This Crockpot Salsa Chicken is the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner. It takes 5 minutes to prep and only 4 simple ingredients. This tender and flavorful chicken is perfect for tacos and nachos!
The Easiest Crockpot Salsa Chicken Recipe
This recipe is as close as it gets to be the easiest and most delicious slow cooker chicken recipe. We find ourselves making this Crockpot Salsa Chicken recipe at the most random times! Why? Because it’s SO easy and you can serve it right away or pop it in the freezer for another day. If you have 5 minutes to spare – you can make this recipe!
Even when we’re in the middle of working on other recipes, it wouldn’t be surprising if we threw this recipe together. It takes 5 minutes and only 4 ingredients and then the meal makes itself! You won’t believe the amount of authentic Mexican flavor this meal has with just salsa, taco seasoning, and fresh lime juice. (We think using our Homemade Taco Seasoning is the way to go!)
This Crockpot Salsa Chicken is great on its own with some rice or you can use it as a taco or burrito filling. We especially love it in a burrito bowl! Plus, you can use whatever salsa you like. If it comes from a jar, it’s going to work perfectly. Now you have no excuse not to try the easiest slow cooker recipe ever!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We know that this recipe is easily going to become a family favorite. Here’s why:
- It’s so versatile. Use it in tacos, salads, burritos, enchiladas, taco bowls, with rice and beans, or in your favorite Mexican chicken dinner recipes.
- Healthy. Love that this shredded salsa chicken is naturally low in carbs and fat.
- Quick and easy. 5 minutes is all you need to prep this recipe! It’s truly one of those easy dump and go crockpot recipes!
- No mess recipe. You only need one kitchen tool for this recipe – the slow cooker. So there’s not a ton of dishes to do!
Recipe Ingredients
Here is the short list of ingredients you need to make this Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken.
- Boneless Chicken: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs work best for this recipe.
- Taco Seasoning: Try our Homemade Taco Seasoning or use your favorite one from the store.
- Salsa: Use whatever you have in the pantry – mild, medium, hot…whatever you prefer! This recipe works with any type of salsa.
- Lime: It’s not a Mexican dish without a squeeze of fresh lime juice!
How to Make Crockpot Salsa Chicken
This is one of the easiest slow cooker chicken meals you’ll ever make! Here’s what you need to do:
Put the chicken in the Crockpot. Then top it with the salsa, seasoning, and lime juice.
Set the timer. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
Shred the chicken. Then, when the chicken is done, remove it from the Crockpot and shred it with two forks. And now the chicken is ready to be served!
Recipe Variations
This recipe is already incredibly simple and has only 4 ingredients! But here are some alternative suggestions just in case you want to mix it up a bit or you’re out of an ingredient or two.
- Use any kind of salsa you like. Use your favorite salsa, mild, medium, or hot. Or try a mango or pineapple salsa. We have made this recipe with canned Rotel in place of the salsa and it’s also delicious.
- You can use a whole chicken and/or thighs. Just remember that if you are using a piece of chicken with the bone-in remove it while you’re shredding it.
- Add heat at the end. Stir in some hot sauce at the end if you want it to be extra spicy.
- Instant Pot. Want to cook this in the instant pot? No problem! If your salsa is thick, make sure you add a 1/3 cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the instant pot and then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook everything on high pressure for 12 minutes and let it do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure and shred chicken!
Helpful Tips
Follow these helpful tips when making Crockpot Salsa Chicken and your recipe will turn out perfectly every time!
- Keep the chicken breasts whole. If the chicken is in smaller pieces it will cook faster and runs the risk of drying out.
- Shred the chicken outside of the broth. You can leave the chicken in the Crockpot and shred it as well; however, you will have a lot of juice with the chicken. I like to shred this particular chicken out of the crockpot because I use it for many different recipes, and I like to control the amount of juice that is used for each application.
- Don’t throw out the broth! The leftover broth is AMAZING! Use it to add juiciness to the shredded chicken or as the base of a delicious taco soup.
What to Serve with Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Here are some of our favorite ways to serve this easy slow cooker recipe.
- Classic Garnishes: No matter which way you serve this chicken, it’s always a great idea to add some fresh cilantro and lime wedges for extra flavor and color!
- Easy Taco Dinners: Use it as a taco filling with toppings like creamy slaw, Guacamole, sour cream, and Cilantro Lime Crema. You can also use it as the protein in our Walking Tacos recipe.
- Nacho Topping: This is a great topping for nachos for dinner! Use our Pulled Pork Nachos recipe as inspiration on how to make easy and delicious nachos at home.
- Burrito Bowls: Pair it with Cilantro Lime Rice and your favorite burrito bowl toppings for a delicious Chicken Burrito Bowl themed dinner!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Then you can reheat the chicken in the microwave or on the stove in a saucepan.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes! You can freeze Crockpot Salsa Chicken for up to 6 months. In fact, we highly recommend it! It’s a great recipe to freeze in small portions for easy lunches or dinners. You can even double the recipe and put a whole batch in the freezer for another time.
We recommend thawing the chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 16 oz jar salsa
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Place chicken in the crockpot. Sprinkle the top of the chicken breasts evenly with taco seasoning and then pour the salsa on top. Squeeze lime juice over the salsa.
- Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot and place in a bowl. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken. (You can leave the chicken in the crockpot and shred as well; however, you will have a lot of juice with the chicken. I like to shred this particular chicken out of the crockpot because I use it for many different recipes, and I like to control the amount of juice (sauce) that I use on it.)
- Serve as desired!
