Crockpot salsa chicken
Chicken and a jar of salsa do nearly all the work, and you end up with tender, saucy shredded chicken for bowls tonight and tacos over the next few days.
- 265 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $1.88 a serving
- 380 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2 lb chicken breasts
- 1½ cups salsa
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese (optional)
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 2¼ cups water
Each serving has about 380 calories, 39 g protein, 43 g carbs and 5 g fat, and costs about $1.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Lay the chicken in the slow cooker and sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and ½ teaspoon of salt over both sides.
Pour the salsa over the top and spread it so every piece of chicken is covered.
Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the thickest breast reads 165°F and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Timer: 210 min
Dolly’s tip: Chicken breasts dry out if they cook all day, so start this after lunch rather than before work.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
About 30 minutes before the chicken is ready, put the rice in a medium with the water and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Lift the chicken onto a board and it with two forks.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
the chicken back into the salsa in the slow cooker and squeeze in the lime juice.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: The juices in the pot are your sauce. Give the chicken a few minutes in there and it gets even juicier.Spoon the chicken over the rice and top it with the cheese, sour cream, avocado and cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Crockpot chicken taco soup
380 min
Slow cooker chicken wild rice soup
450 min
Slow cooker butter chicken
275 min
Crockpot Hawaiian chicken sliders
260 min
High-protein dinners ›Beginner dinners ›What to make with chicken and rice ›What to make with chicken and avocados ›What to make with rice and avocados ›