This crockpot southwest chicken recipe is low maintenance, packs a ton of flavor, and is easily customizable to your serving preferences.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A slow cooker recipe has become our favorite thing for a low maintenance, easy meal. The best part is the easy prep—you can throw the ingredients in the crock pot in the morning, leave it, and it will be ready by dinner time!
- There are several different ways that you can serve this meal, so you can easily customize it to your preferences. Serve it with rice or quinoa and make slow cooker southwest chicken bowls, or serve it in tacos or quesadillas, or on a taco salad—there are several options!
- This recipe is also delicious with its great southwestern flavors.
Ingredient Notes
For the chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs - feel free to use your choice of chicken for this recipe—boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts. You can use fresh or frozen chicken.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - you will take two of the chipotle peppers out of the can and chop them. Then add some of the adobo sauce as well. The chipotle peppers play a big part in providing the southwest flavor. If you are not familiar with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, it is a canned item that is usually found by the enchilada sauce at most grocery stores.
- Minced garlic - we love to use fresh garlic!
- Honey
- Lime juice
- Salsa - choose your favorite salsa or any jar of salsa from the store. You can use a chunky salsa or a runny salsa.
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
Topping ideas
- Black beans - we love black beans with this recipe but you could always use pinto beans or a dollop of refried beans as well.
- Corn - you can choose from canned, fresh, or frozen sweet corn. If using canned, make sure you get whole kernel corn.
- Avocado
- Bell pepper - red, orange, yellow, or green bell peppers work!
- Fresh cilantro
- Red onion or green onion
- Lime
- Salt
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Cilantro lime ranch
For serving
- Cooked rice or quinoa - this is so versatile and you can make this recipe according to your preference using quinoa or a variety of rice. White rice or brown rice will work (check out our easy brown jasmine rice recipe). If you want to take it to the next level you could try our cilantro lime rice or a Spanish rice. Cauliflower rice is also an option.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Crockpot*
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board and knife
- Rice cooker* or sauce pan (optional)
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken in the crockpot.
Chop two chipotle peppers and measure out 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can and add to the crockpot with the chicken. Add the garlic, honey, lime juice, salsa, smoked paprika, and salt.
Cook the chicken for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Ensure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If serving with rice or quinoa, plan ahead for their cooking time and follow the package instructions for the cooking method.
When the chicken has finished, shred chicken with two forks and mix well to ensure it is coated with the sauce left in the crockpot.
Place rice or quinoa at the base of the bowl, top with chicken, and then top with black beans, corn, and any other toppings of choice.
Tips & Variations
- While this recipe is not a creamy southwest chicken recipe, you could always add a little bit of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, or a dollop of sour cream to make it creamier if that is your preference.
- If you want to mix it up, you could also serve this southwest chicken crockpot recipe in taco shells or tortillas.
- If you like more spice, you could add chili powder, red pepper flakes, green chilies, or hot sauce.
- The toppings are very customizable! We love to mix the corn, beans, avocado, bell pepper, cilantro, lime, and salt together in a bowl to make a corn bean salsa. You can easily use other fresh veggies of choice.
FAQ
For the best result, we recommend storing the southwest crock pot chicken separately from the toppings. Store the chicken in an airtight container or in a ziploc bag. Leftover chicken will also freeze well in freezer containers or a ziploc bag. The leftovers are great to pull out last minute when you need to pull together something quickly.
We recommend using a crock pot to slow cook instead of an instant pot to pressure cook. We find that the chicken has more flavor when it is able to sit in the spices and flavorings for a much longer period of time.
This slow-cooked southwest chicken is gluten-free and dairy-free. However, make sure to verify that the can of chipotle peppers you use are gluten-free. Choose gluten-free or dairy-free toppings if needed.
If you like this recipe, check out some of our other crock pot recipes:
If you make this crockpot southwest chicken recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Crockpot Southwest Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped + 2 tbsp adobo sauce from the can (adjust according to spice preference)
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
For serving
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup of corn
- Cooked rice or quinoa
Optional Toppings of Choice
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Bell pepper, diced
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Cilantro lime ranch (our recipe here)
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken in the crockpot.
- Chop two chipotle peppers and measure out 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can and add to the crockpot with the chicken. Add the garlic, honey, lime juice, salsa, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Cook the chicken for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Ensure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If serving with rice or quinoa, plan ahead for their cooking time and follow the package instructions for the cooking method.
- When the chicken has finished, shred chicken with two forks and mix well to ensure it is coated with the sauce left in the crockpot.
- Place rice or quinoa at the base of the bowl, top with chicken, and then top with black beans, corn, and any other toppings of choice.
Notes
- We love to make a salsa of sorts with the toppings listed: beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, cilantro, lime, and a little bit of salt.
- This slow-cooked southwest chicken is gluten-free and dairy-free. However, make sure to verify that the can of chipotle peppers you use are gluten-free. Choose gluten-free or dairy-free toppings if needed.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Crockpot Southwest Chicken." The nutrition calculated above is just for the chicken (breast not thighs), it does not include the rice/quinoa, corn, beans, or toppings.
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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