbs.

Step 1: Place the chicken and the salsa in the slow cooker pot.

The chicken and salsa all mixed together.

Step 2: Mix well so that the chicken is covered. Close the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

A slow cooker pot containing shredded chicken in a tomato sauce.

Step 3: Using two forks, shred the chicken. Mix the shredded chicken well with the liquid in the slow cooker bowl before serving.

Homemade Salsa

The key to a really good salsa chicken in the slow cooker is obviously a really good salsa. You can use any salsa, but a really good homemade salsa is worth the effort. We used our Restaurant Style Salsa Recipe, which is really easy and uses just a few simple ingredients.

You could use a store bought salsa though, and that would save you even more time. If you do use store bought, you might want to add a bit more chili powder if you like things on the spicy side.

A bowl of shredded chicken in a salsa sauce.

What to Serve with Salsa Chicken

Serve this crock pot salsa chicken with some soft tortillas, shredded lettuce and avocado for a really simple taco - great for feeding a crowd with some baked tortilla chips too. You can also use it as a nacho topping, add it to burrito bowls with some corn and black beans , in a quesadilla or simply on rice. We have also served it on an air fryer baked sweet potato with some sour cream, and had the leftovers on salad as well. There are SO many ways that you can use this.

If you want to serve it with rice, then why not try our Oven Cooked Rice, Perfect Microwave Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice. You could also serve it with our Spanish Rice and some Chipotle Black Bean Stew.

Storage

Store: The shredded salsa chicken will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 days.

Freeze: It freezes really well, making it great for batch cooking, and it will keep in the freezer for 2 months. You can also freeze this before cooking. Simply add the chicken and salsa to a large zip lock back and then freeze. Defrost thoroughly before adding it to your slow cooker and following the cooking instructions.

Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: To reheat leftover slow cooker salsa chicken, just add it to a pan and gently cook for 3-4 minutes until completely heated through.

Extra Tips

Spray the bowl of your slow cooker with a little oil. This makes the clean up a little bit easier, without having to use a slow cooker liner.
Cooking times will vary depending on your slow cooker and the size of the chicken breasts that you are using. So always make sure that the chicken breasts are cooked through before serving.
You can leave the chicken breasts whole rather than shredded and then melt some cheese on them 10 minutes before serving.
Add a squeeze of lime juice before serving to freshen it up.
You could use chicken thighs rather than breasts.
This freezes really well and you can even freeze it before cooking for an easy prepared ahead of time meal.
For some extra heat and flavour, add some chopped jalapenos to the mix.

A bowl of salsa chicken next to a small dish of guacamole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can salsa chicken be cooked in an instant pot?

Yes, you can cook salsa chicken in an Instant Pot. You will need to add about 60ml of water to the salsa and chicken. Then shut the lid and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes and then let all the steam release before opening and shredding.

What slow cooker should I use?

There really is no rule here, just make sure that the ingredients you are using can fit in your slow cooker. We use a Crock Pot DuraCeramic Slow Cooker and we love it. What I love most about it is that you can put the bowl insert on the hob too. So, you can cook the onions on the hob, in the slow cooker bowl. I also love that it has a clear lid, as I am so impatient that I want to keep looking and seeing what it is doing. If you don't have a clear lid, then lifting it to see will release lots of the heat and add to the cooking time.

How do I know when chicken is cooked?

The chicken should be perfectly cooked in the slow cooker after 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. However, we always like to use a food thermometer to check. The cooked temperature of chicken is 75°C/165°F. However, if you don't have a food thermometer, then it is best to use your judgement and stick a knife in it. It shouldn't be pink inside.

Can salsa chicken be cooked in the oven?

Yes, this will take about 40 minutes in the oven.

Do you have to shred the chicken?

We love shredded salsa chicken, as it is really juicy and tender and has so any uses. But, you could keep whole breasts or even chop them into chunks before putting in the slow cooker.
If you are keeping the chicken breasts whole and not shredding them, then they will only need to cook on high for 3 hours, otherwise it will start falling apart. If keeping the breasts whole, then why not try adding some grated cheese on to the chicken about 10 minutes before it is cooked so it gets all melty and gooey.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

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