Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is flavored with lime and finished with melted Mozzarella for a tasty dinner the whole family will love! And this easy and family-friendly dinner idea has only five ingredients!

PIN Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken to try it later!

This Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken might become a favorite if you like easy flavorful dinners without many ingredients! You may be looking at that photo and thinking it doesn’t look like a CrockPot recipe. But let me share how we ended up with cheesy Salsa Chicken made in the slow cooker that we thought was so delicious!

We wanted simple baked chicken breasts with salsa and cheese, but the first version was too watery. For our second attempt we simmered the salsa to reduce the amount of liquid. That was a good idea, but the baked chicken seemed overdone. For the keeper version, the chicken cooks on high in the slow cooker with reduced salsa and lime. Then it’s put in a small casserole dish, covered with Mozzarella, and put under the broiler to melt the cheese.

And I hope that doesn’t seem like too much trouble for a slow cooker recipe! Trust me, because this method produced perfectly-cooked moist chicken with spicy salsa flavor and gooey melted cheese! There’s also an Instant Pot version of the recipe, for those who prefer that! I hope you’ll pick the method you prefer and make some Salsa Chicken soon!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient anounts.)

• Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
• grated Mozzarella cheese

Why I use Pace Picante Sauce for this Salsa Chicken recipe:

Pace Picante Sauce is so flavorful and low in carbs that I’ve been using it for years when I want that spicy salsa flavor in a recipe.

How low in carbs is this Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken?

This easy and tasty Salsa Chicken made in the crockpot only has 3 net carbs and 33 grams of protein per serving!

What cheese did I use for the Salsa Chicken?

I used full-fat Mozzarella cheese for this recipe. But another white cheese like Monterey Jack will also be great. You can also use a white Mexican cheese like Queso Blanco or Queso Oaxaca if you have one of those.

What slow cooker did I use for Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken?

I used a 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but any slow cooker close to that size will work. And leftovers from this recipe make great tacos, so if you have a large slow cooker I’d just double the recipe.

How to Make Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Simmer two cups salsa on low until it’s reduced to one cup.  (We used Pace Picante Sauce, medium heat, but I’d use mild salsa if you’re cooking for kids.)
2. Trim four boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise. (I save trimmings to make homemade chicken stock.)
3. Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray and arrange chicken in a single layer. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
4. Mix the reduced salsa with the lime juice and pour over chicken.
5. Cook for 60-90 minutes on high, or until the chicken is cooked through. (I wouldn’t cook much more than 2 hours or the chicken will shred apart.)
6. Spray small casserole dish with non-stick spray and turn on broiler to pre-heat.
7. Then use a slotted turner to remove chicken and arrange in the dish. Try to make chicken in one layer.
8. Then use slotted spoon to scoop out the thicker parts of the salsa and dish it over the chicken, leaving the more watery salsa in the slow cooker. Be sure chicken pieces are well-covered with the thickened salsa.
9. Sprinkle a cup of grated Mozzarella over the chicken and place under pre-heated broiler.
10. Broil until the cheese is melted and starting to lightly brown (probably less than 5 minutes for most broilers.)
11. Serve Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken hot, with sour cream if desired.
12. If you have a large slow cooker, this recipe is perfect to double and have leftovers for later in the week.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

You could serve Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with one of these low-carb side dishes. This chicken is also perfect to shred apart and serve in low-carb tortillas for tasty salsa chicken tacos!<

• Spicy Mexican Slaw
• Avocado Tomato Salad
• Easy Cauliflower Rice (with Green Onions)
• Spicy Lime Coleslaw
• Jicama Carrot Radish Slaw

Weekend Food Prep:

The Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat leftovers during the week!

Want more low-carb recipes for the slow cooker?

Check out my huge collection of Keto Crock Pot Recipes on Kalyn’s Kitchen for more slow cooker meals that are low in carbs!

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Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

This Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken is flavored with lime and then finishes up under the broiler with melted Mozzarella for a tasty dinner. And this is a perfect low-carb chicken dinner the whole family will love!

Ingredients

• 2 cups mild or medium salsa, simmered to reduce to 1 cup
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
• salt and fresh ground black pepper, for seasoning chicken
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (or less if you’re not that into lime)
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella

Instructions

1. Put 2 cups of Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link) or other low-sugar salsa into a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until enough liquid has evaporated that the salsa has reduced to 1 cup. (We used medium-heat salsa which was pretty spicy after being reduced; if cooking for kids I would use mild salsa and add hot sauce at the table.)
2. Trim all visible fat and undesirable parts from the chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise.
3. Put the chicken in a single layer in a slow cooker that you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray.
4. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
5. When the salsa has reduced to 1 cup, stir in the lime juice and pour the mixture over the chicken.
6. Cook on high for 60-90 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (Depending on how hot your slow cooker gets, cooking time may be a little more or less, but don’t cook too long or the chicken will start to shred apart.)
7. When the chicken is cooked through, preheat the broiler and spray a small glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.
8. Use a slotted turner to lift out chicken pieces with whatever salsa clings to the chicken and arrange in a single layer in the casserole dish.
9. Then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chunkier parts of the salsa and spoon it over the chicken. (Just use enough so the chicken is well-covered with chunky salsa; leave the more watery salsa in the slow cooker.)
10. Sprinkle 1 cup grated Mozzarella over the chicken and put the dish under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to lightly brown. (This will be about 5 minutes with most broilers, but watch it carefully!)
11. Serve the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken hot, with a little sour cream to add at the table if desired.
12. This will keep for a day or two in the fridge.
13. For best results when reheating, put it in a small glass dish covered with foil and reheat in a toaster oven. (If you must reheat it in the microwave, use lower heat so the chicken doesn’t dry out.)

Notes

I used a Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link).  You need a slow cooker that’s big enough to put the chicken in a single layer. 

I used a 9″x7″ glass casserole dish; any size close to that would work.

See Instant Pot Salsa Chicken if you prefer making this in the Instant Pot.

This recipe created by Kalyn and Jake with some inspiration from Salsa Chicken in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two. (affiliate link)

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 234Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 4gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 96mgSodium 654mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you use a low-sugar salsa like Pace Picante Sauce, the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken recipe will be great for low-carb or Keto diets. Low-carb eaters would prefer full-fat cheese. If you use low-fat mozzarella and salsa without added sugar, this recipe would be a great main-dish for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Salsa Chicken made in the slow cooker was first posted in 2013, and it’s been a super popular crockpot recipe on the site ever since. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.