Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken is a no-fail dinner recipe, great any night of the week. Tender, flavorful chicken is slow-cooked in a zingy, delicious sauce! All done in your slow cooker, so less effort and clean-up for you!
Why This Recipe Works
Do you know those recipes in your dinner rotation that never fail? Cilantro Lime Chicken made in the slow cooker is one of those recipes for me. It takes almost no time to prep this easy dinner and my crock pot does all the work!
The end result is a spicy (feel free to keep it on the mild side, if you’d like!), flavorful meal with the most tender chicken my teeth have ever met.
The first time I made this meal I could not believe that my fork (no knife required!) was easily cutting into a piece of chicken like it was butter. No lie, it’s really that tender. (Recipe adapted from this one over at All Recipes.)
Add this recipe to your dinner rotation pronto. I promise you’ll keep it around! This is a GREAT recipe, tried and tested approximately 9,000 times in our home.
How To Make Cilantro Lime Chicken
Aside from the ridiculously tender chicken, the ease of preparing Cilantro Lime Chicken is my favorite thing about this recipe. Follow these simple instructions for a delicious, no-fail, easy meal!
Step 1
In a slow cooker, mix together salsa, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning and jalapenos (if using). Add 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts and coat with the salsa mixture.
Step 2
Cook on low heat for 6 hours, or high heat for 3 hours (low and slow is definitely recommended). After the chicken is cooked, serve with rice and with salsa mixture spooned over top, or shred it and use as a taco filling!
Recipe Notes
- Grate lime zest over the top of the meal just before serving it. I love the flavor this tiny little step adds!
- The sauce in this recipe can also be used as a chicken marinade if you would rather grill chicken on a hot summer day. Marinate chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Cook for 6 minutes on each side, or until breasts are cooked in the centers.
- If you want to know exactly what is inside your taco seasoning, make your own!
- For a creamier sauce, add 1/4 cup sour cream to the sauce mixture before cooking.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker in pieces rather than adding whole breasts so the meat will be ready to eat when time is up!
Can I Omit the Jalapeno Peppers?
Of course! There is plenty of room to turn up the heat on this recipe, if that’s your thing, and it it also easy enough to keep it on the mild side. Tailor it to your liking!
How To Chop Jalapenos
Chop the jalapeno in half and remove the seeds, then you can dice or slice your jalapeno. However if you want more heat, then you can leave some seeds in.
The heat from jalapenos is stored in the oil of the skin and the seeds so be sure to wear gloves!
How To Serve Cilantro Lime Chicken
Serve the chicken with the salsa mixture spooned over the top, all over a bed of white, brown or Spanish rice (or go no rice!). If you’re feeling crazy, throw a dollop of sour cream on top with some crushed tortilla chips and extra cilantro.
Or grab two forks and start shredding! Add the shredded chicken to a tortilla or turn it into a delicious taco salad. Don’t forget to spoon the sauce over the top. It is so bold and delicious.
Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the top just before serving for an added zing!
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Uses For Taco Seasoning
If you have extra taco seasoning on hand and you want to use it up, here are some other recipe ideas to throw it into!
- Add it to ground beef and top Campfire Nachos with it!
- Really, you could add it to just about any meat-based meal to transform it into a tasty, spicy food. I’m thinking meatballs, burgers or even chicken.
- Use it as a rub on your next Rotisserie chicken or batch of ribs!
- Add it to salad dressing for an extra zing.
Uses For Rice
If you have extra rice hanging around your fridge after making this recipe, here are a few other ways to enjoy rice!
- Sprinkle in some chopped fresh cilantro and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and juice from 1 lime. No need for Chipotle!
- Serve underneath a heaping scoop of Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls, Orange Chicken or Mongolian Beef. DELISH!
- Serve alongside Instant Pot Chicken for the perfect complete meal.
- Mix a bit of ginger sauce with rice for a delish side dish.
- Go simple and serve with a few pats of butter or olive oil. Stir until the butter has melted.
- Mix together with salsa, black beans, lime juice and chopped avocado. Add shredded chicken for a meaty dish!
Party Food Recipes
- The classic, crowd-pleasing Fruit Pizza has a cookie dough crust, dreamy cream cheese frosting and a colorful top layer of fruit and a tasty glaze.
- Taco Ranch Pasta Salad gets totally devoured at gatherings, no matter the season.
- Sausage Cheese Dip is easy to make (let your crockpot do the work for you!), cheesy, flavorful and totally irresistible! Only 6 ingredients required for this delicious party food!
- This is the best 7-Layer Taco Dip you’ll ever meet! It’s the perfect appetizer and party food and it is always the first thing to get devoured.
- Pickle Rollups are most perfect appetizer for any type of gathering! Only THREE ingredients, ten minutes of your time and guests will be raving!
- If you have fallen in love with the delicious Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you are in luck! This drink tastes just like the original beverage that is so loved by adults and kids alike.
Slow Cooker Recipes
Here are a few of my other favorite EASY crockpot creations! Enjoy, friends!
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Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 oz medium salsa
- 1 lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro fresh, chopped
- 1.25 oz taco seasoning or 2 TBSP homemade taco seasoning
- 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped (optional)
- 6 chicken breasts boneless, thawed
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, mix together the salsa, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning and jalapenos (if using). Add the chicken and coat with the salsa mixture.
