Don’t you love that feeling you get when 3 o’clock rolls around and you think, “What on earth should I make for dinner?” and then you remember that you actually remembered to throw a little something in the crockpot, turn that little knob to LOW, and then went about your day. YES! I just love it when I know that dinner is well on its way, even when I’m out and about!
This is a crazy easy, crazy simple crockpot recipe that is really versatile. We’re talking five ingredients for the taco filling counting the chicken. One of the ingredients is my favorite salsa verde from Trader Joe’s. You can find it by the chips!
You can use it in tacos of course, or you can use it to top your nachos, fill your enchiladas, or even to add some protein to your salad. If you have leftovers, you’ll be so happy to see them waiting for you in your fridge the next day. We went with some old school crunchy taco shells, and topped the Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken filling with romaine lettuce, monterey jack cheese, diced avocado and a drizzle of sour cream. The whole family loved them!
So do yourself a favor this week, and let dinner practically make itself! And by the way, wouldn’t it be awesome if someone would invent a self-cleaning crockpot? Sorry if my laziness is showing again!
PrintEasy Creamy Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
Five simple ingredients plus your crockpot and dinner is done!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5–6 large)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 2 cups salsa verde (I love Trader Joe’s)
Instructions
- Add chicken to the crockpot, and then top with seasonings, cubed cream cheese, and salsa.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks. Use a whisk to mix the remaining sauce in the crockpot. The cream cheese may look a little lumpy, but it will smooth out as you stir.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the crockpot. Cook on low for another half hour to allow the chicken to absorb the creamy salsa verde sauce. I usually turn my crockpot to the “warm” setting at this point. The sauce will thicken up slightly as it cools.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 665
- Sugar: 4.2g
- Sodium: 823mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 7.7g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 97g
- Cholesterol: 295mg
What kind of sides would you recommend with this? Sounds amazing!
Thanks Jeannie! You could serve your tacos with these Healthy Refried Beans you can also make in the crockpot.
Having this for dinner!! So excited to see how these taste! I only have 3 pounds of chicken instead of 4 like the recipe calls for.
I also only have 3- did you use less of everything else too?
I don’t normally comment on these blogs, but I have to say I made this for dinner last night and they were outstanding! I cooked on low for about six and half hours because my crock runs hot, and served on small flour tortillas with avocado, cilantro, and jack cheese. My only complaint was that they had a lot of liquid and it made for a messy meal, but overall fantastic and SO easy! I will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Bailey, I’m glad it hit the spot for you! And I know what you mean about it being a little drippy. Sometimes I serve with tongs so that we can avoid getting too much sauce for the tacos.
Does the Salsa Verde make this spicy? Trying to figure out if my daughter will like this
Hi Abigail! It will depend on the brand you use. The one from Trader Joe’s is mildly spicy. The cream cheese mellows it out quite a bit.
Has anyone tried these with reduced fat cream cheese? I’m sure the flavor will be fine but I’ve noticed that for some things the reduced fat products can change the consistency. Thanks
I made this recipe for dinner, it was so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed.
I JUST PUT THIS ON oh i cant wait i used chicken leg quarters 3 removed the skin and excess fat will debone it and add the salsa verde` i also used sour cream instead of cream cheese ty so much for this recipe i have been eyeing it for a while made it mine so to speak ….
Just made this, and it was delicious! Quick question though: has anyone tried freezing leftovers?
This looks awesome! Does the cream cheese need to be cooked the whole time, or could it just be added the last half hour or so?
I put the cream cheese in at the beginning. Enjoy!
Love this recipe, have used it many times!! One question – have you ever tried freezing it after it’s done cooking to use later? Wondering about doubling the recipe and saving half for future use when I don’t have as much time to cook in the crockpot. Thanks for this delish recipe!!
How long do you think I should set this in an instant pot?
I don’t have an instant pot, so I’m not sure.
25 minutes worked perfectly!
My husband and myself cannot get enough of this recipe. I have never commented on anything like this but we make this so often now it is a favorite easy staple recipe. We use Mrs Renfro’s green jalepeno salsa (super spicy) I eat it in a bowl with just cheddar, onion, black olives and avocado (if I wasn’t avoiding carbs I would prefer it on a tostada, that’d put that extra liquid to good use🤩). Husband likes it on soft little street tacos with black olives and sour cream.
I need to try that salsa! I like how you make a low carb bowl too!
I’ve made this 4 or 5 times now, and it’s always delicious! I do it in my Instant Pot, cooking for 12 minutes at high pressure. Leftovers are wonderful for burritos, salad topping, nachos, and baked potatoes!
Thanks Kayleen!
This is amazing!
My husband and I LOVE this recipe!!! It is an easy go to for us.
Ideas for if you use frozen chicken in an instant pot?
Had most of the ingredients on hand, so was looking for a way to use them with tortillas. This turned out great! Flipped on the crockpot while I was gone for work, which ends up being just shy of 10 hours. Didn’t even have to pull the chicken out to shred, just had to stir it was so tender.
Looking forward to making this again for nachos! Definitely a keeper.