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!
Courtney
Hello All! This recipe sounds amazing! I cannot wait to try it! I did want to comment on the "frozen chicken in a crockpot". I'm a manager at a restaurant so I am thoroughly aware of food safety. It is NOT recommended to put frozen protein in a crock pot because it sits for too long in the "danger zone" and can easily become a hazard and make you VERY sick. We've all done it when we're in a pinch, but it really isn't worth the risk. Happy crock-potting!
Erikamwright
Tried this and we all loved it! A mango oe peach salsa would be good. Will try that next time.
Jenny
SO good in soft tacos! My kids ate seconds. Thanks for sharing!
Pauline
We have this at our house all the time! The only thing I do different is to add about 1 cup of sour cream near the end of the cooking time. We serve it shredded, over rice, and top with shredded cheddar and sliced scallions. Yummy!
Zebs
I'm in the process of waiting for this to cook right now. One hour down, 5 to go but my home already smells so wonderful! Can't wait to try as I've been eyeing this recipe and finally made myself give it a try. So easy to prep too!
Megan Porta
Hi Sally! I love the idea of corn being added. Great thought! Thanks for sharing. Glad you liked the dish!
Megan
Sally
I pinned this about a year ago and forgot about. I was looking for something new to try and saw this and made it. I was deciding what to have for a side dish and thought why not do it all in the crock part. I added a half package of frozen corn, and a package of southwest rice and beans to the last hour of cooking. Scrumptious!!!
Jennifer
Mine came out runny, but still good. What did I do wrong?
shelly shuey
saw on pinterest and went directly to the store — in my crockpot right now! great for dinner before baseball practice tonight, thanks.
Shannon
This is so delicious — I've made it twice. I like to hit it with some good tequila, honey, and use homemade taco seasoning instead of a packet. I'd recommend using low sodium salsa (or make our own!).
Diane
I have made this twice now and I believe the second time is better, even, than the first! Maybe I wasn't trying to be so exact the second time! Just to try and clear up something about coriander/cilantro, coriander refers to the seeds of the plant while coriander refers to the leaves.
Tina
Hardly any prep needed, just bunged it all in the slow cooker and went off to work. Absolutely delicious, empty plates all round! I made some potato wedges with mine. The simplest dinner ever, will definitely make again. Thank you. I had to google measurements and two jars of salsa are needed and cilantro is coriander.
BN23
I made this and added fresh diced onion before cooking. I also used boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into larger chucks. When it was done I added fresh diced tomato and served it on white rice with black beans on the side. It was very good!!! This is something I will definitely make again.
Mercy
Awesome recipe! Thank you! It was a complete hit at my house. Definitely a do over. My kids gave it a thumbs up!
M. Rogers
Time to break out my slow cooker!!!! Yum, can't wait to taste it.
jaxxs
I came across this similar recipe while on weight watchers. The only thing you do extra is right before you serve the chicken you add one small container of nonfat sour cream. The Jalapeno's are not added in the recipe I have…… but it is great the next day shredded up to make burrito's.
Joan
Making this today, but did not use taco seasoning mix, added a little cumin and chili powder insteady. Can't wait for it to be ready!
Bonni
Hi, just checking out your blog from a post I saw on Fbl. I read that you like your slow cooker so I thought I would recommend this product the lidpocket.com
It is a must for your slow cooker!!
Candace
Thanks so much Daisy! I forgot to mention that these are going to be tacos. I also forgot about doubling the sauce so I am off to get another jar of salsa!
daisy
a chicken breast per person sounds appropriate. you would probably want to double the sauce in that case. I made it with 4 and had a good amount of sauce for everyone. If you don't have as many chicken breat peices you can always shred the chicken & try putting it in tacos too.