Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Easy 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 perfect for busy weeknights. We often serve ours in tortillas topped with avocado. It’s wholesome, flavorful, and always hits the spot.

I make this crockpot salsa chicken at least twice a month. It’s not gourmet or fancy but the flavors are super 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.

More About Salsa Chicken

Made with inexpensive ingredients. This recipe is slightly more involved than my 3-ingredient crockpot chicken tacos, but not by much! This southwestern-style salsa chicken uses affordable easy ingredients and you can count them on one hand.

Easy to make. The crockpot makes this recipe nearly hands-free. All it takes is a bit of prep followed by a long and low stint in your slow cooker. Come back to a juicy, tender, flavor-packed chicken dinner that’s basically ready to go.

Versatile. Serve your crockpot salsa chicken wrapped in tortillas for tacos or burritos, spread over nachos, or dished over rice. It’s also delicious to eat as is! There are plenty of ways to customize this chicken recipe to suit your tastes, too.

Ingredient Notes

• Boneless Skinless Chicken – I use a combination of boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs in this recipe. I 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 – I 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 homemade taco seasoning is easy 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 easy additions to crockpot salsa chicken. Veggies are optional, but I 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. 

How to Make Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Who’s ready to make some southwest magic happen? The crockpot makes this salsa chicken recipe so easy, 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 super 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 done by 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.

Easy Recipe Variations

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

• Bulk up crockpot salsa chicken by adding rinsed and drained black beans and corn kernels to the chicken after shredding. Stir them in and continue to cook for another 30 minutes to an hour.
• Wilt in chopped spinach at the end of cooking for a nutritious dose of greens. You don’t really 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.
• Use salsa verde in place of regular salsa, and make crockpot salsa verde chicken instead. The flavors will be fresh and tangy!
• To make creamy salsa chicken, stir in cream cheese.
• 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

Serve shredded salsa chicken in soft tortillas or taco shells for quick and delicious 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 delicious served over homemade nachos.

Another tasty option is to serve salsa chicken over a bed of cilantro lime rice (try cauliflower rice as a low-carb option). It’s yummy over rice bowls, too, garnished with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and a squeeze of lime. For an easy side, pair it with corn on the cob or Mexican corn dip served with tortilla chips.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate. Leftover crockpot salsa chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. It’s quick and easy to reheat in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

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 fridge before reheating.