CrockPot Salsa Chicken Recipe

Salsa Chicken in the Crockpot -- this is an easy clean-out-the-pantry dinner!
Day 177.

I got an email last week from Beckie, who suggested that I make her salsa chicken recipe. I'm so glad that I did! This is a super easy, super delicious meal, that is very low in fat, and filling. We had it over some rice, and scooped up the extra sauce with corn tortillas.

The Ingredients.

--6 to 9 chicken thighs (approx 2 1/2 pounds), or equivalent body parts
--1 can rinsed black beans

--1 cup chunky salsa
--1 cup frozen white corn

The Directions.


Put your chicken in the crockpot; mine was still frozen. Top with the rinsed black beans, salsa, and corn.


Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. Cooking time will vary depending on whether or not your chicken is frozen, and how big the pieces are.


If you decide to use breasts, increase your salsa by 1/2 cup. Breasts are drier than thighs.


The Verdict.

This was a really yummy dish, and I liked how low in fat it was. If you don't have enough meat in the house, or would like to stretch the dish, you can add a 1/2 block of cream cheese, a cup of sour cream, or a can of cream-of-something soup to the ingredients. I really liked it like this, though---but I know that I've made something similar in the past with a creamyish sauce.


Thank you, Beckie! 


This was a great meal for my family, and I'm enjoying the leftovers as nacho topping.


want even more Clean out the Pantry Meals? Here you go!!

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at June 25, 2008

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What they say about this article

  1. This is one of our favorite dishes at home as well! We shred the chicken and serve it between two corn tortillas with melted cheese on top...a modified enchilada!

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  2. Anonymous6/25/2008

    Hi! I love your blog! I just made this a couple of weeks ago and it's so good! Like John, I shredded the chicken - I think it would be great for tacos, or on a salad. I wrapped the meat in flour tortillas, sprayed them with Pam, and cooked them up in the oven for a healthier chicken chimi (my hubby's fave mexican food). I'm going to try John's modified enchilada too. Thanks for all the great ideas!

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  3. I have thighs and legs at home, does it matter if they are bone-in or boneless? Sounds like a great day for it at our house.
    THANK YOU SO MUCH for all these great ideas, my summer is turning out to being quite busy, I'm loving all these ideas, (and my crockpot stays on the counter now instead of the dark recesses of the cupboard!)

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  4. John, and anon, yum!!! I'm going to do that with the leftovers for lunch.

    Mary Lu, yup, bone-in will work just fine. The thighs I had in the house have bones.

    -steph

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  5. Anonymous6/25/2008

    This is one of our favorites as well! We usually just top the chicken with salsa and then serve over Mexican rice with cheese and sour cream. So delicious, and ridiculously easy!

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  6. Anonymous6/25/2008

    I do mine like this but veggie style and instead of chicken I just use kidney beans and simmer all the ingredients before putting them over rice or in taco shells.

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  7. When I saw this it reminded me of how I often make enchiladas. I simply put chicken (beef, pork) into crock with salsa of choice.

    At dinner time I wrap meat and usually some cheese in tortillas, cover with enchilada sauce and cheese and bake. My family really likes this meal. I am going to try using this recipe as the filling with pinto beans instead of black beans.

    I am really enjoying this blog - thank you so much.

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  8. Dearest crockpot lady. I have a confession, I am obsessed with your blog. You are truly amazing. I finally tried one of your recipes on Monday. The brocolli cheese soup was seriously yummy. I am making the "cheeseburger" chicken today. My house smells really good right now. Thank you for all of your hard work. Keep it up.

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  9. kixie, that sounds wonderful!

    roxy, what a great idea. I need to make more vegetarian recipes--I tried to get veg broth today for a soup, and there WASN'T any in the whole store. Isn't that weird? gotta go back to Trader Joe's...

    oh dee, that sounds amazing.

    reality junkie, lol! that's is so funny. I am thrilled that you like my recipes. I'm having a lot of fun with this project.

    xox
    steph

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  10. Anonymous6/25/2008

    We just made this dish today. It was SO great!

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  11. oooh, yum! I definitely need to try this one!

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  12. This looks great and easy. I'll have to try it one night. I bet you could make a crockpot mexican soup using the same ingreds with some chicken broth and maybe some sour cream to top it off.

