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!
We LOVE this! I make it all the time, and I use frozen chicken (because I never think far enough in advance to thaw it first!) I add onions and green peppers too and then in the last hour I add black beans and corn! When it's finished, I put the chicken in my kitchen aide mixer with the paddle and it shreds up soooo easily! This is totally a hit with my gang!!! Thanks for the GREAT recipe!!
Last night I prepare Slow cooker cilantro lime chicken. Its so delicious.
Really delicious, thank you!
Really delicious, thank you!
Thanks for the recipe. My family loved it!
Made this and my family loved it and smells sooo good while its cooking thanks
Can I do 3 hours on high instead of 6 on low?
This recipe was AMAZING! I used the chicken to make a salad! 🙂
Just finished making this… came out amazing!
I made this today- and it is super delicious!
I don't know if I was being blonde and missed something (I am a learner in the slow cooker department) but there wasn't enough salsa to efficiently cover the chicken so I added a tin of chopped tomatoes (all I had) and a cup of water and it turned out great. My man suggested adding a tin of mixed beans which topped the whole thing off. Thank you for sharing! I'll be making this again 🙂
I tried this recipe last night and it was amazing! It had so much flavor and the chicken was so tender. I will definitely be making this again!
Loved this! I shredded the chicken and made soft tacos. Will make this again soon!
Hi Pam! If you don't have taco seasoning, you could make your own: S&P, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, parsley, cumin and any other seasoning you think might be a great addition!
Megan
I'm making this for the first time and I'm really excited to see how well I like it. Instead of salsa in a jar I threw Mexican style Rotel tomatoes and Hunts Fire roasted tomatoes (that's my homemade salsa, along with a generous serving of cilantro!) into my food processor and pureed it a bit. It covers the chicken wonderfully. I can't wait to see how the hubby and the boys like it Wish me luck! 🙂
if i don't have taco seasoning what can i substitute?
I use Alton Brown’s Taco Potion #19–aka homemade taco seasoning. I use half the recipe for 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/taco-potion-19-recipe.html
I made this with a pork Boston Butt. Came out great. Put it all in at bedtime, and cooked it on low overnight. We had some for dinner, and shredded the rest and froze it in portions for easy dinners later. Yum!
I just tried this and it was delicious – SO easy.
This is one of our favorites! I add a can of Rotel & buy the fresh salsa or pico from the grocery store that has cilantro in it already & we make nachos, tacos or salad! So easy my husband can even make it!
Found this on Pinterest, and it has become a staple in my household. I double the cilantro and lime juice, shred the chicken and serve it taco style in tortillas. Everyone eats it differently, smothered in the sauce, cheese, tortilla chips or all three! To make it more of a meal I also serve it with rice and sautéed squash and zucchini. Fantastic recipe! I find that the chicken is "fall-apart-tender" after as little as 4 hours. No knives needed!
Usually it's a bad idea to throw frozen raw meat in the crockpot due to the bacteria issue. I mean, I'm sure we've all done it and lived, but the risk of food poisoning makes me wary.