Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
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Quick, tasty, and totally beginner-friendly, this Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken is a great for a quick prep ahead dinner. This recipe is a great one to try with picky eaters, and works with multiple ways of serving it —tacos, bowls, burritos, so many options!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
- Quick Prep – Not a whole lot of effort is needed for this recipe, you can prep and be done in about five minutes, then let the slow cooker do the cooking.
- Flavorful Dish – It can be hard if you have pickier eaters to introduce new flavors. This chicken is light, flavorful, and the chicken is tender. It’s easy for picky eaters to enjoy and yet still full of flavor, and easy to customize.
- Flexible Recipe Great For Meal Prep – I love recipes that can be used more than one way, and this flavorful chicken can be served multiple different ways. Try it as tacos, burritos, or as build your own bowl style dish.
I actually made this recipe the first time because my family had salsa verde chicken as street tacos in a Mexican restaurant and wanted more. It’s a great way to switch another flavor into your dinner rotation. If you want a more traditional chicken chili verde which is more like a stew, this recipe may be a better fit. My version is a tasty version that is a great way to start introducing picky eaters to try additional flavors and works really well for tacos.
Ingredients For Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- chicken breast – boneless skinless chicken breast
- cumin
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- salsa verde about 2 cups, green salsa, I used a store bought salsa. I recommend starting with a mild jar of salsa verde unless you have a green salsa you already love that is spicier. You can also use a homemade salsa verde if you have it.
How To Make Salsa Verde Chicken
- Spray the bottom of a slow cooker with spray cooking oil. Add the chicken breast to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the chicken breast with the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Pour the green salsa over the chicken. Your prep is done, see super easy!
- Set the slow cooker to cook at low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Turn two forks backwards and shred the chicken. The chicken should easily shred when the chicken is done.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and mix it into the cooking liquids. Then serve over warm flour or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings. Try diced tomato, avocado, cheese, a drizzle of sour cream, or chopped cilantro. A squeeze of lime juice can also be delicious at the table.
Variation Ideas For Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
Swap In Boneless Chicken Thighs – Chicken thighs give this dish a lot of good flavor, chicken thighs are great in the slow cooker. I recommend still using about two pounds of boneless chicken thighs to ensure your slow cooker is full enough, as they cook best when at least half full.
Double The Salsa – This recipe is flavorful and plenty moist. I have created it with the idea of having this as tacos, in burritos or adding on top of a bowl or nachos. The more traditional version of salsa verde is often more of a stew with a lot more sauce, though I have seen plenty of places that serve a green chicken chili taco. If you make this dish more of a stew, I have found it’s just a little too drippy to enjoy as tacos.
Add Some Heat – You can use a spicier version of salsa verde to easily add some heat. You can also try adding about 2 ounces of spicy green chiles to the mixture or dice a jalapeno that has the seeds removed. All versions will give you a more authentic green chili taste while adding heat.
A little hot sauce can also be added, but it may change the flavor a little if you don’t have a green hot sauce. Hot sauce can be great to add a little kick to individual portions if some people in your family like it spicy and others don’t.
Try Mixing In Some Vegetables – While not as traditional, you can add a few extra vegetables to the chicken as it cooks. Corn is a good option, and can be added fresh, frozen or you can use canned after draining it well.
Drained canned beans can be another great option, try a pinto bean, a white kidney bean or a black bean. Bell peppers generally hold up pretty well in this dish. Other vegetables though I usually like to save for layering on top of the tacos for a little extra crunch.
How To Serve Salsa Verde Chicken As Chicken Tacos
I serve this shredded salsa verde chicken as tacos on either flour or corn tortillas, and my family just adds their own toppings.
Some toppings we like often include are diced tomato or pico de gala salsa, black bean and corn salsa, diced avocado or guacamole, cheese (usually a cheddar cheese or a Monterey jack), shredded lettuce and a drizzle of sour cream or lime crema sauce.
I am not Mexican, but I love enjoying Mexican food where I live in Arizona. For more traditional street taco toppings try adding thinly sliced radish (this adds great crunch!), shredded cabbage, pickled onions or diced fresh onion, chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Also, warm soft corn tortillas if you are using them, either in a pan or in a toaster oven for a few seconds so they are soft and pliable. It makes a huge difference!
You can also serve this as chicken enchiladas, in burritos, in quesadillas, over nachos, as a salad or a bowl over rice like a cilantro lime rice.
How Long Will Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Last?
Expect leftovers of this recipe will last for about 3 days. Store shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze leftovers of the chicken, though I do recommend adding a little extra salsa, chicken broth or water as you reheat the chicken from frozen, so it doesn’t dry out. You can also use this same idea when reheating the chicken from the refrigerator if needed.
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Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast boneless, skinless
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces salsa verde about 2 cups, green salsa
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of a slow cooker with spray cooking oil. Add the chicken breast to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the chicken breast with the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Pour the green salsa over the chicken.
- Set the slow cooker to cook at low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Turn two forks backwards and shred the chicken.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker and mix it into the cooking liquids. Then serve over warm flour or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings. Try diced tomato, avocado, cheese, a drizzle of sour cream, or chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
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