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  13. I have been lurking on your site for a month or so now, and you have totally won me over -- we just bought a slow cooker on the weekend and I think this will be the first recipe we try!

    I do have a question for you, though -- the instructions for our slow cooker said not to use frozen meat, but many of your recipes seem to -- can I ignore the instructions and forge ahead anyway?!

    Many thanks!

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  14. Hi cath, congratulations on your new family member! In Crock-Pot's FAQs, they state that it's okay to use frozen meat, and I always have. You need to do what feels right for you and your family----I think they are worried about bacteria, and that is a valid concern. From what I've read, as long as you cook the meat thoroughly, there isn't much of a risk of the "food danger zone" ---but of course do your own research and do what you feel is right. ;-)

    how's that for not really answering the question...?

    --steph

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  15. I made this dish for lunch today. It was amazing. I made it with wings because I had some in my freezer I needed to get rid of. Don't worry, I took the skin off! We added a little sour cream to take the edge off because I used a pretty spicy salsa. Thanks for the great lunch idea.

    PetuniaBloom.com

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  16. Anonymous6/26/2008

    We made this tonight for dinner, and my husband, who detests meat cooked in the crockpot, LOVED it! I'm totally in love with your website and actually feel like less of a failure as a cook because of it! :)

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  17. Anonymous6/29/2008

    I made this the other day but we only had about 1/2 cup salsa, so I added the juice of one lime. It was really good! I had mine over rice with a little cheese on top :)

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  18. I made this for dinner last night. It was soo yummy! I used chicken breasts since that's what we had and it turned out great. We served it over rice with Mexican cheese on top. I can't wait for leftovers tonight!

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  19. I made his Sunday when we had record breaking heat of 99 on June 30. That is hot for Montana! Anyway it was wonderful. I served it over rice. I had some today for lunch over leftover quinoa pasta. Thank you I love my crockpots too!!! And Creme Brulet is my favorite also, I can't wait to try it. Kathy

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  20. So funny, I just blogged a very similar recipe last week. I turn mine into taco salad. I serve it with 2 crisp corn tortillas and make a sauce out of sour cream, salsa and lime. It's so yummy!

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  21. Anonymous7/09/2008

    This is one of my favorite dishes. And I have always used frozen chicken breasts. I just make sure the temp of the chicken is 160. I make enough for several meals. It is great to freeze for meals later. Great rolled up on tortillas with sour cream and cheese. We almost always shred it for our different meals. My son had the bright idea of using it as a dip for tortilla chips. Warning though. Once you start you can't stop. Thanks for the great web site and all the recipies!!! You have done a great job!!!

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  22. I shredded the chicken and served it open faced on a tortilla with cheese on top. I put it in the oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese and served with more salsa and sour cream on top. It was great!

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  23. Hi again Stephanie!

    I already have crockpot-cooked corn leftover from your other recipe. Do you think it would work to use that corn here? Would you add it in the beginning or when it's all done cooking to briefly heat it up? Thanks!

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  24. Hi ~M! Do you mean corn that you cut from the cob? My best bet would be to toss it in during the last 30 min of cooking time---just so it has heated through. If you aren't home, go ahead and toss it in, but realize that it while it will tate good, it won't have any crunch left.

    xox
    steph

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  25. Anonymous7/25/2008

    Delicious!! Very easy, and my husband and I love the way the chicken is all moist and tender. I'd try this one again, no question.

    --Penelope

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  26. Anonymous8/05/2008

    I just recently found your site and tried this recipe first. OH MY GOSH! SO YUMMY! I used 2 breasts, as it's just my husband and I, and added some cream cheese like you suggested and an extra 1/2 cup of salsa. It was a little dry, but we're definitely going to try it again and add a little more salsa probably. Thank yoU! I look forward to trying the other ones!

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  27. Yum! I just tried this, and it was so good! I shredded the chicken and served it wrapped up in tortillas! Delicious! Thanks!

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  28. I made this dish last night and I only made a few modifications (I am Modification Woman!). I added a can of green chilies that I had laying around and I also increased the salsa to about 2 cups. I used skinless, boneless chicken tenders and shredded them when we were ready to eat. WOW it was delicious! I served it with rice, home-made tortillas and tortilla chips to give everyone options. And of course there was cheese and sour cream on the table. A great meal without all that standing around!

