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Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Bowl – an easy burrito-style Mexican rice bowl that’s easy to make and so delicious! Slow-cooked chicken in a mix of red salsa, salsa verde, and hot sauce. The chicken is then served over bowls of rice with a creamy homemade cilantro lime sauce. Of course, don’t forget to add all your favorite extras. Salty tortilla chips, pickled onion, and avocado are my favorites.
When my brothers and I were in middle school and high school, they would snowboard after school. This called for a second lunch/pre-dinner meal when they got home.
It was at this time when my love of cooking for others began. I’d often make them chicken and cheese quesadillas, which was their favorite (I really should share that recipe with you all!).
Other times, I’d make them burrito bowls, similar to what they would get at Chipotle.
The boys used to really pile their burrito bowls high, mainly with rice, chicken or steak, then salsa, a creamy sauce, and always an extra side of chips.
It’s still fun to make them burrito bowls when they’re back in Colorado.
Which is exactly what I ended up doing a couple of weeks ago when the entire family was visiting. This was the perfect crockpot recipe to make because I could easily feed everyone! Plus, I knew they all would really enjoy this! I doubled the chicken and made three batches of my homemade tortilla chips!
Everything was eaten and very much enjoyed!
Here are the details
Verde Chicken Ingredients
- chicken breasts or thighs – I like thighs best for the crockpot, but I use both breast and thighs since my mom prefers breast meat
- chunky red salsa – I love the Whole Foods 365 salsa. I usually buy the spicy
- salsa verde
- hot sauce – I use Franks
- salted butter
Cilantro Lime Sauce Ingredients
- fresh cilantro
- garlic
- lime juice
- mayo
- honey
Ingredients – for serving
- shredded lettuce – you can also use cabbage
- steamed rice – I like to stir in fresh cilantro
- tortilla chips
- pickled red onion
- avocado
- shredded cheese is delicious
- whatever else you enjoy in a burrito bowl!
Special Tools
You’ll need a crockpot for this recipe. Plus a blender or food processor for the sauce. You can also make the chicken in under 30 minutes in a dutch oven on the stove-top.
Steps
Step 1: mix and cook the chicken
Working inside the bowl of your crockpot, combine all of the ingredients: the chicken, red salsa, salsa verde, hot sauce, butter, and then add about 1/2 cup of water.
Slow-cook the chicken for a few hours. Slow cooking the chicken allows it to easily shred.
Or, as mentioned, cook on the stove.
Step 2: stir and shred the chicken
When the chicken is ready, give it a really good stir. As you’re stirring, the chicken should easily fall apart and shred.
Season the chicken with salt and keep it warm.
Step 3: the sauce
Start with the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in the food processor. Pulse until the cilantro is finely chopped and almost into a paste.
Using a spoon, mix in the mayo and honey. Don’t blend the mayo in the food processor. If you do, the mayo may “break”, and the sauce will then be too thin.
Season the sauce with salt.
Step 4: create your bowls
Start with finely shredded lettuce on the bottom. Then pile on the rice and the chicken. To the side of the chicken, add plenty of tortilla chips. Then add pickled onions, avocado, and fresh limes. I like to add green onions too.
Then, add whatever other toppings you enjoy. We always add grated cheese to the steamed rice (so it melts). We usually skip the beans, but I know so many of you love them. Add what YOU like! Finish your bowls with a few spoonfuls of the cilantro sauce, plus extra sauce on the side.
This comes together simply. It’s a fun, family dinner for sure!
