2-INGREDIENT SLOW COOKER SALSA CHICKEN

By lamarandrose

I have been making slow cooker shredded chicken for years. And I have been making homemade salsa for years and years and years. But it was not until this year that the light bulb finally decided to click on, I realized that chicken and salsa were a ridiculously obvious match made in crockpot heaven.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs total)*
• 2 cups favorite salsa
• salt and pepper
• (optional: fresh lime wedges for serving)
• RESTAURANT-STYLE SALSA
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained if you like a thicker salsa
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 bunch (about 2 cups loosely-packed) fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 1 jalapeno, stem removed (and seeded, if you want less heat)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from gimmesomeoven.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker and cover with salsa. Toss until the chicken is covered.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours), or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork. Shred the chicken in the slow cooker and toss with the remaining salsa and juices until well-mixed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (This chicken also freezes well.)

*You can really use just about any cut of chicken for this recipe. For easy shredding though (so that you don’t have to mess with bones), I recommend boneless chicken breasts or thighs. This should be about 2 lbs of chicken total.

RESTAURANT-STYLE SALSA
Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth, or your desired consistency is reached. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Optional modifications:
If you want it extra spicy, add in the entire jalapeño with seeds, or even add in two jalapeños. (Or if you want it less spicy, you can leave out the jalapeño seeds, or omit the jalapeño entirely.)
If you want it extra smoky, add in 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce.
If you want it extra fresh and tangy, add in extra lime juice.