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The Magical Slow Cooker » Recipes » Chicken » Slow Cooker Homemade Salsa Chicken

Slow Cooker Homemade Salsa Chicken

by Sarah Olson on January 6, 2017 | Updated January 4, 2023 4 Comments

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Collage of homemade salsa chicken with text of what the ingredients are.
shredded salsa chicken in a slow cooker.
collage of salsa chicken images with text overlay for pinterest

This Slow Cooker Homemade Salsa Chicken is tender and flavorful. This recipe makes plenty of extra salsa for topping the tacos or burritos!

shredded salsa chicken in a slow cooker.

Have you ever made salsa chicken in the slow cooker? It is usually my go to pantry slow cooker meal. The standard recipe is chicken breasts, a jar of salsa and a half packet of taco seasoning, but it can be blah especially with chicken breasts. My best friend was telling me about a salsa recipe her brother had made for her, I had to try it! Then I got to thinking how good this salsa would be cooked with boneless skinless chicken thighs. This recipe also makes enough extra salsa to have for topping the tacos or burritos or for having to dip chips in.

I think the best thing I learned from making this salsa was using tomato sauce as a base. The tomato sauce gave this salsa a lot of smoothness. In the past I have used crushed tomatoes or diced, or no base at all and did not have such good results. In addition to the tomato sauce I added cherry tomatoes, vine ripened tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, garlic, red onion, jalapeno, lime and salt.

big bowl of homemade salsa.

I take part of the salsa from above and put it on seasoned boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker. I save the rest of the salsa to go with dinner. I am very careful to separate the salsa before getting the chicken out of the fridge and handling it, don’t want to give my family salmonella!

homemade salsa over chicken thighs in a slow cooker.

Below is what the  chicken looks like after cooking. See the color of the salsa! It changes flavor being cooked with the chicken!

chicken thighs in a slow cooker cooked with homemade salsa.

I shred the chicken with 2 forks and dinner is ready to be served!

shredded salsa chicken in a slow cooker with lime garnish.

I decided to put this chicken in blue corn taco shells, though you can serve this chicken anyway you want!

tacos filled with shredded chicken with cheese on top.

This meal is worth trying if you love homemade salsa and a good taco! Have a great weekend. I will be back early next week with a new recipe.

Try another chicken recipe:

  • Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken (jarred)
  • Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken

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homemade salsa chicken in slow cooker with limes

Slow Cooker Homemade Salsa Chicken

5 from 1 vote
This two part Salsa Chicken recipe makes plenty of taco filling and goodness for your chips
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 244kcal
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment Needed:

  • Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart or larger

Ingredients:

For the salsa:

  • 29 oz. tomato sauce (I used Hunts)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 2 cups vine tomatoes diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 1 tsp. garlic crushed
  • 1 jalapeño minced
  • 1 cup green onion sliced
  • 1/2 Tbsp lime good squeeze from half a lime
  • 1/8 salt to taste to taste

For the chicken

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (1½-2 lbs.),fat trimmed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 cups salsa from above recipe
US Customary – Metric

Instructions:

  • Make the salsa by combining the salsa ingredients in a large bowl, taste the salsa. (see notes)
  • Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, onion powder, and chili powder.
  • Pour 2 cups of the salsa over the chicken; saving the rest of the salsa for serving.
  • Be careful to separate the salsa for serving in a clean area of the kitchen where you won't contaminate the extra salsa with chicken germs.
  • Cover and cook the chicken on LOW for 5-6 hour or HIGH for 4.
  • Once done, shred the chicken.
  • Serve in tacos or burritos with remaining salsa.
  • Enjoy!
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Recipe Notes:

Tasting the salsa is important, you may want to add more of one ingredient, making it to your taste.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1061mg | Potassium: 1115mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1572IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

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    2411 shares
    • 1594

    Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner

    Comments

    1. haley says

      January 9, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      This sounds great! I make something similar that uses rotel but I’d much prefer the homemade salsa!! Btw An easy way to shred chicken in the crock pot is to use your hand mixer on low… Takes seconds to have perfectly shredded chicken!

      Reply
    2. Paula Rock says

      January 6, 2017 at 1:31 pm

      I make homemade salsa from our garden every year, so how many jars should I use? Is a pint enough?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        January 6, 2017 at 2:09 pm

        Hi Paula, a pint is 2 cups I believe. Yes I think that would be plenty if you use chicken thighs. I would use a touch more if you use breasts, they tend to dry out.

        Reply
    3. Mick says

      January 6, 2017 at 10:17 am

      This sounds very good. I think I will try it with bone in thighs and drumsticks and serve them over rice.
      Kind of like a Mexican Chicken Cacciatore.
      Thanks for all the great recipes.

      Reply

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