Crockpot salsa chicken is the easiest meal you will make this week. This complete meal is perfect for a weeknight meal, as part of your meal prep and can be served in a few different ways.
Simple meals are key to making it through the week and this crockpot salsa chicken is probably one of the simplest ones ever. You can skip the dicing altogether and just throw the key ingredients in the crockpot and call it a day.
The beauty of this meal is its versatility. You can serve it in a few different dishes, and maybe even more that I haven’t thought of. Let me know in the comments below if you think of something different. I love to hear new ways to make my recipes come to life.
Preparing Simple Salsa Chicken in a Crockpot
Ingredients
Chicken breasts: Chicken breasts are considered the white meat of a chicken. They are thick and tender when cooked just right. When overcooked, however, they become dry and tough to eat.
G&K taco seasoning: A mix of common spices similar to fajita seasoning but with some variation in proportions. The chili powder makes its flavour more potent but it is not a spicy seasoning. It’s great on chicken or beef.
Salsa: Salsa refers to “sauce” but in most cases when we say salsa in North America we are talking about a dip that is often served with Mexican food.
Stock: I use vegetable stock in this recipe but you can equally use water or water and bouillon powder. If you prefer a less saucy stew reduce the quantity to 1 cup. The stock has two main purposes in this recipe. It helps to cook the potatoes a bit faster and it reduces the sourness of the tomatoes by diluting them.
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.
Green bell pepper: Green bell peppers are the most bitter of the bell pepper varieties because they are harvested the earliest in the growing season. They are a deep green colour and are extra crunchy. Though they pack less nutritional value than their red pepper counterparts they contain a similar amount of protein only slightly less fiber. Green peppers also give your daily required dose of Vitamin C per every 100g consumed.
Red bell pepper: The sweetness of red bell pepper is unbeatable in this recipe. Red peppers are the more mature version of the more bitter and earthy green pepper. Though they are technically a fruit, bell peppers are typically used as a vegetable in cooking. Red bell peppers are high in vitamins C and A.
How to Make Crockpot Salsa Chicken
If you don’t want to add the optional ingredients skip directly to step 3 and make this
Step 1: Prep the veggies (if using)
Wash the peppers, core them and dice them to your liking. The quantities don’t need to be precise you can also use just red or just green pepper.
The intent of adding fresh veggies is just to create a more nutritious meal. Next, peel half a small onion and dice it as well.
Step 2: Make the seasoning (if using)
If you don’t have store-bought seasoning on hand make the G&K Taco Spice Mix now.
Step 3: Dump and cook
Add the chicken, vegetables, taco seasoning and salsa to a Crock Pot or Instant Pot Duo Crisp. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Substitutions
Chicken breast: You can use any boneless cut of chicken. It’s best that you use thawed chicken in the slow cooker according to food safety guidelines. Frozen chicken can cook unevenly and cause foodborne illness. As you can see in the video, this is a case of do as I say not as I do.
Serving Crockpot Salsa Chicken
The beauty of this dish is that it can be served as part of a few different meals.
One of my favourites is over rice. To take it up a notch try it over our lemon and parsley rice.
Another delicious way to serve this crockpot salsa chicken is in a taco or burrito. You can of course add another variation to this and serve it in a burrito bowl or even a taco salad.
Lastly, try this easy dish on top of nachos for your next party.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Crockpot Salsa Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Knife ( optional)
- Cutting board ( optional)
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts or 6 thighs
- 2 tbsp G&K taco seasoning (optional)
- 2 cups salsa (chunky salsa is recommended)
- ½ cup stock or water (optional – Note 1)
- ½ onion (optional)
- ½ red bell pepper (optional)
- ½ green bell pepper (optional)
Instructions
- If you are adding fresh vegetables, wash and dice the red and green peppers and peel and dice the onions.½ onion, ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper
- If you need to make your taco seasoning, make it now. 1 serving of G&K taco spice will suffice. You can incorporate the cornstarch for this recipe.2 tbsp G&K taco seasoning
- Next, add the chicken to a crockpot. Then add the freshly diced veggies, taco seasoning and salsa. Stir as best as you can.3 chicken breasts or 6 thighs, 2 tbsp G&K taco seasoning, 2 cups salsa, ½ onion, ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, ½ cup stock or water
- Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Once the chicken is cooked, you can shred it using forks or a mixer.
- Serve over rice, in a taco or a burrito.
