Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

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With just five ingredients, this recipe is an easy and versatile dinner to add to your rotation.

Active Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 20 mins
Yield:
Serves 8 (serving size: 1 cup chicken mixture, 1 cup rice)

Our Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken is a versatile recipe to add to your dinner rotation. There are countless ways to serve this recipe, so the kids will never get tired of it. Here we suggest serving the chicken over rice, but it would also be delicious in hard or soft tacos with other fresh toppings. Get creative with spuds and make Salsa Chicken-filled baked potatoes. You could also make kid-friendly quesadillas or melty enchiladas with a Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken filling. Turn Taco Tuesday into Taco salad Tuesday with a fun Salsa Chicken salad or top a Tex Mex-inspired grain bowl with Salsa Chicken for a healthy, not-so-boring brown bag lunch.

With just five ingredients and virtually no hands-on time, this truly is a dream meal for busy cooks. Since there are so few ingredients, be sure to buy quality refrigerated salsa for the best flavor. This easy slow cooker dinner doesn't even require browning. That means fewer dishes and more time back on busy weeknights.

This Salsa Chicken recipe is an ideal dump-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker recipe for Sunday meal prep or hectic weekdays. Simply layer the ingredients in the slow cooker, and press the start button. In about two hours, you'll have tender, juicy Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken ready to feed the family.

Crock-Pot Salsa Chicken
Caitlin Bensel

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 (16-oz.) containers refrigerated medium salsa

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

  • 8 cups hot cooked yellow rice (from 2 [5-oz.] pkg., such as Mahatma Saffron Yellow Seasonings Long-Grain Rice)

  • Chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Directions

  1. Place chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Add salsa and oregano.

    Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken in slow cooker insert from overhead

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

    Cover and cook on HIGH until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thighs registers 165°F, about 2 hours. Turn off slow cooker. Transfer chicken to a large heatproof bowl; let cool 10 minutes.

    cooked salsa chicken in a bowl

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

    Shred meat into bite-size pieces. Add liquid in slow cooker to chicken; toss to coat.

    slow-cooker salsa chicken in a bowl overhead

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

    Serve over hot rice; garnish with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

    Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

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