Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

This recipe for Crock Pot Salsa Chicken is my favorite go-to healthy dinner that is quick, easy and only requires TWO ingredients!

This recipe for Crock Pot Salsa Chicken is my favorite go-to healthy dinner that is quick, easy and only requires TWO ingredients!

Note: This post first appeared on February 3, 2014. It has been updated with bright new photos, but it’s still the same delicious EASY recipe!

When it comes to meal planning for the week, THIS is my absolute favorite thing to make! Salsa is extremely low in calories and is a great way to get those veggies in your diet without even trying. It also just so happens to perfectly coat your chicken in the crock pot making it moist and flavorful while giving you TONS to enjoy all week! Oh and did I mention this entire recipe requires just TWO ingredients, along with a little salt and pepper. That’s it! It doesn’t get much easier than that folks. Simply throw your chicken into your crock pot, top with the salsa of choice and turn it on. Done. I can’t tell you how much of a lifesaver this recipe is for us during busy weeks and the shredded chicken makes perfect leftovers for healthy lunches!

Personally I like to eat my chicken over a salad because the salsa acts as a great dressing, but you could eat this mixed with brown rice, on a whole wheat bun or in a wrap and it also takes great all on its own with some veggies. Any salsa will work too, just use your favorite! THIS recipe just happens to be mine and the one I always use when making shredded chicken. I love making my own at home because there is nothing more tasty then fresh salsa, but if you are looking for something quick, store-bought works perfectly!

This recipe for Crock Pot Salsa Chicken is my favorite go-to healthy dinner that is quick, easy and only requires TWO ingredients!

Just a quick note, this does get pretty watery after slow cooking for a few hours so I like to remove the chicken, strain out the salsa then throw everything back in to shred. Super easy though! Let me just tell you that this makes a seriously delicious bowl mixed with black beans, peppers, brown rice and lettuce. You could also add a little cumin and chili powder for even more flavor!

Like I said before, this is literally the EASIEST recipe you’ll ever make. Hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!

RECIPE

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

This recipe for Crock Pot Salsa Chicken is my favorite go-to healthy dinner that is quick, easy and only requires TWO ingredients!

Yield: 6 servings 1x

★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Scale

Cook Time: 4 1/2 hrs
Total Time: 0 hours

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 cups favorite salsa

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Place chicken breasts in your crock pot, season with a little salt and pepper and cover completely with salsa. Set crock pot on the low setting and cook for 4 1/2 hours.
Place chicken in a bowl and strain out just the salsa, not the juice. Shred chicken using two forks and mix in strained salsa. Enjoy!

Notes

*Recipe inspired by He and She Eat Clean

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 160
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 414.7 mg
Fat: 2.7 g
Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 24.8 g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

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Jillienne @ ChasingRaspberries says:

February 3, 2014 at 4:32 pm

This looks so simple, yet delicious! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try because I know the hubs will love it.

Reply
Jennifer says:

February 3, 2014 at 6:17 pm

This is a recipe that has been floating around for a very long time. I’ve been making it for a couple of years now. But I include a packet of taco seasoning (or homemade seasoning), corn and black beans. Some add sour cream.

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Amanda says:

February 3, 2014 at 7:22 pm

Just curious- would I be able to leave it in the crock pot for longer.. about 9 hours? That’s how long I will be at work during the day and I’d love to have this ready for when I get home from work.
Thanks!

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- Kelly says:
  
  February 4, 2014 at 1:34 am
  
  Unfortunately chicken tends to dry out if left in the crock pot too long, which is why I do this recipe on the weekends. I wish I had a better solution for you!
  
  Reply
- Meggan @ Culinary Hill says:
  
  February 4, 2014 at 3:34 am
  
  I have NO idea if this would work… but what if you put your chicken breasts in the crock pot frozen? Might buy you a little time… probably not 5 hours though. Some crock pots switch from “low” to “warm” when they are done, that might help a little too? Good luck. Sorry Kel for jumping in, it’s just an intriguing problem!!!!!
  
