Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: With tangy salsa verde, warm spices, and tender shredded chicken, this slow cooker salsa verde chicken is perfect for tacos, bowls, salads, and meal prep. It’s a dump-and-go recipe, which means it’s practically effortless!
How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, 2 ½ hours (High), or 5 hours (Low)
Equipment you’ll need: slow cooker
Servings: 8
The Easiest Batch Protein You’ll Ever Make
Sunday is my day for making a big batch of something that will feed us all week, even when we have the craziest schedules. This is that something.
Salsa verde, chicken, slow cooker. That’s basically all you need. You add everything in the morning, walk away, and come back to tender chicken that’s ready to go into whatever you feel like eating.
Tacos on Monday, burrito bowl on Tuesday, taco salad on Wednesday. The chicken is the foundation and you build from there. As a bonus, everyone gets to do what they like with it.
What makes mine special:
- Big flavor with minimal ingredients: A jar of salsa is a shortcut to delicious Tex-Mex chicken! I use jarred salsa to make crockpot salsa chicken, too, because it adds lots of flavor without a lot of prep work.
- Ridiculously easy: There’s no pre-cooking, no searing or sautéing; just add a handful of ingredients to your crockpot, put the cover on, and walk away. It seriously doesn’t get much easier than this.
- Meal prep friendly: I like to make this slow cooker salsa verde chicken on a Sunday and then I have it on hand for lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s a rundown of what you’ll need.
- Chicken breasts: Both chicken breasts or thighs work here. Chicken thighs stay extra juicy, while breasts shred well and are a little leaner. I often use a combination for the best of both worlds.
- Seasonings: The chicken is seasoned with easy-to-use pantry ingredients, kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground cumin, and dried oregano.
- Garlic: A few cloves of garlic add lots of savory garlicky goodness. The amount is adjustable; add as much or as little as you like.
- Salsa verde: Salsa verde is a green salsa made with tomatillos, green chile peppers, onions, and cilantro. The flavor is bright and slightly tangy. It’s usually pretty mild although different brands or homemade can be quite spicy. We tested this recipe with Herdez mild salsa verde and loved the flavor.
- Fresh lime juice: A squeeze of fresh lime juice added at the end of cooking enhances the citrus flavor of the salsa verde.
- Possible toppings: There are many ways you can serve this salsa verde chicken, but these toppings would work well for almost any way you choose whether it’s a bowl, taco, or salad. Try chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, pickled red onions, or diced sweet onions.
How to Make Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Add everything to the slow cooker. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. I like to coat the slow cooker insert with nonstick spray to make it easier to clean. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the lime juice. Give it a little stir, just to make sure the seasonings are distributed evenly and the chicken pieces are coated with the salsa mixture.
Slow cook. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender enough to shred easily.
Cooking Tip
I’ve found that chicken breasts cook more quickly than chicken thighs which are more forgiving. If you overcook white meat, even in the slow cooker, it tends to get tough. I always use my instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. When it’s 165°F, the chicken is done.
Shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board or plate, let it cool slightly, and then shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce. Keep on the Warm setting until ready to use.
Finish with lime. Stir in the fresh lime juice and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Make Salsa Verde
Want to make your own salsa verde? It’s not difficult and homemade salsa verde is so delicious. My recipe for salsa verde is made with fresh tomatillos, onions, and jalapeños. Give it try!
Serving Suggestions
Salsa verde chicken works in so many different meals!
- Tacos: Tuck the chicken into warm tortillas, either corn or flour. Try topping your tacos with black bean corn salsa. It’s so good!
- Burrito bowls: Make cilantro lime rice or cauliflower rice for meal bowls with salsa verde chicken, black beans, and corn. Top your bowls with fresh cilantro, sour cream, crumbled queso fresco or Mexican blend cheese, or whatever toppings you prefer. Drizzle the bowl with the savory sauce from the crockpot.
- Salad: Once the meat has cooled, make a taco salad with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced radishes, and any other toppings you like.
- Quesadillas: Use salsa verde chicken to make quesadillas or these easy sheet pan quesadillas.
- Enchiladas: Stuff chicken enchiladas verde with this flavorful chicken.
Refrigerate: Leftover slow cooker salsa verde chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze the chicken for up to 3 months in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. I like using a freezer bag because I can freeze it flat to take up less space.
Reheat: Thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator or microwave first. Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (use Mexican oregano, if you have it)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa verde (I like Herdez mild salsa verde)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Optional toppings for serving:
- chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, pickled red onions, chopped white onions
Instructions
- If desired, spray the inside of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray for easy clean up.
- Add all ingredients EXCEPT lime juice to slow cooker. Stir to distribute seasonings, and to make sure the chicken is coated with the sauce.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa verde
- Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours or High for 2½ to 3 hours, until chicken is tender and cooked through (165°F).
- Remove chicken, cool slightly, and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the sauce. Keep on Warm until ready to serve.
- Stir in fresh lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Serve warm with desired toppings.chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, pickled red onions, chopped white onions
Notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs work well, too. I often combine them, half and half, so I get the benefits of both.
- Storage/freezing: Leftover slow cooker salsa verde chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze, transfer to resealable freezer bags or freezer containers. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator or microwave first. Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
- Tacos: Spoon into warm corn or flour tortillas, add toppings.
- Burrito bowls: Combine with rice (or cauliflower rice), black beans, corn, and desired toppings.
- Taco salad: Make a salad with cooled chicken, shredded lettuce, and avocado.
- Quesadillas: For green chicken quesadillas, I like to use Monterey Jack cheese or Queso Oaxaca, a traditional Mexican cheese that melts easily. The chicken works well for sheet pan quesadillas, too.
- Enchiladas: Make chicken enchiladas verde.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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