Give me an easy dump-and-go slow cooker recipe (that tastes great) and I am in! That’s why we love this Crockpot Green Chile Chicken recipe. It is simple to prep and can be used in all sorts of tasty family-friendly dinners!
Tender succulent shredded chicken in mild green chili salsa verde sauce is super tasty and just plain useful to have on rotation for busy weeknight meals.
Saucy and flavorful
So easy! No stovetop cooking is required. Chop the green pepper and onion, then just dump, stir, and turn on!
Comes together with supermarket ingredients and pantry staples- no fancy ingredients
Make it as spicy (or mild) as you like by simple substitutions
Works with chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts
Meal prep friendly and reheats beautifully
Can be made into burrito bowls, added to tacos, layered on Nachos, rolled in enchiladas and stuffed into quesadillas. You get the idea- Crockpot Green Chile Chicken is versatile!
Jump to Recipe·
Onion and Chile Pepper: You’ll need a small diced onion plus a poblano chile pepper or diced green bell pepper.
Salsa Verde: The sauce also has a half cup of store-bought green salsa or salsa verde. I like Frontera Tomatillo Salsa (Medium) or Herdez Salsa Verde (Mild).
Green Chiles: Look for a large (7-ounce) can diced green chiles. You can also use two smaller cans if you can’t find the 7-ounce can.
Spices: To make the prep work on this recipe super fast, I used garlic powder instead of fresh chopped garlic. You’ll also need salt.
Chicken: 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast and/or chicken thighs
Cilantro: After the green salsa chicken is finished and shredded, you can stir a little fresh chopped cilantro in. Omit it if you do not like cilantro.
Stir the diced onion, bell pepper or poblano, green salsa, canned green chiles, garlic powder and salt in the insert of a slow cooker.
Add the chicken and gently nestle into the sauce with tongs. It won’t be completely submerged in the green chile mixture.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it on. Set on low temperature and slow cook, covered for 8 hours.
When the timer goes off, remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken. I do this right in the sauce. Next stir in the chopped fresh cilantro.
Though I have been known to heat a little bowl of this chicken (and sauce) up and eat it with a fork for a little “protein snack” it is really meant to be part of a meal. Here are some ways to enjoy it.
Burrito Bowls: My favorite way to use this chicken, and what we have most times that I make it is what I call “cheaters” burrito bowls. I call them cheaters because they’re so simple I feel like I am cheating! Use brown rice, white rice or cauliflower rice as the base, then scoop the juicy chicken and sauce on top. Add on shredded cheese, a scoop of store-bought guacamole (or homemade.) Then mix up a Southwest Chopped Salad in a bag and serve that on the side. This takes 10 minutes to get on the table and is such a life saver when my daughter has after-school activities (which is every single day!!)
Rice and Bean Bowl: Use a frozen rice and bean blend. You can find these in the freezer section in the grocery store or natural foods store. (I like Cascadian Farms Organic plant powdered blend.) Use the rice, bean and corn blend as the base and then top it with the shredded green chile chicken. Add Pico de Gallo on top and some pepper jack cheese! Delish!
Green Chile Chicken Nachos: Use a slotted spoon to drain it. Then scatter the chicken over tortilla chips to make green chili chicken nachos! We love adding corn to them too!
Green Chilie Chicken Enchiladas: A great way to use leftovers or if you have meal prepped this recipe is to use it for filling enchiladas. We find it is easiest to do when the chicken isn’t hot. Strain it to remove any liquid then wrap the shredded green chile chicken in corn tortillas with Monterey Jack cheese. Line up in a casserole dish and top with enchilada sauce (and more cheese.)
Shredded Chicken Tacos: Use this shredded chicken meat for tacos or quesadillas. Make sure that you use a slotted spoon- because it is very saucy! The chicken filling is equally great in crispy taco shells or folded into a warm tortilla!
Use a red bell pepper instead of poblano or green pepper, and red salsa instead of green salsa for a slight twist.
Vary the heat by using hot salsa verde or hot green chiles. You can make this quite mild by using mild green chiles and mild green salsa.
You can amp up the Mexican flavors by seasoning the chicken with a two teaspoons each cumin and chili powder.
Use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. Two cloves of garlic is a good starting point.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice
Try it with chicken thighs instead of chicken breast! We actually liked the thigh meat a little better than the breast because it was moist and didn’t dry out at all.
Add 1 1/2 cup thawed frozen corn and 1 14 ounce can drained black beans, and heat through. Serve in bowls with sour cream, salsa and shredded cheese on top.
Stir in 4 ounces cream cheese cut into chunks to make creamy chicken in green chile sauce! This is great in our layered chicken enchilada casserole!
Meal Prep: This slow cooker shredded green chile chicken is a great meal prep recipe because it reheats beautifully! You can also assemble the sauce and raw chicken in the slow cooker insert, cover and refrigerate the night before. Then in the morning place the insert in the slow cooker and follow the instructions for the recipe as directed.
Store: Once the chicken is cool, seal it in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days. To keep the chicken moist make sure to store it in the sauce.
Reheat: Reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until heated through and steaming hot. Alternatively microwave on high power for 1 minute 20 seconds per serving or until steaming hot.
Can I make this in an instant pot?
Yes! You will need a little more liquid so add 1 cup of salsa and or 1/4 cup broth to the green chile sauce. Then cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
How do I make this low sodium?
Do not use added salt. Use low-sodium salsa verde. Use two chopped poblano peppers and 4 ounces diced green canned chiles instead of the larger 7 ounce can.
How spicy is it?
I used Herdez green salsa and mild green chiles and it was a 3 out of 10 on the spice scale. But the level of heat can vary depending on if you use a poblano (wich are sometimes spicy) if you use spicy salsa or if they are spicy green chiles. You can increase the heat by adding one or two diced fresh jalapenos or a little cayenne or chipotle.
More Weeknight Dinner Recipes To Try
We love family friendly chicken dinners and slow cooker meals for busy weeknights. Here are some you may like too!
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Crockpot Green Chile Chicken
Description
Use this easy shredded Crockpot Green Chile Chicken in a wide variety of ways including on burrito bowls, in tacos, or an enchilada filling. It takes 10 minutes, or less, to stir together and the slow cooker does the rest of the work. The resulting spiced and saucy shredded chicken turns out tender and delicious every time!
1 small onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper or poblano pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup green salsa, such as Herdez brand
7-ounce can diced green chiles
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast and/or thighs
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Cook Mode
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Instructions
Stir onion, bell pepper, green salsa, chiles, garlic powder and salt in the insert of a slow cooker.
Add chicken and nestle into the sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred the chicken in the sauce with two forks. Stir in cilantro. Serve as desired.
Notes
Storage Instructions: Once the chicken is cool, seal in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days. To keep the chicken moist make sure to store it in the sauce.
Reheating Instructions: Reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until heated through and steaming hot. Alternatively microwave on high power for 1 minute 20 seconds per serving or until steaming hot.
Method: slow cookerCuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Calories: 182
Sugar: 4
Fat: 4
Carbohydrates: 6
Fiber: 2
Protein: 30
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