Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

5 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken made in the slow cooker with salsa verde, jalapeno, cumin and lime is an easy main course, taco filling or start to a soup with just 7 ingredients.

Salsa Verde Chicken Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

We love Mexican food, though with the lack of it on the site you wouldn’t guess it! Oops. But being from Southern California means we’ve grown up eating some pretty amazing food. Now in a rush I’ve been leaning heavily on my Best Homemade & QUICK Enchilada Sauce (Top 10 Ways to Use It!) to add to all the things we eat.

This is a different ballgame, we’re doing salsa verde. The milder, tangier salsa and we’re mellowing it out in the slow cooker. What you get is a super easy, delicious chicken you can serve with rice (like below) or meat for shredding and adding to your favorite meals.

Salsa Verde Chicken

Our secret favorite way to use this recipe? Cooking exactly as below (but with skinless thighs) and then adding in 6 cups of chicken broth, corn, chilis, black beans, sour cream and bell peppers (along with more cumin, salt, pepper, oregano and a bit of cayenne) to make a delicious soup you literally will be fighting over.

It all started with using the leftovers to make the soup, but now we sometimes make this recipe JUST to turn it into a soup (recipe coming later), it tastes almost like this Creamy Chicken Poblano Pepper Soup but with a little Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili flavor mixed in.

What do you serve with Salsa Verde Chicken?

This Salsa Verde Chicken is great served over rice or roasted corn, shredded into tacos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas and more. You can also add fajita vegetables to the side as a healthy side dish.

Ways to use Salsa Verde Chicken:

  • Salsa Verde Chicken Casserole: Add a box of seasoned cornmeal mix to a pan and bake, then top with this shredded chicken as written here.
  • Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice: Instead of adding the ingredients into a slow cooker add them exactly the same way to a baking dish. Add in rice and broth as written here.
  • Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas: Add to tortillas with cheese and sour cream, roll into cigar shape then top with the cooking liquid and more jack cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is hot and bubbly.
  • Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos: To use in tacos you can shred as is, or you can swap for thin chicken breasts and cook for 3-4 hours before removing and cutting into cubes.
  • Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta: Make a butter/flour mixture in your pan (4 tbs of each) and whisk until the flour is cooked, then add in cream, jack cheese and 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Allow to thicken, stir in pasta and top with chicken (this is to DIE FOR).

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

How to make Salsa Verde Chicken in the oven:

Add the ingredients as directed and brown the chicken well on both sides in a Cast Iron Skillet. Add the peppers and salsa on top and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Top with additional salsa before serving if desired.

Homemade Salsa Verde Recipe:

  • 1 pound tomatillos, husk and core removed
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 serrano chile pepper, chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 3 cups water

Add the ingredients to a large dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, for 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatillos are soft and breaking down. Puree with immersion blender off the heat carefully to avoid splatter.

Tools used in the making of this Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Recipe:
Salsa Verde: Delicious, authentic and it makes the recipe a breeze to make!
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me.
Chicken Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.

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Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken made in the slow cooker with salsa verde, jalapeños, cumin and lime is an easy main course, taco filling or start to a soup with just 7 ingredients.
Yield 5 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 5 chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon chicken base optional but highly recommended
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 jalapeno sliced thinly
  • 14 ounces salsa verde
  • 1 lime juiced

Instructions

  • Rub the chicken base, salt, pepper and cumin over the chicken thighs and add them to the slow cooker.
  • Divide 1 cup of salsa verde and the jalapeno slices over the pieces of chicken and cook on low for 7 hours.
  • Add in the remaining salsa and lime juice and cook for 1 last hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 1130mg | Potassium: 413mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 10.2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Keyword: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
salsa verde chicken recipe
slow cooker salsa verde chicken

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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Comments

  1. This looks delicious! For a smaller crock pot, would recommend reducing the number of thighs in the pot or would it still be alright if I could squeeze them all in?

    1. You’ll want to make sure not to over crowd the slow cooker. Make sure that whatever amount you use can easily sit in a single layer at the bottom of the slow cooker. Enjoy!

  2. If making the pasta dish you mention, how much cream and jack cheese should be added to the roux and 2 cups of cooking liquid? This was delicious with southwestern rice and I plan to also use the meat for tacos as you suggest! Thanks for yet another easy, flavor-bomb triumph! You’re a staple in our kitchen!

    1. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes! I’m so sorry this comment got stuck in the spam filter and I just came across it. I know your meal is long gone now. I would do 4 ounces softened cream cheese and a cup of shredded jack cheese.

  3. Can this dish be cooked on a high setting, slow cooker, or is it best to cook it slow for 7 hours? I’m making it tomorrow. Sounds delish! I love salsa verde!

  4. I made the recipe as directed, but I used a small 2 lb pork butt for taco filling, It was very good.

  5. Slow Cooker .. chopped onion, garlic in bottom, 4 – 5 chicken thighs, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt pepper and bottle salsa verde. Cook high 2 hrs. I add 3 big chunks green zucchini. Cook 2 1/2 hrs high. Delicious.. add cilantro towards end

  6. Recipes sounds great! Do you offer any for the Instant Pot ? Is there a way to convert your slow cooker recipes for the Instant Pot? Thanks!

    1. I haven’t tested this using an Instant Pot but I’m sure you could find a recipe online with similar ingredients and follow that. Hope this helps!