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Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is the easiest weeknight dinner recipe! Simple ingredients but bold flavor! Shred chicken and make tacos, serve in burrito bowls, or however you like!
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is the easiest recipe to come out of my kitchen.
If you can add three or four ingredients to a crockpot, you can make this recipe.
And if you’re thinking can that actually taste good? Yes.
This was a big hit with our family because it’s bold flavor packed into bite-sized pieces of shredded chicken and it is perfectly prepared protein for busy weeknights.
Pop the shredded chicken into flour tortillas for tacos or burritos, over a bed of salad greens, load it onto a crispy tostada, or serve over a bed of fluffy rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa and top with a dollop of guacamole or sour cream and you have a chipotle style bowl at home. You can even use this recipe as inspo and make shredded chicken nachos!
The best part is, this is great to meal prep as the leftovers can stay in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Easy dinners are my all time favorite thing to make.
Ingredients for slow cooker salsa chicken recipe
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. You could also use thighs or tenders if you prefer.
- Salsa: Start with our favorite salsa. I like to use a red salsa or a fire-roasted salsa for this. You could even use a my blender salsa recipe if you want to make this entirely homemade.
- Seasonings: I add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat. YOu’ll also need some salt to sprinkle on the chicken breasts and some garlic powder before you cover the crock-pot with the lid to cook.
- Black Beans: I typically like to add a can of rinsed and drained black beans towards the end once I’ve shredded the chicken and let it simmer in the sauce for a little longer. Adding black beans is a great way to up the fiber and add a little extra protein to the dish. And we honestly prefer it with the black beans!
- Serving suggestions: flour or corntortillas, fluffy rice, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges, corn salsa, the sky is the limit.
Recipe Tip
While the recipe is cooking in the crock pot, it may look like a lot of liquid. But once you shred the chicken and add it back to the slow cooker, during the last 30 minutes, a lot of the liquid will get absorbed back into the chicken! So don’t worry!
Other Crock pot recipes to try:
- Ropa Vieja Recipe (Cuban Shredded Beef)
- Chile Colorado
- Taco Chili
- Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy
- Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Meatballs
Slow Cooker Salsa Chickens with Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs boneless, skinless
- 2 cups restaurant style salsa I used the fire roasted variety
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- salt to preference
Garnishes:
- avocado + lime wedges + Sour cream + Shredded cheese + Nacho cheese
Serve with:
- Rice/Tortillas
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and garlic powder (if using.)
- Pour the salsa cover the chicken breasts. Make sure to move the chicken breasts around so it is completely submerged in the salsa.
- Cover with the crock-pot lid and cook on high for 3½ hours (or low for 6½-7 hours), or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred the chicken once it's cooked through. You can check with an instant read thermometer. It should read at least 160ºF at this point. Then add the drained black beans and stir to mix. Taste and adjust salt to preference.
- Allow the chicken soak up the sauce for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm in tortillas, over rice, or as nachos over tortilla chips drizzled with cheese sauce. Dress with avocados, lime wedges, and sour cream if you'd like.
Notes
- Recipe doubles easily and cooks in the same amount of time.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. (Salsa chicken and black beans also freezes well for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I stuffed peppers with this and it was AMAZING
Awesome recipe for low carb eaters. I’m going to eat it with all the suggested fixings minus the rice, or tortilla! I do have some low carb high fiber burrito shells if I want to make a quesadilla. Can’t wait!
Just made this for dinner. It was AMAZING. I rolled it up in a burrito shell w/ a little cheese, then topped it w/ a little more cheese black olives and a little of the sauce from the meat. Definitely a new favorite. Thank you!
Could I use frozen chicken? Or do I need to defrost first?
I’d just defrosting the chicken first, not sure if the chicken will cook evenly if added in frozen.
I’m making with frozen chicken breast. I’m going to be cooking on low for 8 hours though. Shoulds be fine. All other recipes I’ve made turned out fine. Just make sure to shred the chicken 1-2 hours before.
Can I freeze this recipe after cooking?
Hi, I haven’t tried freezing it myself but, yes I think it should be fine for freezing up to 1-2 months.
Hello!
This sounds delicious! What do you think bout subbing chicken for firm tofu? Also, what exactly is restaurant style salsa? I want to make sure I get this right!
Hi Mikael,
I’m not to sure about adding firm tofu as it might cook-down a bit in the slow cooker. I haven’t done it before myself so not too sure on the results. I feel the acid in the salsa may breakdown the tofu too much during the cooking time. If you do try making it with tofu, i’d love to hear your results. 🙂
Restaurant style salsa tastes more ‘authentic’. It’s the stuff they serve in Mexican restaurants. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry it, you can just substitute regular salsa or make it yourself using my recipe (https://littlespicejar.com/restaurant-style-fire-roasted-salsa/)
If I were doing this in a Dutch oven, how long would I cook it for and at what temperature, please?
Hi Irene,
To make it in a Dutch oven, add a couple teaspoons of oil at the base of the pot before adding the ingredients called for on the recipe list. You would need to prepare this on the stove on medium-low heat for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. If you have access liquid in the pot, remove the lid and crank the heat up for a few minutes to help the process along. And remember to add the beans in just the last 30 minutes of cooking.