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Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken

Crockpot salsa verde chicken is an easy Tex-Mex main where slow-cooked chicken thighs become very tender and shred into a tangy salsa verde sauce. Serve it in warm tortillas (or over rice) and finish with cotija, cilantro, and lime.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and sauce
  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 jar (16 oz) salsa verde
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Serving
  • 1 Warm tortillas
  • 1 cotija cheese
  • 1 sour cream
  • 1 fresh cilantro
  • 1 lime wedges
  • 1 rice

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Slow-cook the chicken
  1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
  2. Pour the salsa verde and chicken broth over the chicken.
  3. Add the diced green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
  4. Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is very tender, with the sauce visibly simmering around the edges.
Shred and coat
  1. Remove the chicken and shred with two forks until it looks stringy and evenly shredded.
  2. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the salsa verde sauce, letting everything look glossy and evenly colored.
Serve
  1. Serve the salsa verde chicken in warm tortillas or over rice, so the filling is hot and saucy.
  2. Top with cotija cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges for bright, fresh flavor right before eating.

Notes

For the best shred, let the chicken rest in the slow cooker juices for 5–10 minutes after cooking, then stir thoroughly so every piece is coated. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (freeze chicken/sauce without toppings, then reheat until steaming). For a lighter option, swap sour cream with plain Greek yogurt.