Creamy Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

5 from 1 vote

This creamy Crock Pot salsa chicken is delicious in tacos, on salad, in enchiladas and burritos, on nachos, or in rice bowls.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword crock pot salsa chicken, crock pot salsa chicken with cream cheese, crockpot salsa chicken, salsa chicken crock pot

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 35

Servings people

Calories 357kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, not drained
1 cup finely diced onion (I use frozen diced onion as a shortcut)
1 cup salsa, divided
2– 2 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 (1 oz) packets taco seasoning
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, diced into small cubes and softened at room temperature
Optional, for serving: tortillas or taco shells, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, avocado or guacamole, sour cream, chopped onion, fresh cilantro

Arrange tomatoes, onion, and half of the salsa in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Place chicken on top, sprinkle with the taco seasoning, and pour the remaining salsa over all.
Cover and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 2-4 hours on LOW or about 1-2 hours on HIGH.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Add the cream cheese to the slow cooker and stir. Cover and continue cooking until the cream cheese melts, about 5-10 more minutes. Stir again to make sure that the cream cheese is smoothly incorporated into the sauce.
While the cream cheese is in the slow cooker, use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce and cook for a few more minutes, until warmed through.

You do not need to add any extra liquid to the Crock Pot. The juices from the tomatoes, salsa, and onions will go into the pot, and the condensation from the slow cooker will accumulate as well. There should be more than enough liquid by the end, and you don’t want to water-down the sauce.

Be careful not to overcook your chicken. I find that the chicken breast or thighs have the best texture when cooked in my slow cooker on HIGH for about 1 hour. That keeps them moist and juicy, and prevents them from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Also remember — every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges, rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 1 hours or on LOW for about 2 hours. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.

Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature and dice into cubes before stirring it into the pot. This will help the cheese melt smoothly into the sauce.