Tender, juicy Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken slow-cooked in a zesty homemade salsa verde. An easy, flavor-packed recipe perfect for tacos, bowls, or meal prep. Throw it all in the slow cooker or crockpot and you are good to go.
This Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken is the ultimate easy, flavorful dinner that practically makes itself. Tender, juicy chicken slow-cooked in a zesty homemade salsa verde-perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or casual weekend dinners.
Serve it with all your favorite toppings and let everyone build their own bowl or taco.
Other crockpot recipes I can't live without include this Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken recipe. I love having shredded chicken on hand for easy meals all week. I've also collected a bank of healthy, easy crockpot recipes to try out. If you are in the mood for more chicken try this Parmesan Chicken.
Ingredients
This crockpot chicken gets its depth of flavor from a few essential ingredients that infuse the chicken as it slow-cooks. Here is what to gather:
The chicken is seasoned simply yet effectively with flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a touch of ground cumin, which adds a warm, earthy note.
A humble amount of chicken broth keeps the chicken moist and tender, you can use homemade or store bought.
For the salsa: Anchovies and capers deepen the umami flavor, while Dijon mustard and a splash of red wine vinegar add some brightness. I love to finish off with a good quality olive oil and toppings like fresh cilantro, avocado, or crumbled cheese.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here is my step by step guide to making this cozy Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken recipe:
- Step 1. Make the salsa verde. Add all the salsa verde ingredients into your food processor.
- Step 2. Blend the salsa verde. Blend all salsa ingredients in a small food processor, or mix by hand in a bowl.
- Step 3. Slow cooker. Add chicken, ¾ of the salsa verde, chicken broth, salt, and cumin to the slow cooker.
- Step 4. Cook the chicken. Stir, cover, and cook for 2½-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.
- Step 5. Shred the chicken. Shred the chicken, return it to the slow cooker, and stir to warm through. Add extra broth if you prefer it saucier.
- Step 6. Add the toppings. Top with the remaining salsa verde and serve with optional toppings like sour cream, avocado, rice, jalapeños, or cotija/feta cheese.
Hint: Cooking your chicken for shredding in a crockpot is so easy and keeps the chicken perfectly tender and makes it easy to shred.
Substitutions
These are a few ingredient swaps that work perfectly for this Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken recipe:
- Broth: If you don't have chicken broth, veggie will work, too.
- Fresh herbs: Swap with dried herbs. When I trade fresh for dried herbs, I use ⅓ of the amount of dried herbs, because their flavor is more concentrated.
- Anchovies: You either love 'em or hate 'em. You can switch them for extra capers or a little splash of soy sauce.
Ways to Change Up the Chicken
Here are 4 easy variations you might like:
- Spicy: Add 2 chopped chipotle peppers in adobe sauce to the crockpot.
- Creamy: Stir in ½ a cup of sour cream after shredding the chicken.
- Lemon and herb: Replace cumin with dried oregano and some lemon zest. This works really well if you want to serve it with couscous or tucked into pita.
- Veggie chickpea version: Swap the chicken for canned chickpeas. You'll need to reduce the cooking time by about half.
Equipment
You'll need a food processor and your trusty crockpot. I really love that this recipe has minimal equipment for minimal wash up.
How do you store salsa verde chicken?
Leftover Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. Make sure to cool it to room temperature before packing it into an airtight container.
You can freeze leftovers by popping them into a freezer safe container and storing them for about 2 months.
Top tip
Don't skip the anchovies and capers in the salsa verde! Even if you're not an anchovy fan, they completely dissolve into the sauce, adding incredible umami without a fishy taste. It's the secret to why this Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken tastes like it simmered all day.
FAQ
Yes, you can use frozen chicken, but for food safety, I recommend thawing the chicken first. Cooking from frozen can result in uneven cooking and extra liquid, which may water down the salsa verde flavor. Thawed chicken gives you perfectly tender, juicy, and flavorful results every time.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts skinless + boneless
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon flakey sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- To serve
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
- Optional: sour cream avocado, rice, chopped green onions, pickled or diced fresh jalapeños, crumbled feta or cotija cheese
- Salsa verde
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon coriander finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chives finely chopped
- 2 anchovies finely chopped
- 12 pitted green olives chopped if using a bowl
- 2 tablespoon capers chopped if using a bowl
- 2 teaspoon dijon
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small food processor and blitz to combine or option to mix in a bowl.
- Add the chicken, ¾ of the salsa verde, chicken stock, salt, and cumin to a slow cooker. Mix it all together, then add the lid, and cook it for 2 ½ to 3 hours on high, or 4 to 5 hours on low.
- Remove chicken and shred.
- Add shredded chicken back to slow cooker and warm through. Option to add a touch more stock if you want it wetter. All depends on how you like it.
- Top with remaining salsa verde and serve with optional sour cream, avocado, rice, jalapeños and cotija / feta cheese.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutritional information provided is an estimate. For specific dietary needs or concerns, we recommend consulting a nutrition calculator or a qualified expert.
Tell Us What You Think