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Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Published: Dec 28, 2020 · Modified: Apr 27, 2022 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Make this Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken to put in tacos, serve over nachos, make an enchilada filling or make heaping burrito bowl. This classic recipe prepped in just 5 minutes for the slow cooker is a huge fan favorite!

chicken and salsa in a flour tortilla topped with sour cream and an avocado slice.
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is Perfect for Busy Days!
Contents hide
1 🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
2 🌽 Ingredients
3 🍗 Instructions
4 ❄️ Meal Prep/Freezer Directions
5 📌 Expert Tips
6 Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

I first found out about this recipe a few years ago from a reader (thank you!), she said it was super simple and needed just two ingredients – chicken and salsa. I’ve made it ever since, with an adjustment or two, because complicating things is one of my specialties. 😀 This is such an easy recipe to make that we incorporated the same concept into our Pumpkin Salsa Chicken recipe as well.

🍽️ Why This Recipe Works

Five Minutes Prep – I love meals that you can seriously throw together in just five minutes! This is so quick to make.

Low Calorie – If you want a low calorie dish, this one only has 260 calories per serving.

Juicy – There are some methods for cooking chicken that leaves it dry, but making it in your slow cooker keeps it juicy and moist.

🌽 Ingredients

The ingredients go together beautifully. I can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into this incredible meal. Let’s talk about what you will need really quickly.

Chicken:  For best results, use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You could also use boneless skinless thighs.

Salsa:  Any kind of salsa will be fantastic! We alternate between hot and mild depending on the day.

Corn:  Either frozen or canned corn is awesome in this recipe. They both work well with the other ingredients and cook great.

🍗 Instructions

Step One: Spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray (or brush with olive oil).

Step Two: Pour in the salsa, chicken and corn. Mix well, cover and cook on high for three to four hours.

Step Three: Shred chicken with two forks and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve in tortillas, or over rice.

inside the slow cooker with the shredded chicken, salsa and corn.
Shred the Chicken when it is Done

❄️ Meal Prep/Freezer Directions

It is so, so easy. You can definitely make this a freezer meal. Just pour the ingredients into a freezer bag, shake it up and store it in the freezer. When you are ready to cook, put it in the fridge the night before to defrost and toss the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning!

📌 Expert Tips

  • Add your favorite toppings like sour cream, cilantro, fresh-squeezed lime juice, hot sauce, and avocados.
  • We served them in tortillas, squeezed a little lime juice over the top, and added a couple of avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.
  • If you don’t want to use tortillas, build it up as a burrito bowl over rice using the same toppings.
  • Serve without shredding and scoop the salsa/corn mixture on top. Serve with vegetables and have an incredible weeknight meal made in just a few minutes.
slow cooker salsa chicken in a corn tortilla and topped with sour cream and cilantro.
Turn this into a Freezer Meal

Recipe FAQs

Can I swap the chicken breast for chicken thighs?

Yep! Feel free to swap the chicken breast for chicken thighs. Make sure you use boneless, skinless chicken for best results. Otherwise, you will have to pick out the bones and that’s not going to be fun at all.

Do I need to brown the chicken before adding it to the slow cooker?

Nope! Simply put the raw chicken in the crockpot and it will do all the cooking for you. It will lock in the flavor and it’s so easy.

Can I put frozen meat in the slow cooker?

No, it’s best to use thawed chicken breasts instead of frozen. Putting frozen chicken in the crockpot increases your risk for food-borne illness. To thaw the chicken, put it in the fridge overnight.

Can I freeze this after I cook it?

Yes, just allow it to cool and put in freezer safe bags for up to three months. Take it out the night before and place in the refrigerator to thaw.

Related Recipes

  • Air Fryer Whole Chicken w/ BBQ Rub {60 minutes}
  • Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe {Instant Pot + Ninja Foodi Options}
  • Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken {30 Minutes}
  • Air Fryer Sweet Asian Chili Chicken Wings {25 Minutes}

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken - One of the easiest crockpot recipes you'll try!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Easy weeknight meal that requires almost no time to prep. Serve over rice or inside tortillas. Also can be used for the fillings for enchiladas or quesadillas. {WW 0 Blue + Purple, 5 Green Points, Gluten Free}
3 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: dinner, Main
Cuisine: Hispanic
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Calories: 260kcal
Author: Ginny

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
  • 24 oz Salsa mild, medium or hot, your choice!
  • 12 oz Corn frozen or canned
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray (or brush with olive oil)
  • Pour salsa, chicken and corn into slow cooker. Mix well. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Shred chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in tortillas, or over rice.

Notes

Sour cream, lime juice, hot sauce, avocados, and cilantro are a few ideas for toppings. The flavor will change depending on the intensity of the salsa you use as well. Pick a salsa that you normally eat at home. 
Make it into a burrito, burrito bowl, tacos, enchiladas or nachos. This recipe changes every time you make it depending on how you use the chicken and what extra toppings you use to add to it. 
Freezer Meal Instructions: Prep everything into a freezer safe Ziploc bag and freeze. Put it in the refrigerator the night before you want to cook it and then in the morning, place it in a slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours. 
Freezer Friendly Instructions: To freeze this AFTER you cook it, place it in freezer safe Ziploc bags after it cools. It can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it defrost overnight in the fridge. If you find the chicken isn’t as moist as you want it to be, add a ¼-½ cup of additional salsa and it will take care of it while you reheat. 

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 977mg | Potassium: 1049mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 8.1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
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About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Connie Johnson says

    August 03, 2018 at 1:22 am

    5 stars
    We’ve made this three times: once with chicken breasts, once with chicken thighs, and once with pork roast. It was heavenly each time. We used a medium salsa but added hot pepper sauce to ramp up the heat for more adventurous groups.

    Reply
  2. Shelbi says

    June 04, 2018 at 11:01 am

    Can you use frozen chicken for recipe? If so what should I increase the cook time to?

    Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Brittany says

    August 11, 2017 at 11:21 am

    Could you use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

    Reply
  4. Shelly says

    December 29, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    5 stars
    I have the ingredients in my slow cooker right now~! I’m excited to try this 🙂

    Reply
  5. Latoya @ Femme Frugality says

    May 20, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    I’ve always made shredded bbq chicken but it never occurred to try salsa. I’m going to try that this week. It’s quick and easy enough! Thanks for sharing:)

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      May 24, 2016 at 3:33 pm

      Super quick and easy! Hope you enjoy. 😀

      Reply

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Family Photo Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for families on the go! Read More...

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