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  29. Anonymous9/07/2008

    I am so glad i made this. I put it on before I left for work. The family really enjoyed this and I had leftovers, which as the other posts say make an awesome taco, enchilada, etc.

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  30. Anonymous9/18/2008

    Loved it! I used fresh salsa from Trader Joe's and added a couple of cubes of the frozen cilantro they have there too. Perfect! The cilantro added a little somethin' somethin'. Try it!



    Also, I wanted to echo my love for this blog. My husband and I love to go mountain biking after work for a couple of hours. This works great! I can work up a sweat and then have dinner made for us when we get home! Nothing worse than cooking when you are hungry and dirty from the trail!

    My new resolution is to use one of your recipes once a week!!

    Never stop blogging. I'll go through withdrawal. :)

    Toria
    Ann Arbor, MI

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  31. This is my all time favorite. I had to check your blog if you have made this recipe and you have! So I will comment..
    I always use chicken breast and also add pinto beans and black beans together and with corn. If I dont have corn, beans and salsa is still delish alone. I change this recipe around alot and it still comes out very tasty. I use low fat cheese and non fat sour cream..over NO RICE because one cup of rice is a whopping four points with the WW program. So I just stick with just chicken and salsa mixture alone and I am in heaven! I LOVE this dish. Its the BEST! :)

    Also this is a very pretty dish!

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  32. I finally made this today. I was skeptical but it was really very good. Ended up deboning the legs and thighs before serving. Delicious as a topping over Mexican rice. Yummmmm!

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  33. Anonymous10/08/2008

    Stephanie, I love your blog, ordered your book, and look forward to seeing what you make each day. Thank you.

    About this meal, last night, I made a variation using pinto beans (I am only black bean person in family), frozen chicken breasts, and salsa (forgot to buy corn). I served it over rice with sour cream, and shredded cheese on the table.

    As a bonus, husband was really late, and it held well in the crockpot.

    This was one of the few meals, we all enjoyed. Daughter even came for seconds. Thanks again.

    Dee (who can never remember her user name and password)

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  34. Yummy yummy! Thanks for such an easy recipe!

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  35. This turned out great for a dinner party I had with a mexican theme. I added a little bit more salt since mine wasn't salty enough. It was delicious! Thanks for keeping this website up! I really appreciate it and love it!

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  36. I made "this" again, but (again) modified it and used Pinto beans instead of black beans and used about a pound of hamburger meat instead of chicken. Totally different meal, but still good. However, if I did this again, I would brown the beef first and rinse it because it was way fattier than it needed to be.

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  37. Anonymous2/03/2009

    Thanks for referring back to this in your "Crockpot Diet" post. I was looking for something easy and healthy to make for dinner last night and this fit the bill perfectly.

    I used chicken tenders because they were on sale and because they cook quicker. 2 hours on high and we had a wonderful meal. This will definitely go into rotation as a classic crockpot standby recipe.

    Next time I might experiment with adding spices or trying different types of salsa. It's still great on its own; I just like to mess with things :)

    Thanks again!

    -Hannah :)

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  38. Hello there! I love your blog! I just found this from a comment someone made on Facebook. This was the first recipe I made...came out so tender and delicious.

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  39. Anonymous3/19/2009

    I made this Monday and hubby and I LOVED it! Kids didnt care for it as they dont like beans or corn, and dont care for chicken much either =) I cut up my boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips, put it in the crockpot w/ 1c salsa, 1 can black beans and a can of corn, then I stirred it all together. Cooked on low for 4 hours and high for 1. Shredded it and served it on warm tortilla shells w/ cheese-YUMMY!!! -hubby said it would taste really good over rice too

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  40. This was super yummy. I made it with frozen chicken breasts and trippled the amount of salsa but kept everything else the same. We also kept the leftovers in the fridge for a few days and then ate it shredded on tortillas. They were even better a few days later after marinating in the salsa for a few days. Thanks so much for your recipes!

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  41. Hello! I love your blog, and this is the first recipe I tried.

    This is really, really good. It's tasty and doesn't require cutting/chopping (I did remove fat from the chicken, but it was optional). There are days when I don't feel like using a knife or cutting board, and this is a perfect recipe for those days.

    I posted a link to this page on my blog. I hope it was OK.

