Salsa Chicken
Salsa chicken is the easiest chicken you will ever make! Add chicken, your favorite salsa, and taco seasoning to a crockpot, turn it on, and you have the perfect Tex-Mex filling for tacos, burritos, and more.
Once you discover crockpot salsa chicken, it’s going to be in frequent rotation for weeknight dinners—I guarantee it! This is one of those fabulous recipes that manages to check all the weeknight dinner boxes:
- Easy? Check.
- Your kids will actually eat it? Check.
- You can put it to use in all kinds of ways so it never gets old? Also check.
- Minimal ingredients? Check, check, check.
- Quick? Well, okay, it’s made in a slow cooker, buuuut the prep time is quick.
This is basically a dump-and-go slow cooker recipe, which means you put everything in your crockpot and turn it on. There’s not any sautéing onions, searing meat, or other prep work, and you don’t even have to break out a measuring cup for the salsa—you’ll use a whole jar. What I’m getting at is, salsa chicken is the answer to your weeknight dinner prayers. Hallelujah!
Ingredients for Salsa Chicken
You can make this recipe even lower effort by using store-bought taco seasoning, but I love homemade taco seasoning because it just has a lot more depth than the packaged stuff. Here’s a rundown of what you’ll need:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – Can you make salsa chicken with chicken thighs? YES! Just use boneless skinless chicken thighs and remember that thighs take a little longer to cook.
- Salsa – I recommend a classic tomato salsa (your choice of heat level) for salsa chicken. A super chunky black bean and corn salsa, for example, might not have enough liquid for this recipe.
- Homemade Taco Seasoning – For this you’ll need Ancho chili powder, cumin, cornstarch, kosher salt, smoked paprika, ground coriander, cayenne, and garlic powder.
How to Make Salsa Chicken
You’re three steps away from a delicious weeknight dinner! Here’s an overview of the steps; the full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Assemble. Place the chicken in your slow cooker and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top. Pour in the salsa.
- Cook. Cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
- Shred. Use forks or tongs to shred the chicken, then cook for 10 to 15 minutes more.
Tips for Making Salsa Chicken
Clearly this recipe is EASY, but these tips will help you make it perfect.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. This is a great tip for any slow cooker chicken recipe. You want to make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF so it’s safe to eat.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Chicken breasts can dry out easily if overcooked, so using a thermometer also ensures perfectly cooked juicy chicken every time.
- Use it for meal prep. This salsa chicken keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s great for meal prep lunches and dinners. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months; thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Consider adding more ingredients. While the basic recipe is delicious on its own, you can customize your salsa chicken by adding extra ingredients like black beans, corn, diced bell peppers, pickled jalapeños, or garnishing with cilantro.
Ways to Use Salsa Chicken in Meals
This is the fun part! Where the rubber hits the road! Where the chicken hits the tortilla! These are my favorite ways to use slow cooker salsa chicken.
- Nachos. Dump out a bag of tortilla chips on a sheet pan, then add shredded cheese. Bake in a 400ºF oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts, then pile on salsa chicken and your favorite nacho toppings. Guacamole, salsa verde, sour cream, and pickled red onions are some of my faves.
- Tacos. You can’t go wrong with tacos! Top warm corn or flour tortillas with salsa chicken, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and any other toppings you like.
- Burritos. Load up a large tortilla with rice, beans, sour cream, salsa chicken, cheese, and your choice of extras.
- Quesadillas. Add some shredded cheese to one half of a flour tortilla then add salsa chicken on top and sprinkle on a little more cheese. Fold the tortilla in half and cook in a skillet on the stovetop.
- Salads. Top your favorite taco salad recipe with salsa chicken instead of ground beef.
- Lettuce Wraps. Make it low carb by tucking the chicken into lettuce cups with shredded cheese or cotija.
- Bowls. Keep it simple and serve the chicken on top of a bed of cilantro lime rice or quinoa with your favorite toppings.
- Loaded Baked Potatoes. Make baked potatoes (or baked sweet potatoes) and top them with salsa chicken, cheese, and sour cream.
- Stuffed Peppers. Use the shredded chicken as a filling for bell peppers, along with quinoa or rice, black beans, cheese, etc.
- Sandwiches. Pile shredded salsa chicken on a bun with sliced avocado.
What to Serve With Salsa Chicken
These side dishes are perfect for pairing with your crockpot salsa chicken.
- Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites Recipe)
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Mexican Fruit Salad
- Refried Beans
- Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Cadillac Margarita
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cheesesteak
- CrockPot Butter Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Get the Recipe: Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 16 oz jar salsa
For the Homemade Taco Seasoning:
- 4 tablespoons Ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Arrange the chicken breasts in the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot then sprinkle the Taco Seasoning ingredients evenly over the chicken.
- Pour the salsa over the chicken. Stir a little bit to cover the chicken breasts completely then cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours or until registers 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
- Shred the chicken with tongs or two forks and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. The shredded chicken will soak up the salsa.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 5 days. Use for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more.