Name: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning; 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa

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Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is an easy, 3 ingredient dinner that you can use for bowls, tacos, burritos, anything you want! The chicken cooks all day in taco seasoning and salsa until it’s so tender it falls apart.

Originally posted January 15, 2010. Updated October 9, 2024.

When my kids were super small, this was one of my go to dinners. It’s 3 ingredients that you literally toss into the slow cooker and just let it cook all day.

The chicken is cooked in taco seasoning and salsa which provides all the flavor you need. And then the chicken gets super tender so you can shred it and use it in bowls, tacos, burritos, salads, whatever you want.

I also love to use this as meal prep because it’s really healthy (low calorie too!) but not boring like a lot of meal prep recipes.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts – I like to use chicken breasts in this recipe because chicken thighs tend to be a little too fatty. If you don’t mind that or plan to skim out the fat, feel free to use thighs.
Taco seasoning – use whatever taco seasoning you usually use. You can use a spicy one if you like spice or a mild one if you don’t!
Salsa – use your favorite salsa. I like a restaurant style salsa for this recipe so there aren’t huge chunks of tomatoes and peppers. You can use mild, medium, or hot – whatever you want!

How To Make Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Prep. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
Combine. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken and top with salsa.
Cook. Cook on low for 3 – 4 hours or high for 6 – 7 hours.
Shred. Remove chicken to a plate and shred. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and toss with the salsa mixture.
Serve. Serve over rice, in tacos, in burritos, etc.

How Long Is It Good For?

Salsa chicken is good for up to 3 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can reheat it in the microwave or stovetop.

Can You Freeze It?

You can freeze leftover salsa chicken for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely and transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container.

When you are ready to serve, let it defrost overnight in the fridge. You can reheat it in the microwave or stovetop.

Make It a Freezer Meal

If you want to make slow cooker salsa chicken a dump and go freezer meal, put all the ingredients (raw chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa) in a freezer ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to cook it, you can let it defrost overnight in the fridge and then dump the bag into the slow cooker. Cook according to recipe instructions.

If you don’t defrost it, put the frozen chunk of ingredients into the slow cooker and add an extra hour or 2 to the cook time.

What To Serve With It

We like it over white rice. My kids turn it into burrito bowls with beans, shredded lettuce, corn, diced onion, etc. Basically whatever you’d get on your Chipotle bowl but without salsa since the chicken was cooked in it.

You could also put it into tortillas for tacos or burritos. My kids have been known to do that, too!

I also have a Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice recipe if you want to keep dinner a little lighter.

More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

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Yield: 4 servings