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  42. Kristina5/05/2009

    WOW! I just tried this tonight for our Cinco de Mayo celebration and it was amazing! I started to worry that it wouldn't be flavorful enough since no spices were added but it was very full of flavor. I added sour cream as you suggested and also some fresh jalapeno slices I had on hand for the last couple of hours. I made rice for it and the flavors blended excellently. I added cheese to mine but hubby didn't. Both of us LOVED IT! He said, "You can make this anytime!" :)

    Thanks for sharing this great recipe!

    Kristina

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  43. I made this the other night, and it was delicious! I loved how it only had 4 ingredients. I did use chicken breasts, and it was wonderful. We will definitely be making this again!

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  44. Thank you so much for this blog. My daughter is milk, soy and wheat intollerant and the recipes on this blog have been such a help to us. Crockpot Salsa Chicken is simmering now and I can't wait to dive in.

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  45. love love love this recipe! I made it a few weeks ago & my family has been asking for it ever since so I'm making it for tonight. This time I doubled it so we have leftovers. We're a family with 3 Boys, so as you can imagine this went very quickly the first time around! lol

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  46. Oh, I forgot to add that when I serve this, I plate it up on top of flat corn tostada shells & garnish with shredded cheese, avaocado, sour cream & cilantro. Sooo good!!

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  47. Anonymous11/15/2009

    I have a silly question- I don't ever see anyone using canned corn in crockpot recipes, but we have a ton of canned corn in the house. Is it OK to substitute canned?

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  48. hi Anon,

    not a silly question! Go ahead and use it. For this recipe, drain it first.

    --steph

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  49. This is definitely one of my favorites to make and eat. I shred the chicken and eat it over rice or with cheese and sour cream on tortillas. This is also a healthy dish if you don't add too many things to it!!

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  50. If I could make a suggestion.. This is one of my favorite recipes & I sent my friend to your website for it. She could not find it & so figuring she was just not searching properly, I came to search for it & couldn't find it either! I tried searching for Salsa Chicken & only came up with the Salsa & Black Bean soup recipe & some other ones. It's also not under the chicken category! I panicked for a moment b/c I thought it was gone but was able to find it in an email that I had sent to someone with the link.. whew! So is there any way you could you add it to the chicken category or make it searchable when someone puts in salsa chicken? thanks!!

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  51. Anonymous1/22/2010

    I love your blog and I loved the Salsa Chicken and black Bean Soup; I made that a few days ago so now I'm attempting this recipe...I just threw in what I had which was 2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 can of black beans, 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can of creamed corn, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of cheddar cheese soup & am cooking on high for 5 hours; will serve with rice and/or to fill some whole grain tortillas I have; am hoping it comes out tasting as good as it looks :)

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  52. I also made this last week - was a big hint - used peach mango salsa, corn and black beans. my recipe also added a block of cream cheese (neufatchel cheese in my case) at the end and stir in after it melts. yummm - served with rice, in tortillas and on salads as leftovers. the peach mango salsa was a bit sweet - so might have needed something like lime or spice to cut it.
    Thanks - love this blog
    !!!

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  53. I am enjoying this now, but did need to add some spices--I guess my salsa didn't have enough kick. I added some mexican spices, and it's fabulous. Thanks!

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  54. Made this today--it was so easy! I put it in before my spin class this morning--I love having dinner basically done at 7am and with only 5 min. of work! I used frozen chicken breasts, canned corn, 1 and a half cups of salsa, and kidney beans and ate it with corn tortillas and shredded cheese. Really tasty and healthy meal, I'm looking forward to finishing it off this week! Your site is such a godsend, thank you!!

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  55. I made this the other night for dinner & served it as is with cilantro lime rice & adobo snap peas. YUM! There were 2 breasts left over, so I shredded them into the leftover sauce and ate some for lunch today between two pieces of tuscan bread that was leftover from last nights dinner - it was AMAZING!!! It was like "Mexican Sloppy Joes". Both meals were really good, but I will DEFINITELY be making the sloppy joe version for upcoming parties!!! THANK YOU!

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  56. Anonymous11/29/2010

    This has become a favorite in our house too! We eat it over rice with crushed tortilla chips sprinkled on top! Mmmmmm!

