An easy Salsa Verde Chicken Recipe that can be made in your slow cooker, instant pot or on the stove. Great for tacos or with rice! Turn them into enchiladas or even serve in chili or pasta. A delicious healthy dinner everyone will love!
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We love easy healthy crockpot recipes and this salsa verde chicken recipe is becoming a favorite for us!
You can use this chicken in a variety of ways- over rice, in tacos, in chicken enchiladas, and more! It couldn’t be simpler to make!
Only 6 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time for a dinner your whole family will love!
P.S. – If you love crockpot recipes, check out these Healthy Crockpot Recipes or Healthy Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Why we love this Salsa Verde Chicken:
There is a lot to love about this crockpot recipe. It’s one of our favorites because it’s:
- Easy to make – Just like most crock pot recipes, you basically just dump the ingredients in and let the crock pot do the work! So simple!
- Versatile – There are so many ways to serve and enjoy this chicken and some of our favorite ways are below.
- Great for meal prep – This chicken recipe is such a healthy addition to your weekly meal prep because they are so versatile and reheat very well!
Ingredients for Easy Salsa Verde Chicken
To make chicken you’ll need:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salsa verde
- minced garlic
- dried oregano
- ground cumin
- salt
- optional: cilantro & jalapeños
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
You’ll also need a crockpot.
How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken
You can make this salsa verde chicken in the crockpot, instant pot, or on the stove. Here’s how to make it:
- In a medium bowl, stir together salsa verde, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin, and salt.
- Place raw chicken breasts in the crockpot base. Pour salsa mixture over raw chicken.
- Cover with a lid and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours or on high for 2 – 3 hours.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the chicken (leave the extra sauce in the crockpot) and shred the chicken either on a cutting board using two forks or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Put shredded chicken back in the crockpot and stir well to mix. Serve hot.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SALSA VERDE CHICKEN TACOS
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders.
Salsa Verde: You can use any salsa in this recipe. You can use fresh salsa verde or jarred salsa verde. This is our favorite Jarred Salsa Verde.
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
To Make it Lower Salt: Look for low salt salsa and omit salt.
Add Ins: Feel free to more spices like garlic powder, or add corn/ beans to the crockpot to cook with the salsa chicken!
Cooked Chicken: I haven’t tried this with already cooked chicken, but I think it would work. It would need less time!
Fresh Cilantro: Is a delicious but optional add in for serving. It’s also great with lime juice, sour cream, and shredded cheese on top.
Baked Salsa Verde Chicken: I haven’t tried making Baked Salsa Verde chicken. You can make this in the crock pot, instant pot, or on the stovetop. We recommend the crockpot.
Can you make Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken?
Yes! There are instructions listed below. Here’s how to make it:
- Place skinless chicken breasts in the instant pot base.
- In a medium bowl, stir together salsa verde, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin and salt.
- Pour salsa mixture over raw chicken.
- Cover the instant pot and set to Poultry OR Pressure Cook. Set to Normal, High Pressure for 14 minutes. Make sure your pot is set to sealing, not venting.
- Remove chicken (leave the extra sauce in the instant pot) and shred chicken.
- Put shredded chicken back in the instant pot and stir well to mix.
What to serve with Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken:
This chicken goes with almost anything! Here are some of our favorite things to serve it with:
- any type of Mexican meal like rice bowls (including black beans, corn, and rice), tacos, and burritos
- with salsa (either red or salsa verde or even corn salsa) or creamy salsa dressing
- top with sour cream or shredded cheese
- over tortilla chips like nachos
- as the meat for Bell Pepper Nachos
- mexican potatoes
- skinny margarita
- corn tomato salad
- turn it into chicken enchiladas
Tips for the best Salsa Verde Chicken:
This chicken is pretty foolproof, but here’s how to make it next-level delicious!
- Pound your chicken breasts– this might seem like a simple step but it really makes a difference. Pounding your chicken with a meat mallet helps it get super tender!
- Try using boneless chicken thighs- chicken thighs have more fat in them which makes this dish super rich and yummy!
