Salsa Chicken and Rice Bowls
Published 2/26/2025
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We first published this salsa chicken bowl recipe in 2015 and we’ve since tweaked to make it easier and tastier! Salsa chicken in the crockpot is such an easy thing to make and you only need a few ingredients — chicken breast and/or thighs, spices, and salsa! Then, serve it with a simple cilantro lime rice, fajita veggies, a simple black bean salsa, and enjoy.
Cook Once – Eat For Days!
What I love about salsa chicken, is that you can make a giant batch and then eat it for days! It really makes for the perfect chicken and rice bowl recipe, too. You can control the spice level with the jar of salsa you use and you can serve it up in a variety of ways.
We love eating salsa chicken as a rice bowl because you can really stretch it out to get a bunch of meals out of it. It’s truly meal prep’s finest. We paired it with some of FFF’s most popular recipes:
And, if you get bored, you can eat it as chicken tacos, instead!
How to Make Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
Our recipe features both chicken breast and chicken thighs because we like the combo of white and dark meat!
- Season your chicken with spices and place on the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour on the salsa and toss.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for about 6 hours.
- When the chicken is done and easily shreddable, shred the chicken.
Meal-Prep Your Chicken and Rice Bowls
Whenever I make this chicken and rice bowl, my husband and I eat 2 servings for a meal and then we meal-prep the rest.
We suggest using single-serve glass meal-prep containers to portion out your bowls. Then, you can easily bring them to work with you and not have to worry about portioning everything out each morning!
Salsa Chicken and Rice Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 16 oz. salsa, any kind
Rice
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Black Bean Salsa
- ½ cup sweet corn
- ½ cup black beans
- 12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ red onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Fajita Peppers
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 white onion, sliced
Instructions
- Add the ground cumin, chili powder, sea salt, and garlic powder to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker and season with the spice mixture. Toss the chicken until completely coated in the mixture. Pour the salsa over the chicken.
- Cook the chicken on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-3 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- When the chicken is done, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it. Remove the liquid from the slow cooker, but save it for later.
- Once shredded add the chicken back into the slow cooker and add enough of the left over sauce to coat this chicken. Keep the chicken in the slow cooker to stay warm.
- If making fresh rice, prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package.
- Toss the cooked rice with cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the bean salad. Add all of the ingredients for the bean salad to a large bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onions and peppers to the skillet. Season with salt and saute for 3-5 minutes or until just cooked through.
- Assemble the bowls by evenly distributing the chicken, rice, bean salad, and peppers between 4-8 bowls or if meal prepping, store each component in separate air-tight containers.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe is meant to serve a crowd or to make for meal prep throughout the week.
- We use both chicken breasts and chicken thighs to balance out the lean chicken breasts with a bit more flavor from the chicken thighs. Feel free to use whatever cut of chicken you prefer.
- The type of salsa you use will determine the flavor of the chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Are you supposed to use dried minced garlic or fresh?
I definitely recommend fresh, but dried works, too if you don’t have it!
After you shred the chicken and add the spices, how long do you put it back in the crock pot for?
Thanks!!
If I can’t find short grain brown rice I will have to use long grain. Would I still use 2 cups rice and 4 cups water?
Yes ma’am!
I just finished making this for dinner and I have two questions. 1 when do you add lime to the chicken & 2 after placing the tomato paste and water mixture on the shredded chicken in the crock-pot do I turn the crock-pot back on, if so what temperature?
We just ate this and it was amazing. I’m eating paleo, so I couldn’t eat the rice and beans, but my family loved them. I added the lime to the chicken after it was cooked, not sure if that’s when it’s supposed to go in. I didn’t cook the chicken after adding the tomato paste & water mixture. You really don’t need to do anything different to this recipe, the chicken was so moist I couldn’t pick the chicken up out of the crock-pot without it falling apart, so I shredded it in the crock-pot. I will be making this again. Thank You for the recipes Lee.
I’m a very pick eater and this looks amazing! Do you happen to know serving size and calories? Thanks so much.
I made this the other night and it was nothing short of AMAZING!! So full of flavor and colour! This recipe was immediately added to my list of all-time favorites!
YAY! So glad you loved it. Isn’t it like THE EASIEST thing to make EVER? Crock pot love.
Made this for dinner tonight, with only a few changes. I cook chicken in chicken broth first, to keep it moist. Can’t even pull it out with a fork it falls apart just touching it… And I save some of the broth from the crock pot to mix back in (or, use green enchilada sauce).
The second change was add in cilantro to the rice, which compliments the lime and black beans in the rice very well.
I never would have thought to serve with sweet potatoes (which, for the most part are all we eat). With a dallop of sour cream on top, this was an excellent meal. My whole household approved.
Woooo!!! I love all of your additions and modifications! Thanks for sharing those ☺️
YAS. So much greatness here. Tacos. Potatoes. Rice. All such wondrous things. Going to the store today to get the ingredients for this!!!
<3 Right?! You'll have dinner for the whole week!
Love a good crock pot recipe, thanks for this one!
😀
#drooling #leecomecookforme 🙂
Looks awesome lady!!
I’d love to cook for you 😀