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  57. I've was inspired to purchase a crock pot by several other blogs I read and then I found this project while looking for recipes. This was the first recipe I made to break in my new toy and my boyfriend RAVED about it. I added a can of cream of chicken soup so it was really creamy, and we cut up the chicken the next day and put all of it in tortillas, topped with green chile enchilada sauce, and cheese and I got more praise! This is coming from the guy who usually says, "that was good but maybe we should try ___ next time." Thanks so much for making him (and me) a happy camper... 2 of our favorite meals out of one recipe!

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  58. Anonymous1/03/2011

    I just bought a crockpot and this was actually my 2nd recipe I used. Overall it came out pretty good but I think I burnt the beans ... I'm assuming it's because I cooked the dish too long and not because I needed to add water ??

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  59. Anonymous4/25/2011

    I am so glad I was pointed to your blog. I have made several of your recipes and modified them for my family. Most of them have been a big hit! Thank you! I am making this one tomorrow because we all love salsa chicken. YUM! Thank you again!

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  60. Melinda5/09/2011

    I just found your blog and so far I am loving it. I also shared it with my mom and sister. We have a 2 month old and she doesn't let me have much time for cooking so these recipes are perfect.


    I made this a few nights ago (made the Brown Sugar Chicken tonight). I had to make a few changes based on what I had in the house and wanted to share them with you. I didn't have a can of black beans so I used a black bean and rice mix which actually saved me time making the rice on the side. My husband and I like a local company's pineapple salsa so instead of chicken broth I added pineapple chunks and the juice. It turned out really good. I can't wait to try more.

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  61. I am making this overnight tonight for tomorrow's dinner. I already can't wait to eat it, and I just put the ingredients in the slow cooker! Thanks for a great, customizable recipe!

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  62. Michele8/02/2011

    I have this in the crockpot now and the house smells great! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Planning on serving it over rice with cheese on top. Thanks for the great recipes.

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  63. I made this yesterday and it smelled AMAZING. I used chicken breast and the meat was totally falling apart, it was so tender. I'm not GF so I put it in a low-carb tortilla with a little bit of brown rice and it was like heaven! Awesome recipe. I did put a 1/4 cup of sour cream to make it slightly creamy... even my one year old wanted more!!!

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  64. ack.. this is cooking right now and the house smells so good i don't think i can stay here! i work in education and don't get paid in the summer months so my husband and i have been using recipes to stretch a buck. sale on chicken breasts at our store and a jar of salsa in the pantry, voila! love your site!

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  65. Stephanie! I started my crockpot this morning and won't be home until this evening and used canned hominy..Do you think that will be alright?

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  66. I've made this several times and am tempted to add in some cream cheese to switch it up - do I do that right at the beginning or is it better to add it part way through? Thanks! and love your blog!

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  67. Have you ever used dried beans that were soaked overnight? I'm loving using dried beans but I hate the idea of cooking them separately before putting them in the slow cooker. Just curious if that would work.

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  68. Joyful- I was wondering the same thing about using dry beans. I tried it today, and it came out wonderfully! I used about 2.25 cups of salsa to make sure there was enough liquid for the beans. I cooked everything on high for about 3 hours and then turned to low for another 5 hours (I'm sure they were done way earlier though). I also put the beans on the bottom of the crockpot to make sure they got the most heat.

    Stephanie- Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes! I have enjoyed many of them and spent countless hours browsing through others!

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  69. This was fantastic! I threw in 5 large bone-in chicken thighs, 12 oz of salsa (in lieu of corn), and a drained and rinsed can of kidney beans because I ran out of black beans. It turned out a lot like pulled pork because the chicken fell off the bone and shredded quite easily. Thought I might be disappointed with the kidney beans, but I wasn't. Had a dish straight, then had one over a bed of Arugula, which made the flavors brighter.

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  70. Anonymous11/17/2012

    I recently had surgery and was frantically searching for prepare ahead crock pot meals so that my daughter and I didn't starve during the time following my surgery when I wasn't able to cook. My husband works 2nd shift so isn't around to cook for us in the evening.

    I came across your blog and borrowed a few of your recipes. This salsa chicken was by far our favorite and I think I will be adding it into my rotation of dishes I prepare regularly. I did use breasts as I couldn't find boneless thighs and didn't want to deal with bones. I also think that next time I make it I am going to shred the chicken and roll the mixture up in a tortilla with some cheese and sour cream for a nice burrito. The only complaint I had was that I used mild salsa as I'm not one for spicy things, but it cooked down so much that it was actually a little bland. Next time I'm going for the hot stuff!

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