This Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients that come together to make some of the most flavorful, tender shredded chicken verde, perfect for adding in tacos, enchiladas, taquitos, burrito bowls, or even just served over rice.
This recipe is one of my favorite go to crockpot chicken recipes for when I need to serve a crowd. Over the years, I have served it as the center piece of a taco bar for our annual slip in slide party, for family birthday dinners, or even just when we want an easy weeknight meal. Because you can even make it ahead of time, this Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken is also great for meal prep. It is even one of my favorite things to bring when eating outdoors, such as for picnics on the river or when camping. Just heat the chicken in a pan over a grill or fire, set out some tortillas and taco toppings, and let everyone build their own tacos. (In fact, we are already planning to have chicken tacos for an upcoming float trip!)
This shredded salsa verde chicken is super simple to make. You just toss a couple of ingredients into the slow cooker, set it to low, and cook for a couple of hours. As the chicken cooks, the flavors from the salsa verde, green chiles, onions, and garlic come together, resulting in a super flavorful shredded chicken that can be the basis for so many dinners or dishes. But one of my favorite ways to serve it up is in these Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos with creamy Avocado Lime Slaw.
Can I Make Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Ahead?
Yes, absolutely! This Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken is great to make ahead, and then just reheat when ready to use. If we are having a big party, I like to make it the day before then just warm it up in the Crockpot again before serving. The recipe makes a lot of chicken, so this slow cooker shredded chicken is also great for healthy meal prep, as you can cook up a big batch one day, and then use it throughout the week for lunches or dinners. You can also freeze leftovers to reheat for a quick weeknight dinner.
Here are a couple of tips I have for making it ahead:
- Don’t shred the chicken too much: If you are planning to reheat the chicken, shred it into pretty large chunks. It will fall apart a little more when reheating (or you can always shred it more before serving), but if you shred it too much to begin with, it can end up kind of stringy.
- Store and reheat in the liquid: This Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken usually has a good amount of liquid after cooking. Exactly how much liquid you are left with will depend on how much water is released from your chicken. I find previously frozen then thawed chicken sometimes releases less liquid when cooking (since you lose some when thawing). Either way, the liquid is super flavorful, so don’t just throw it away. I like to store leftover chicken in the liquid, and keep it in there to reheat so it stays moist, you can drain some of the liquid when serving if you don’t want it too wet.
- Save time by skipping reheating: If you are planning to use the leftover or cooled chicken in dishes that will be cooked again, you don’t need to reheat the chicken before using. For example, if I am making enchiladas or taquitos with the chicken, I will just use the cold chicken straight from the fridge to assemble, then let it reheat in the oven. This will keep the chicken more tender and help prevent drying out, plus save you an unnecessary step.
How Should I Serve Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken?
With a mild green chili flavor, but not too much spice or heat, this Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken is really versatile. You can use it in all kinds of recipes. If you want to kick the heat up a notch, you could use a spicier salsa verde (I have noticed the spice level can vary a lot with different brands). Or add in a couple of jalapenos.
Some ways you can enjoy this shredded salsa verde chicken include:
- Tacos: Salsa verde chicken tacos are awesome! I like to serve them in corn tortillas topped with a nice crunchy slaw, such as this Avocado Lime Slaw or the Jalapeno Lime Slaw from my Chipotle Orange Brisket Tacos, as well as a variety of toppings as listed in the recipe below.
- Enchiladas: Roll the shredded chicken and some cheese up in soft flour tortillas, stack the enchiladas in a casserole dies, top with a creamy sauce made from sour cream and more salsa verde, top with more cheese, and bake until bubbly and hot.
- Taquitos: Similar to the above, roll shredded salsa verde chicken and cheese in corn or four tortillas, coat with oil or cooking spray, and then pan fry or bake until crispy.
- Burrito Bowls: Fill bowls with cilantro lime rice, black beans, and cooked veggies, top with desired toppings such as cheese, sliced avocado, pico de gallo or salsa, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know! Share your photos and tag me @NamasteHomeCooking on Facebook or @NamasteHomeCooking on Instagram.
Easy Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 white onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (diced)
- 2 4 oz cans diced green chiles (mild)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 cup salsa verde (such as Frontera or Herdez)
Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Avocado Lime Slaw (see recipe link in notes)
- Pickled red onions
- Sour cream
- Shredded montery jack cheese
- Salsa (green or red)
- Squeeze of lime
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with onion, garlic, green chiles, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour salsa verde over top. Cover and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours.
- When cooked, remove chicken from crockpot (reserving liquid in the cooker). Shred chicken with two forks and return to cooker with liquid.
- For tacos, serve in warmed corn or flour tortillas topped with avocado lime slaw and your favorite toppings.