Looking for other Mexican recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce
Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Bowl, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tortilla Bowl
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 438 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 cups chunky red salsa
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- salt and black pepper
- rice and tortilla chips, for serving
- shredded lettuce, avocado, limes, and green onions, for serving
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 big cup fresh cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoon honey
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bottom of the crockpot bowl, mix the chicken, red salsa, salsa verge, hot sauce, taco seasoning, butter, and 1/2 cup of water. Season well with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours.2. Remove the lid and stir the chicken until it falls apart and shreds – season with salt. 3. To make the sauce. Add the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to a blender/food processor. Pulse until chopped. Stir in the mayo and honey – season with salt. 4. Add a big handful of lettuce/cabbage to a bowl. Spoon over the rice. Add a couple spoonfuls of chicken, then chips on the side. Add avocado, onions, and lots of cilantro lime sauce. Enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a Dutch oven, mix the chicken, red salsa, salsa verde, hot sauce, taco seasoning, and 1/2 cup of water – season well with salt and pepper. Set over medium heat and cook 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. 2. Stir the chicken until it falls apart and shreds easily – season with salt. 3. To make the sauce. Add the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to a blender/food processor. Pulse until chopped. Stir in the mayo and honey – season with salt. 4. Add a big handful of lettuce/cabbage to a bowl. Spoon over the rice. Add a couple spoonfuls of chicken and then chips on the side. Add avocado, onions, and lots of cilantro lime sauce. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on February 27, 2025
I did the Dutch Oven version. It was fast, easy clean up and tasted delicious. I followed the recipe exactly-actually I used a bit more chicken breasts-and it was excellent!!!!
Hey Colbi,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was a hit!
This is a really delicious recipe. I highly recommend for easy meal prep and a lunch that you will actually look forward to reheating if eating over several days! Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Annalee,
Yay! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Have a great week!
another winner from this site, my absolute go-to for meal planning for quite a while now. Ridiculously simple & so tasty, then it’s just an assembly job with the other ingredients and it went down a storm. Keep doing what you’re doing Tiegan.
Hey Lisa,
Love to hear this! Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Have a great weekend!
I found this recipe 4 weeks ago, and I have made it every week since then. I have a crazy busy household and 4 very picky eaters. I am trying so hard to find healthy crock pot meals that my kids will eat and aren’t filled with a million calories or so much salt I wake up swollen the next day. This is my new favorite go to for swim team nights. My kids love this, and that is saying a lot since I fill their bowls up with lettuce before I add the chicken and rice and toppings. There are never any left overs. I love it so much I keep passing the recipe on to my other busy mom friends and their families have loved it too. Thank you!!!
Hey Kimberly,
That’s so awesome!! Love to hear your family has been enjoying this recipe, thanks a bunch for making it:) Have a great week! xx
So dang good! Used this for meal prep, will definitely make again.
Thank you so much Summer! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 xT
Another hit from HBH. This was so good! I did the Dutch oven option, and shredded the chicken in my food processor. Easy peasy recipe too. Loved it.
Wow thank you so so much Julie! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, hopefully it gets added into the dinner rotation! xT
Does this also work in the Insta pot?
Hi Elizabeth,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe in the instant pot! I’m sure it would work for you, I just don’t have the exact instructions. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
This was so delicious and easy to make. I served it over rice and shredded cabbage and added some cheese along with the cilantro lime sauce. It’s definitely a keeper.
Hey Dionne,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Has anyone made this in the Instantpot?
Hey Lisa,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe in the instant pot. Please let me know if you give this a try! xx
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight with my instapot, I rarely use the slow cook function on my instapot, but I followed the instructions above and used the slow cook function with “less” pressure for 4 hours and the chicken cooked in about 3.5 hours. Then I pulled it out shredded it and put it back in for the last half hour. I would do it again this way. Super easy!
Hey Carlee,
Happy Sunday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xx
I made this yesterday and followed the recipe exactly as written. I was shocked at how delicious it was for something so simple. This is definitely going into our meal rotation. I sure would love to know what kind of tortilla chips are pictured. They look amazing!
Hey Cindy,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy Friday!!
Looking forward to making! Can the sauce be made ahead of time and stored in fridge or should it be made right before serving?
Thanks so much, Deanna! Sure you could definitely store the sauce in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Another hit Tieghan + team! Not only was this easy & quick to prepare, but it was also delicious (even without the cilantro lime sauce)! I love all of the colors, flavors, & textures of this dish!
Hi Portia,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx