Chicken and salsa — that's it! This is a weeknight-saver, potluck star, and meal-prepper's dream. Go authentic and fill your favorite low carb tortilla with it, or go green with lettuce leaf 'tacos.' Prefer the Instant Pot? We've got instructions for that and the oven below. Pressed for time? Try our 20-minute stovetop version!
February 8 2023 recipe by Kirsty von Boch, photo by Lenka Selinger, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE in Recipes, Dinner
Chicken and salsa — that's it! This is a weeknight-saver, potluck star, and meal-prepper's dream. Go authentic and fill your favorite low carb tortilla with it, or go green with lettuce leaf 'tacos.' Prefer the Instant Pot? We've got instructions for that and the oven below. Pressed for time? Try our 20-minute stovetop version!
USMetric
4 servingservings
Ingredients
- 1¾ lbs 800 g chicken breastchicken breasts
- ½ tsp ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 12 oz. 350 g jar of salsa, no added sugar
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Making low carb simple
Instructions
Instructions are for 4 servings. Please modify as needed.
Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the salsa to the slow cooker and stir to cover the chicken in salsa.
Cook on low for 2 hours.
Shred the chicken using two forks. Return to the slow cooker for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
Serve with a salad of your choice.
Choosing a salsa
We recommend choosing a salsa with no added sugar that is low in carbs. Check the label, and aim for one with no more than 3 grams of net carbs per 100-gram serving.
We used a mild red salsa for this recipe, but go with whatever you prefer! Green tomatillo salsas are great, as are chipotle varieties for a smoky finish.
Instant Pot instructions
Add the chicken and salsa to the Instant Pot; seal the pot.
Cook for 10 minutes, then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure manually.
Proceed with step 4 of the recipe.
Dutch oven instructions
Add the chicken and salsa to a heavy cast iron pot. Cover with lid.
Cook in a preheated oven (210°F/ 120°C) for 3 hours. Proceed with step 4 of the recipe.
Quick stovetop method
Does the slow cooker or oven method take too long? No Instant Pot? No worries, here's a quick way to get this on the table:
Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and brown for 3 minutes on each side. Pour in the salsa and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a soft boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Slice or shred to serve.
Dress it up!
You can enjoy this with a simple salad, bell peppers or slaw on the side, or go to town with cauliflower rice, avocado, more salsa, cheese, and sour cream as in our Low carb chicken burrito bowl with cauliflower rice
Spice it up!
To boost the flavor of your shredded chicken even more, feel free to sprinkle it with salt, pepper, chili, cayenne, garlic, onion, cumin, and/or oregano before you cook it.
Serving more?
If you're preparing more than 4 servings of this recipe, you may need to extend the cooking time to 3 or 4 hours.
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💬 Have you tried this recipe?
What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
9 comments
1
Andrea
February 17 2023
I wondering if the prep for this need to be revisited? Two hour on low in my slow cooker is not enough. I the switched to 4 hours and it still wasn’t done.
Reply: #2
2
Reply to comment #1 by Andrea
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
February 17 2023
I wondering if the prep for this need to be revisited? Two hour on low in my slow cooker is not enough. I the switched to 4 hours and it still wasn’t done.
Our test kitchen developed this recipe and recommended the two hour cooking time to prevent the chicken from over cooking or drying out. If you cooked the default 4 servings for this recipe, and it still wasn't cooked through after 4 hours, you may want to check the wattage on your slow cooker or if you have trouble with other recipes. For instance, some Instant Pots have a slow cooker function but do not offer the consistent level and same amount of heat that a Crock Pot or other dedicated slow cooker will provide.
Reply: #9
3
Andrea
February 26 2023
Thanks! i did have more servings. That may have been it! I had about 3lbs of chicken. Thank you. it was delicious.
4
Sarah Hart
February 28 2023
What is meant by salsa? It just means sauce....
Reply: #6
5
Geoffrey Levens
March 1 2023
This looks great but I'd probably use thighs because I like dark meat so much more.
6
Reply to comment #4 by Sarah Hart
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
March 1 2023
What is meant by salsa? It just means sauce....
We have a salsa recipe if it is not available as a prepared food in your area.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/quick-salsa7
Birgit
March 13 2023
Looking at the picture I imagined that this would be an ideal way how to use old laying hens.
But, to my disappointment, chicken breasts are used.
However, I'm unwilling to contribute to food waste and are therefore going to use whole old laying hens or chicken thighs.Reply: #8
8
Reply to comment #7 by Birgit
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
March 14 2023
Looking at the picture I imagined that this would be an ideal way how to use old laying hens.
But, to my disappointment, chicken breasts are used.
However, I'm unwilling to contribute to food waste and are therefore going to use whole old laying hens or chicken thighs.Fantastic! Most people do not have access to actual chickens so they purchase cuts of meat specifically for recipes. This recipe is definitely very flexible and would work well for your purpose!
9
Reply to comment #2 by Kristin Parker
Marjorie Heard
July 14 2023
Marjorie Heard:
If I were to chop the chicken into bite size pieces, before putting in crockpot, would I cook it for less time or would the 2 hrs still be OK. Thanks.I wondering if the prep for this need to be revisited? Two hour on low in my slow cooker is not enough. I the switched to 4 hours and it still wasn’t done.
Our test kitchen developed this recipe and recommended the two hour cooking time to prevent the chicken from over cooking or drying out. If you cooked the default 4 servings for this recipe, and it still wasn't cooked through after 4 hours, you may want to check the wattage on your slow cooker or if you have trouble with other recipes. For instance, some Instant Pots have a slow cooker function but do not offer the consistent level and same amount of heat that a Crock Pot or other dedicated slow cooker will provide.
