Salsa Verde Chicken
Chicken breasts slow cooked all day in tangy salsa verde with taco seasoning, green chiles, and garlic — shredded and finished with fresh lime juice, cilantro, and cannellini beans. Bright, bold, and completely different from the other slow cooker chickens in this collection. Set it up in the morning and come home to something genuinely special.
- Slow Cooker
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 16 oz salsa verde
- 1 can green chiles, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- Finish
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed (see lower-carb tip)
- Toppings
- — shredded cheese (optional)
- — plain Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream)
- — sliced avocado (optional)
- — extra cilantro (optional)
- — lime wedges (optional)
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1
Load the slow cooker
Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom. Add the salsa verde, green chiles, garlic, and taco seasoning. Stir briefly to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until the chicken is completely tender and pulls apart easily.
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2
Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken breasts and shred using two forks or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Return the shredded chicken to the salsa verde liquid in the slow cooker and stir to combine.
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3
Add the finishing ingredients
Stir in the fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and drained cannellini beans. Cover and cook on low for an additional 15–30 minutes until the beans are warmed through and the cilantro has infused the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning — a little extra lime juice brightens everything significantly.
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4
Serve
Ladle into bowls over cauliflower rice or serve in romaine lettuce wraps. Pile on your favorite toppings — shredded cheese, Greek yogurt, avocado, extra cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The salsa verde cooking liquid is deeply flavored and worth spooning generously over everything.
- Salsa verde is the star: The tomatillo base gives this chicken a bright, tangy flavor that's completely distinct from tomato-based slow cooker chickens — it's worth using a good quality jarred salsa verde. Herdez is widely available and works beautifully.
- Lower carb option: Cannellini beans are higher in carbs but add great creamy texture and heartiness — skip them entirely or replace with diced zucchini stirred in during the last 30 minutes for bulk without the extra carbs.
- Lime juice and cilantro go in at the end: Adding both after shredding rather than at the start preserves their bright, fresh flavor — lime juice and fresh herbs lose most of their vibrancy after 8 hours in a slow cooker.
- This chicken goes everywhere: Over cauliflower rice, in lettuce wraps, stuffed into bell pepper halves, as a topping for our Taco Salad, or alongside the Jicama and Black Bean Salad for a complete Mexican-inspired spread.
- Even better the next day: Like all slow cooker chickens, this deepens significantly overnight. Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.