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This fresh and flavorful slow cooker salsa chicken is an essential easy dinner recipe. This chicken recipe is made using chicken thighs, a jar of salsa, and hands-off cooking thanks to using the slow cooker. Use this salsa chicken in bowls, tacos, burritos, and more!
Easiest Salsa Chicken
The slow cooker makes this Tex Mex salsa chicken quick and easy. Perfect for busy weekdays, hands off Sunday cooking, and make and take meals for potlucks or activities.
Important Features of this recipe
- Flavor– fresh and light, this chicken pairs nicely with brighter flavors.
- Ease– ingredients get added straight into the slow cooker, no additional steps needed. This recipe is mostly hands off.
- Serving options– this chicken can be used in bowls, tacos, nachos, burritos, salads, there’s so many options which makes this a great staple recipe.
- Few Ingredients– minimal ingredients are needed to make this chicken tender and flavorful.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken– chicken thighs offer a juicy, tender dish with the combination of dark and white meat. You can use chicken breasts for this recipe also.
- Salsa– Use a mild, medium, or spicy based on your preference.
- Cumin & Salt– seasonings that add more flavor.
Make Salsa Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
- Dice the onion to add directly into the slow cooker on the bottom. Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions, and then sprinkle with ground cumin and salt.
- Pour the salsa directly over the chicken. Cook in your slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until chicken is tender and you can easily shred it.
- Shred the chicken and stir around in the salsa mixture to ensure it’s fully coated.
Store & Freeze
This is a fantastic freezer meal. Store the cooked chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen chicken in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or add back into the slow cooker and reheat on low for 2-3 hours until warmed through.
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, making this a great meal prep option for lunches or dinners during the week.
Serving Ideas
This chicken is perfect for serving in bowls over cilantro lime rice with some roasted corn salsa, sliced avocado, and sour cream or crema.
Or you can use it for making tacos with corn tortillas or flour tortillas, some Monterey Jack cheese, and fresh cilantro. Serve with our favorite Mexican Side Salad with a cilantro vinaigrette or some roasted Mexican vegetables on the side.
Testing Notes
- Onions- we tested this recipe by sautéing the onions before slow cooking and adding in the onions raw and felt there was no noticeable difference in taste/texture, so we decided to keep things as simple as possible and add them straight in to the slow cooker.
- Seasonings- we have made this chicken with multiple seasoning options. Taco seasoning is too heavy, we love the fresh lightness of just the salsa. Chili powders add too bold of a flavor. Cumin adds just a bit more of the expected “Mexican” flavoring that we love but you can leave it out if you prefer. But we do recommend adding in the salt to bring out the flavoring.
Looking for a bolder flavored shredded chicken try our 30 Minute Shredded Mexican Chicken. Or for a combination of fire roasted tomatoes and a bold seasoning mix try our Cantina Chicken.
FAQs
You can easily adapt this recipe to use the instant pot. Since it’s all done in one pot you may want to sauté the onions first, then pour in the salsa, add the chicken and seasonings. Then cook on high pressure for 13 minutes and do a quick release when they are done cooking.
The best salsa is one that you enjoy. Grab a spicy, mild, or medium based on preference. We prefer using a chunky style. You can also use a homemade salsa, but I do not recommend using a fresh chopped pico de gallo since there’s not enough liquid in it to flavor the chicken as well.
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Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1½-2 pounds chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (16 ounce jar) salsa
Instructions
- Add the diced onion to the bottom of the slow cooker, and place the chicken thighs directly on top of the onions.
- Sprinkle the salt and cumin over the chicken, then pour the salsa over the top.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender and you can easily shred it.
- Shred the chicken and return to the slow cooker, stirring to coat in the sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
