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!
Crissy S.
I'm making this right now!! Only bad thing, my hands stink like cilantro and I can't get it to go away!! LOL Otherwise, it smells DELICIOUS!!!!!
Jenn
Hi there, I just made you recipe and it was great! I wanted to let you know I found it on Pinterest and featured it in my blog today 🙂
http://aworkingmomsguidetorandomness.blogspot.com/2012/02/woot-woot-pinterest-tuesday.html
Adele Forbes
that looks sooooooo wonderful, I love all of the ingredients and can not wait to try it! Thank you so very much for sharing!
Megan Porta
Hi Jon,
You're on the right track. You would take two whole chicken breasts and cut them down the middle to have four chicken breast halves. Most grocery stores do this for you, so you likely won't have to do any cutting. I hope that makes sense!
Megan
jon
do you cut 6 chicken breast into halves then add those twelve halves to it or do u add 6 halves total….does this make any sense? my wife and i are going to try it on Monday so any response will help. Thanks!
Sally
Success!!! Made a few adjustments based on what I had on hand, but… the family loved it, and voted it "a keeper!"
Megan Porta
Hi Liz! I think you must be thinking of each "chicken breast half" as a "chicken breast." Chicken breasts come as a pair, so a half of that would be considered a "chicken breast half." I hope that makes sense!!
Megan
Sally
Hi Megan,
I pinned your recipe a long time ago, and I am finally trying it for tonight's dinner. I had to make a few adjustments based on the ingredients that I had on hand, but I think it'll turn out great. Thanks for sharing! Have a great day. ~Sally
Liz
When you say 4 chicken breast halves do you mean 4 whole chicken breasts or 2 chicken breasts sliced in half?
michelle
made this with pork and sweet rice. YUM!
Megan Porta
Hi Denise! Of course, feel free to post this and link back!
Megan
Denise
I tried this recipe for a Taco Salad party and it turned out so well! I used bone-in chicken breast because I like the way shredded chicken turns out with them, Easy way to cook chicken for various south of the border recipes!! May I share this on my blog and link here?
Catherine
Thanks for posting! I made this two weeks ago for my boyfriend and I and we both loved it (and he is also a very picky eater)! I will definitely be making this more!!
Carolyn
I'm making this right now. I used the Victoria brand salsa (mild) and my house smells delicious. And it's only been an hour of it cooking. Can't wait to try.
Anna
You aren't supposed to put frozen meat in the crock pot due to food safety issues, per the USDA. Something about the cooking temperatures, and the rate of defrosting/cooking. Be safe.
Shelly
Finally made this tonight!!! Used it in taco salads and it was delish and easy!
Shelly
Just put mine in the crockpot. The ingredients smelled so good while assembling. I have been looking for more uses for cillantro. Thank you for posting this recipe and the photos! Looking forward to my lunch!
liz@carpeseason
Crockpots were made for Minnesota winters. We love ours too – this looks like a great new recipe to try out next week!
Christine W.
I just found your recipe and it sounds so good I had to try it. However, I only had two boneless skinless chicken breasts of unequal size in the fridge. So, I cut them up into smaller pieces and added 2 red bell peppers, 1 can of corn (no salt added) and 1 can of black beans (rinsed). I'm starting the mixture on high since I'm getting a late start tonight, but I plan to turn it down to low in an hour or so.
It already smells great!
I plan to serve it over rice…or maybe shred the chicken and make burritos with it if the meat is really tender!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica
YUM! I made this minus the cilantro and the lime, but I think that might give it a great flair! I always shred it for chicken tacos! You can also use a can of rotel tomatoes in place of the salsa!
FWIW, I've never defrosted the chicken… I usually put the breasts in there frozen and cook on low for 8-10 and it comes out moist and fully cooked! So delicious!