Mexican
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Chicken thighs and a jar of salsa cook until the meat shreds into the juices. It is the weeknight version of taco chicken, with a lime finish and no extra sauce to build.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 5 hr
- Total
- 5 hr 10 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Thighs stay moist on a long cook better than breasts.
- Salsa is the whole sauce.
- You can leave it while you are at work if you use low.
- Lime at the end keeps it from tasting stewed.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $11–$16 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Put the onion in the slow cooker. Lay the thighs on top and sprinkle with the salt, cumin, and chili powder.
- 2
Pour the salsa over the chicken. Do not add extra water.
- 3
Cover. Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3 hours. Leave the lid closed.
- 4
Check that the thickest thigh is 165°F and the meat pulls apart. If it is still tight, cover and cook 30 minutes more.
- 5
Shred the chicken in the juices. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
Pro tips
- Extra broth makes this watery. The salsa is enough liquid.
- If you want it for tacos, spoon it with a slotted spoon and keep the extra juice for rice.
- Cilantro goes in at the end. It turns dull if it cooks for hours.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken thighs
- Breasts, and use 4 hours on low so they do not dry out
- Salsa
- Pico de gallo, and add 1/4 cup water if it looks dry
- Cilantro
- Sliced scallions
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 2 months.
Reheating
Warm in a skillet over medium heat with a spoon of the juices until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker · Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Lower-Carb, High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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