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!
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Easy Creamy Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
- 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
Description
Five simple ingredients plus your crockpot and dinner is done!
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
Jessica says
Just put this in the crockpot this morning for dinner tonight! Cannot wait to try it!!
Julie says
Always a favorite for us! Hope you enjoy.
Rachael says
Thanks for the tip about the salsa verde from Trader Joe’s! I can’t wait to give this a try sometime this week.
Julie says
Just made this last night again! Hope you enjoy.
Katrina says
If I use frozen chicken tenders instead of thawed do I need to change the cook time?
Julie says
I think they will be fine to use. All crockpots are a little different, but I’ve used frozen before.
Regina says
This looks amazing and so simple and its what’s for dinner tonight. Rather than making a run to the store I think I’ll use my homemade salsa. It’s really spicy and I’m hoping the “pink” won’t an appetite spoiler. Thanks for sharing and you should really try the crock pot liners. They are amazing! 😉 Toodles
Regina says
Oops … I hope the “pink” color won’t be an appetite spoiler!
Mari says
If I use pork, will the cream cheese still be tasty??
Maureen Madigan says
Julie I want to thank you for your WONDERFUL website. I came across it a few days ago when I was looking for a white chicken chili which I made and it was great. Tonight I made the creamy crockpot salsa Verde Chicken another amazing meal. Thanks for the visual pictures as well.
Julie says
Thank you for your kind words Maureen!
Mickey says
we don’t have a Trader Joes by us, so do they sell this salsa verde in the grocery store ? Looks good!
Julie says
You can probably find salsa verde near the regular red salsa in your grocery store. The one at Trader Joe’s is my favorite, but any will do. Enjoy!
Mari Dempsey says
I made this for dinner tonight exactly as written. I even served it with avocados, Jack cheese, romaine lettuce, soft corn tortillas. It was a HUGE hit with my clan (8 of us tonight). Will make this a regular feature!
Julie says
Mari, it seriously makes my day to hear you say that everyone enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to let me know, and for letting me be a part of your own lovely little kitchen!
bdcooks says
Hi Julie
I’ve long made a version of this (with Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde) but without the cream cheese (which is a great innovation for me). I usually coarsely chop an onion and add a can of (Trader Joe’s) chopped green chiles. Next batch will have cream cheese. (I came to this post late but by reading today’s entries on your Trader Joe’s favorites.)
Julie says
I’m glad you found my recipe Beth. Hope you enjoy the addition of the cream cheese. We love it around here! Thanks for saying hi!
Lil says
Thanks for the note about omitting the cream cheese. I was wondering about that. I’m thinking that low fat cream cheese could also be used without compromising the taste.
Sher says
What size of Slow Cooker do you use for this recipe? Does a 4 qt work or does it need to be something bigger for all the chicken to fit in? Thanks, I am excited to try this!
Julie says
Hi Sher, I believe I used a 5 quart, but you might be able to fit it in a 4 quart.
Jeannie says
What kind of sides would you recommend with this? Sounds amazing!
Julie says
Thanks Jeannie! You could serve your tacos with these Healthy Refried Beans you can also make in the crockpot.
Jessica says
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.
annie says
I also only have 3- did you use less of everything else too?
Bailey says
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!
Julie says
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.
Abigail says
Does the Salsa Verde make this spicy? Trying to figure out if my daughter will like this
Julie says
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.
Paula Keenan says
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
Veronica says
I made this recipe for dinner, it was so delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Julie says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed.
belinda says
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 ….
Allison says
Just made this, and it was delicious! Quick question though: has anyone tried freezing leftovers?
angela says
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?
Julie says
I put the cream cheese in at the beginning. Enjoy!
Nicky says
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!!