  Reply
  - Kelly says:
    
    February 4, 2014 at 2:28 pm
    
    Yes this is very true! Frozen chicken breasts might work as they would need to cook longer 🙂
    
    Reply
    - Brittany says:
      
      February 2, 2015 at 8:11 pm
      
      Use a timer and set it to start 4 hours before youre usually home
      
      Reply
- Katy says:
  
  June 3, 2014 at 5:34 pm
  
  When I know I have a long work day and don’t want things in my crock pot to overcook I’ll either cook it overnight and then turn the crock pot to “keep warm” during the day. Or with this particular recipe you might try turning it on high while you get ready in the morning for an hour or 2 and then turn it to keep warm for the remainder of the day. There should be enough heat built up during the hour of high heat to cook it the rest of the way through without over drying. I hope?!
  Good luck!
  
  Reply
- Kari says:
  
  March 9, 2016 at 3:44 pm
  
  Use frozen chicken, this is what I do when I have to be away from home longer that 8 hours. My slow cooker doesn’t have a timer. I cook most of meat in the slow cooker frozen comes out much nicer.
  
  Reply
- ah says:
  
  April 1, 2021 at 12:59 am
  
  Hey, what I do is add in more salsa and chicken or vegies stock plus water–around 1 more cup of both. Add in extra seasonings to your liking and you should have pretty nice chicken, <3
  
  Reply
Kim says:

February 3, 2014 at 10:57 pm

Any day that I can use my crock pot makes me happy!!! This looks so easy – can’t wait to try your salsa and make this!

Reply
heather says:

February 4, 2014 at 3:10 am

one of my favorite things to make during the week! so easy… simple… delicious. i love it over salads, quinoa, and brown rice!

Reply
Lindsay @ Shiny Love Affair says:

February 4, 2014 at 1:36 pm

I love salsa chicken! I can’t wait to try this recipe out. Thank you for sharing it 🙂

Reply
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says:

February 4, 2014 at 4:00 pm

I love how simple this is to bring together.

Reply
Sara Dingle says:

February 4, 2014 at 10:51 pm

I love you blog – your recipe presentation is so pretty! I am a university student in Melbourne (Australia) and I have just started a blog about beautiful healthy food… I would absolutely love it if you would go and check it out 🙂
xx

Reply
Brenda @ Chatting Over Chocolate says:

February 5, 2014 at 3:23 am

YUM!! Pinned both this and your salsa! Thanks so much for sharing!

Reply
Elizabeth says:

February 11, 2014 at 7:05 pm

I need to try this recipe stat! Looks easy, simple and delicious!

Reply
michelle says:

February 21, 2014 at 7:15 pm

can this be cooked on high for about 2 1/2 hours?

Reply
Nikki says:

April 7, 2014 at 9:23 pm

Love this idea. No crock pot. Any ideas??

Reply
Debbie says:

May 12, 2014 at 1:33 pm

Made this recipe it was great and so easy. Used my homemade salsa. Made soft chicken tacos. Next time..maybe taco chicken soup. Didn’t realise till after it was made just how many things you can do with this awesome salsa chicken!! thanks!

Reply
Rosa says:

May 13, 2014 at 7:15 pm

Hi Kelly
I just discovered your blog and I love your recipes and I definitely want to try some of them, but I live in Europe and we don´t measure in Cups. Can you or anyone tell me how much grams a Cup is?
That would be lovely!
Thanks a lot xxx

Reply
jen says:

October 20, 2014 at 10:01 pm

if you doubled the recipe would you have to cook chicken longer or the same 4.5 hours? looks yummy!

Reply
Kristi Rimkus says:

May 3, 2015 at 3:06 am

I love the simplicity of this recipe. I’ve linked to it on my healthy recipe weekend roundup for Cinco de Mayo, and plan to make it with pork loin tomorrow for our celebration. Have a terrific weekend!

Reply
annie says:

August 10, 2015 at 6:28 am

hi there! thanks for the idea. would like to ask is this recipe possible if i were to prep meals for one whole week?

Reply
Tonja says:

September 9, 2015 at 8:11 pm

Making this tonight! Can’t wait to try it!

Reply
Jess says:

January 8, 2016 at 7:57 pm

how do you strain out the salsa chunks without the juice? also- love your blog!! thanks for your recipies!!