How to Store Keto Salsa Verde Chicken
Refrigerating: This will last for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezing: Yes, this chicken can be stored in the freezer in a sealed food-safe container for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the fridge then reheat before serving.
We like these containers for freezing.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven, or on the stove. We recommend lightly sauteing it in a pan on the stove with olive oil.
Can I use frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot?
No, frozen chicken breasts are not recommended for a crockpot recipe as the chicken would be sitting at a low temperature for too long which could lead to food poisoning.
If the frozen chicken spends too much time thawing out in a warm setting (like at room temperature or in a warm crockpot), bacteria like salmonella can grow causing food poisoning if consumed.
Always thaw the frozen chicken first in the fridge before adding it to your crockpot.
Salsa Verde Chicken FAQ
Salsa verde is not the same as other salsas. They can be used interchangeably in recipes, but salsa verde is made with tomatillos or avocados, while traditional salsa is made with diced tomatoes.
Mexican verde sauce is made with tomatillos. It typically has onions, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeños added
Other healthy chicken recipes:
Looking for other super easy dinners? Check out these 40+ Healthy Chicken Recipes for Weight Loss. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts about 4 breasts
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- optional garnish: cilantro, sliced jalapeños
Instructions
Crockpot Directions:
- Spray a 4 or 5-quart slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place raw chicken breasts in the slow cooker base.
- In a medium bowl, stir together salsa verde, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin and salt.
- Pour salsa verde mixture over raw chicken.
- Cover the slow cooker with lid and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours or on high for 2 – 3 hours. Chicken is done when internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees F.
- Once chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken (leave the extra sauce in the slow cooker) and shred chicken either on a cutting board using two forks or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer..
- Put shredded chicken back in the slow cooker and stir well to mix.
- Optional: top with chopped fresh cilantro or sliced jalapeños before serving
- Serve hot.
- Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed food safe container.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Place raw chicken breasts in the instant pot base.
- In a medium bowl, stir together salsa verde, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin and salt.
- Pour salsa verde mixture over raw chicken.
- Cover the instant pot and set to Poultry OR Pressure Cook. Set to Normal, High Pressure for 14 minutes. Make sure your pot is set to sealing, not venting.
- Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure + cook. (It should take about 5 minutes to come to pressure)
- Once it is finished cooking, manually release pressure or naturally release the pressure.
- Remove chicken (leave the extra sauce in the instant pot) and shred chicken either on a cutting board using two forks or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Put shredded chicken back in the instant pot and stir well to mix.
- Optional: top with chopped cilantro or sliced jalapeños before serving
- Serve hot.
- Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed food safe container.
Stove Top Directions:
- Note: This recipe is much better in the crock pot or instant pot. If you make it on the stove top you will need 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven on the stove to medium high heat. Add olive oil.
- Lightly sear chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together salsa verde, minced garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin and salt.
- Pour salsa verde mixture over raw chicken. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the chicken on low-medium heat for 1 hour. You can flip the chicken half way through.
- Once the chicken is finished cooking, remove chicken (leave the extra sauce in the pot) and shred chicken either on a cutting board using two forks or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Put shredded chicken back in the pot and stir well to mix.
- Optional: top with chopped cilantro or sliced jalapeños before serving
- Serve hot.
- Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed food safe container.
Melissa says
This was so easy and so good! I’m trying some whole30 recipes in prep for starting so I had the chicken on a salad with some sautéed peppers and onions and my husband had it as tacos with corn tortillas. I used Herdez salsa since it’s all our store had and I’d like some more heat to it, but the flavor was great. Definitely will make again!
Terry says
Made this last weekend to use for tacos …Was a crowd pleaser! Will definitely be making again!
MStewart says
This recipe is good and very easy.
Amanda says
I made this for the first time today and it was soooo easy and good. I prepped it in between calls while working and the prep was literally 5 minutes max. Served it with rice, beans, and tortillas. Will make this again for sure.