Apparently it had to get down to a frigid 15°F before I busted out the crock pot this year. Typically, I am all for crock pot meals as soon as fall hits, but for one reason or another, I got a late start this year. I guess better late then never. This Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken (also known as ‘salsa chicken’ in my house) is one of my all time favorite crock pot meals. It is so juicy and good, not to mention completely versatile. You can eat it over rice (as pictured above), black beans, in a taco, or completely on its’ own, and no matter how you choose to eat it, you will not be disappointed. It’s just delicious. Plain and simple.
This is literally a ‘set it and forget it’ type recipe. Just throw everything in and let it do work.
- 24 oz (1.5 lbs) organic, free-range chicken breast
- 2 small cans of diced green chilies
- 1 (15oz) can organic black beans
- 8 oz frozen corn
- 1 cup organic salsa (I use the medium heat one from Costco)
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 2 large garlic cloves; minced
- 1/2 jalapeno; seeded and diced
- 15 oz. no chicken broth or regular chicken broth
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 of a lime; juiced
- Kosher sea salt and pepper to taste
- Place jalapeno, green chilies, black beans, corn and garlic cloves in the bottom of crock pot.
- Pour in broth.
- Place chicken breasts on top and season with spices.
- Pour 1 cup of salsa and lime juice over top of chicken and cover.
- Cook 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.
- About 30 minutes before finished, transfer chicken breasts to a separate bowl and shred chicken.
- If broth mixture in crock pot seems thin, add in 1/2 cup more salsa.
- Return shredded chicken to crock pot and cover for final 30 minutes.
- Top chicken with cilantro and green onions.
- Save additional in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
margarita
February 2, 2014 at 8:54 am (10 years ago)Do you put I the chicken raw?
Danielle
February 2, 2014 at 8:56 am (10 years ago)Hi margarita! Yes, you put the chicken in raw. Some people like to brown the outsides of the chicken in a pan with a little olive oil first to seal in the juices too, but that is totally optional. Either way works
Jess
February 15, 2014 at 10:41 pm (10 years ago)Just tried this tonight. DELICIOUS. It was my second crockpot meal that I’ve tried and it was perfect. Thank you!
Danielle
February 16, 2014 at 7:10 am (10 years ago)So glad to hear you liked it, Jess!
Alyssa
February 17, 2014 at 7:45 am (10 years ago)Do you think this would work as a freezer meal?
Danielle
February 17, 2014 at 7:50 am (10 years ago)Hi Alyssa! I can’t say for sure as I personally haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not if you have tried other chicken-based crock pot recipes this way. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
Lauren
March 16, 2014 at 12:33 pm (10 years ago)Hi! This sounds great! Do you put the chicken in frozen or thawed?
Danielle
March 16, 2014 at 3:33 pm (10 years ago)Hi Lauren! I put the chicken in thawed.
Monique
July 17, 2014 at 4:35 pm (10 years ago)Do you have a recipe for the rice?
Danielle
July 21, 2014 at 5:29 pm (10 years ago)Hi Monique,
I actually just used brown rice that you cook on the stove, so nothing too fancy.
michelle
August 20, 2014 at 3:42 pm (10 years ago)What is the caloric breakdown as well as protein, carbohydrate and fat measurements?
Lindsay
December 22, 2014 at 9:52 pm (9 years ago)Is this gluten free? Seems like it but asking since it wasn’t tagged.
Danielle
December 28, 2014 at 11:25 am (9 years ago)Hi Lindsay! Yes, it is gluten free
Jeremiah
February 18, 2015 at 12:10 pm (9 years ago)What size of crock pot you use? I’ve got a bachelor football crock pot that I’m guessing is not big enough.
Danielle
February 23, 2015 at 1:59 pm (9 years ago)Jeremiah, I am pretty sure my husband had this same exact crock pot when we first started dating. I would half this recipe for that size crock pot.