Meal Bite: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Hi Busies!  I hope everyone is having a great week!  Today I’m sharing one of my favorite meal prep recipes.  But before I get into that, I just need to say one thing.  Earlier this week I found a spider web on my stove.  Yes, you read that right.  Yes, this is a cooking blog from a gal who uses her stove so infrequently that it LITERALLY has cobwebs.  Before I lose you, let me just point out a couple things:

• The spider has yet to be found.  I have mixed feelings about this.  But I hope that he found his way back outside and isn’t waiting for me somewhere else in the house.  But, no spiders were harmed when I did (eventually) use the stove.
• The real reason that I use my stove so infrequently is because, by following my (free, downloadable) meal prep guide, I only cook once every 2 months.  Sure, I make the occasional sautéed veggie or pasta in between rounds of meal prep, but it took the spider web for me to realize how much following this plan has really changed my day to day for the better. I have so much more time to do other things that I enjoy!

Which leads me to one of my easiest meal prep dishes, Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken.  This meal is great because once you make the chicken, it becomes so versatile – you can put it over lettuce to make a salad, over rice to make a burrito bowl, or serve it in any of your other favorite forms of Mexican food – nachos, tacos, burritos – the possibilities are endless!  Plus, depending on how many toppings you use, you can end up with extra chicken, which means bonus meals!  

The other reason this meal is great is because of how easy it is.  Especially during a busy weekend of meal prep, this is a true “dump and forget” meal, with only a few simple ingredients!

This round, Salsa Chicken became nachos.  I added black beans, corn, and sprinkled with a Mexican cheese blend, and baked in the oven for 10 minutes.  Then, I added chopped Roma tomato and a handful of cilantro,  and (a necessity to any Salsa Chicken adaptation, in my opinion!) avocado.  My favorite thing about homemade nachos is spreading the toppings evenly across the whole dish, so every bite has maximum deliciousness.  

What would you do if you had an extra hour in the day?  Let me know in the comments below, and then check out my meal prep plan – give it a try and enjoy that extra time you’ll gain!  If you make Salsa Chicken, show me how it turns out by tagging @busygirl_bites or #busygirlbites on Instagram.  Can’t wait to see y’alls creativity with toppings!

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Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Author Sam - Busy Girl Bites

Ingredients

• 1 jar salsa (I prefer medium spicy tomatillo salsa, pictured above, but any salsa you prefer will work just fine!)
• 2 large or 4 small (boneless skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper
• Optional: serve with your favorite Mexican toppings!

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Put the chicken breasts in the crock pot, add enough salsa to cover the chicken completely.  Cook on high 3-4 hours, or low 6-8 hours.
3. Once chicken is cooked, remove from crock pot and shred.  Pour another 1/4 cup or so of fresh salsa over the chicken, along with cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. To Freeze:  Add 1 can of black or pinto beans, 1 can of corn, and 1 can of diced tomatoes.  Stir into the chicken and freeze.  See my freezer tips page for some information on how to optimize your meal for freezing.
5. To Eat:  When you're ready to eat, thaw the meal overnight and serve any style (salad, rice, burrito, taco, nacho, etc) with your favorite Mexican toppings, including cheese, avocado, sour cream, and more salsa.  Enjoy!