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  February 10, 2016 at 3:10 pm
  
  I just use the top of the can to strain out the juice or you could use a strainer 🙂
  
  Reply
Lexie says:

January 20, 2016 at 12:04 am

thanks for this recipe! love your blog 🙂 🙂

Reply
sruthi ancha says:

December 12, 2016 at 5:04 pm

Hi, should i keep the crock pot covered through the duration of 4 hours?

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  December 14, 2016 at 2:37 pm
  
  Yes definitely keep the crock pot covered 🙂
  
  Reply
Alyssa says:

January 30, 2017 at 4:25 pm

I’m definitely going to try this asap! My boys would love this with a bit a of the mild salsa, thanks for the cool recipe idea. I’ll share and link back when I decide to post and share on my blog. Btw, found you on BlogLovin’ and will be a new follower.

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  January 30, 2017 at 4:57 pm
  
  Thanks Alyssa! Hope you and your boys enjoy this! 🙂
  
  Reply
Lindsey says:

January 31, 2017 at 5:52 am

The mango salsa from Costco is amazing in this recipe!

Reply
Annie says:

January 31, 2017 at 2:23 pm

My family is obsessed with salsa chicken! I have been making it in the instant pot also and we use it for everything from burrito bowls to salads. The best!

Reply
adrii P. says:

February 1, 2017 at 7:50 pm

I want to try this recipe, but I want to only use two chicken breasts. How long would you cook them for ?

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  February 3, 2017 at 6:00 pm
  
  You would cook them for the same amount of time 🙂
  
  Reply
Angie says:

March 8, 2017 at 11:34 pm

I’ve made this recipe for years and I’ve never had a problem with dry chicken since I keep it in the crockpot for close to 10 hours when I’m at work. I use two pounds of chicken breasts (which I sometimes dice into chunks and I’ve also done this recipe with pork!!) and I add a 16 oz jar of salsa and it comes out perfect. Not dry at all. Once I get home I add a can of corn and a can of black beans, put it on high while I make some rice. Leftovers: I’ll serve it over mashed potatoes or I make burritos. This is the BEST crockpot recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Reply
Melissa says:

April 18, 2017 at 12:41 am

Is the protein nutrient says 724.5. Is that just a type-o? ? Should be 24.5? thanks.

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  April 18, 2017 at 5:49 pm
  
  Goodness yes! Thank you so much for catching that typo, I’ve updated it and you are correct, it should be 24.5 🙂 Sorry about that!
  
  Reply
Tim says:

April 20, 2017 at 1:01 pm

When you say “strain out just the salsa, not the water,” are you wanting to remove the salsa or the water? Sorry, I’m confused. I had assumed you would want to remove the water and leave the salsa for flavor, but then started to worry about the chicken being too dry.

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  April 20, 2017 at 2:13 pm
  
  Yes you want to remove the water and strain out the salsa to add back with the shredded chicken 🙂
  
  Reply
Nancy Brinkmann says:

December 4, 2017 at 6:38 am

Can this be made in an Instant Pot. How long would you cook it?
Thanks

Reply
Heidi says:

June 19, 2020 at 11:57 pm

How many points on the new WW Green?

Reply
Lynne says:

January 5, 2021 at 9:52 pm

Made this for first time today. Very yummy! Thank you.

Reply
Sherri M Fortun says:

August 29, 2021 at 10:22 pm

We made a version of this with my husbands homemade pico!! Beyond fantastic and so simple!!!

Reply
- Kelly says:
  
  August 29, 2021 at 11:20 pm
  
  So glad you liked this Sherri! 🙂
  
  Reply
  - Sherri says:
    
    August 30, 2021 at 3:01 pm
    
    We actually made this per directions and liked it too!!
    
    Reply
Anna says:

July 23, 2022 at 9:17 pm

I make it just like this (often 2 breasts and 1 cup of salsa). I don’t bother to strain out the juice because in the end when I shred the chicken it seems to just create a juicy sauce that can either been spooned up with the chicken. The other option is to use a slotted spoon to remove the shredded chicken for less sauce. We often use it to top nachos, make chicken quesadillas, or in tacos. Even just combined with beans and rice, it’s a hit. Leftovers are great in a chicken tortilla soup (although there are rarely leftovers!)

★★★★★

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