- Cook on Low heat for 6 hours, or High heat for 3 hours. Serve chicken with rice and with salsa mixture spooned over top, or shred and use as a taco filling!
Notes
- Grate lime zest over the top of the meal just before serving it. I love the flavor this tiny little step adds!
- The sauce in this recipe can also be used as a chicken marinade if you would rather grill chicken on a hot summer day. Marinate chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Cook for 6 minutes on each side, or until breasts are cooked in the centers.
- If you want to know exactly what is inside your taco seasoning, make your own!
- For a creamier sauce, add 1/4 cup sour cream to the sauce mixture before cooking.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker in pieces rather than adding whole breasts so the meat will be ready to eat when time is up!
Starla Deen
This looks DELICIOUS!! its in the crockpot right now!! cant wait to try it!
Boen
I'm going to make some yellow rice to serve with this. Thanks for a great recipe!
Carol
I am in Minnesota, too. I have to try this recipe soon!
Casey
This was amazing!!! I'm definately going to be blogging out this!!! My husband loved it!
http://everydayclassroom.blogspot.com/p/food.html
Madison
I tried this recipe tonight for dinner! Whipped it up in minutes and let it cook on high for around 4.5 hours. The chicken was so tender and the sauce was good. It has a lot of flavor, a spicy kick to it (I only used one jalapeño pepper), and the dinner was great! I put the chicken pieces on top of a warm tortilla shell and served it with steamed veggies and Mexican style rice! It was delicious- definitely something different to try! Thanks!
Tara
I made this chicken dish last night and it was a hit. I made it with cilantro lime white rice and refried beans. It was so easy and delicious. My boys asked when I can make it again. Thanks for the recipe.
Blakley
I made this today and it was absolutely delicous! I used it as taco filling, and my husband and I ate several each. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm sure I'll make it again many times in the future!
michelle Olson
I made this and it is AMAZING! So easy and tasty. The great part about this meal is that is can be shredded for chicken enchiladas, quesadillas or soft tacos OR just serve over rice! I have already passed this recipe on and have gotten raving reviews
Christina
I made this yesterday and it is DELICIOUS. For the taco seasoning I made my own (an idea also found on Pinterest). This dish is SO flavorful and warms you up (getting chilly now in MN). I served it in a bowl with rinsed black beans, lite shredded cheese and some fresh diced onion. Definitely making this again.
Kristal @ Engineering Life and Style
I found this recipe on Pinterest and featured it on my blog http://www.engineeringlifeandstyle.blogspot.com
We made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious…..I added an onion….and juiced an extra lime….and used red pepper instead of the jalapenos……Yuuuummm!!
Things That Inspire
We had this for dinner, and it was a wonderful treat – my whole family loved it, even my picky 9 year old! It smelled so good as it was cooking, and as you promised, it shredded beautifully. Served with a green salad and rice – the sauce was great with the rice and on the chicken. I will make it with low sodium taco seasoning next time (and I don't usually avoid salt) – I think this will balance it out a bit. I used Tostitos restaurant style salsa as it is a bit watery but has great flavor – I think the watery base helps when something is cooking for 6 hours. Mixed it with Pace regular salsa to make the 24 ounces of salsa.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Megan Porta
Tracy, Yes! The bone-in breasts would be great!
Megan
Tracy
can I use bone IN chicken breasts? thats all I have at the moment.
Amanda
I also found this recipe on pinterest, and boy am I glad I did!! I assembled the salsa, cilantro, and jalepenos the night before and let the chicken marinade in the mixture overnight. Then I threw it all in my crock pot yesterday morning and had it for dinner last night. It is SO GOOD. I love that the ingredient measurements don't have to be perfect, and you can just throw it in a crock pot for as long as you want- an extra 3 hours doesn't hurt it at all. I put mine in a warm tortilla with a little bit of cheese, greek yogurt (which is like a mix of sour cream and cream cheese but it manages to actually be healthy), and avocado. It is one dish that I took a bite of and thought, "Did I really make this? It is SO DELICIOUS!" Thanks for sharing!!
Brianne
I just made this and it was so delicious! It was a little bit dry, simply because my crock pot is new, so still trying to figure out timing differences from recipes and my unit. But SO yummy! As a side I made quinoa and black beans with Fiesta Lime seasoning and a dollop of plain fat free greek yogurt as a substitute to sour cream!
jerri blanton
Am trying this tonight. looks fantastic! i wrapped a pork tenderloin in applewood bacon….and mixed honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sauteed leeks, sauteed fresh garlic, red wine,brown sugar….and cooked all in crock pot ( 2 nights ago) and it worked! was really good. served with baked sweet potato and baked brown sugar apples and a coarse slaw.
thanks for the recipe!
AngYKY
Made this tonight. Even my picky 10 yr old son liked it! Thank you for posting the recipe!
Mel S.
DELISH! We had it tonight and I added black beans and used a 1/2 c lime juice, rather than a lime (didn't have one), and what a great dinner! Put it over some rice, and the flavor was superb!
Kaitlin
Making this for the second time tonight. My husband absolutely LOVES this recipe. His favorite part is the leftover cooked salsa/sauce it makes. Thank you for posting this recipe!!
carrie
Made this on Sunday and have had it in soft shell tortillas, over salad and over spanish rice. It was SO easy to make and super flavorful. Thanks for the recipe! It will be in regular rotation at my house.