Southwest Chicken Crockpot Recipe
This southwest chicken crockpot recipe is one of my most popular recipes of all time!
Southwest Chicken is a mouthwatering, wholesome meal of seasoned shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and tomatoes. This chicken dinner recipe cooks to perfection in your slow cooker!
Why Are Slow Cookers So Popular?
Slow cookers are one of human’s greatest inventions in my book. No other appliance is quite as low maintenance and no other appliance will cook your dinner for you without any concern at all. Don’t get me wrong, I have an Instant Pot too and I love it. But pressure cookers still make me a little nervous and I never like leaving it alone to cook. Plus, it cooks food so fast that there’s no point in really leaving it anyway unless you are using the slow cooking function, which brings me back full circle to how amazing slow cookers are!
Now I will say that older crockpots are not always trustworthy. But the newer ones are pretty darn safe and I regularly leave the house for hours while it does my cooking for me. My slow cooker is my best friend in the kitchen and I don’t see that ever-changing!
Somehow, over the years, I got it in my head that using a slow cooker was a cold-weather affair. Probably because I usually make slow cooker soups and stews when I’m using it. But after many reader comments, I’ve decided to use my slow cooker this summer. Apparently, many of you use them year-round and avoid that hot stove/oven thing during the hot summer months. This is very wise.
About Southwest Chicken Ingredients
Chicken breasts – You’ll want these to be boneless and skinless. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
Pinto beans – Or you can use 1 ⅓ cup of home-cooked beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them. If you want to use a different bean, a great substitute here is kidney beans.
Black beans – Or you can use 1 ⅓ cup of home-cooked beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes in juice – If you can only find plain diced tomatoes, that’s fine too. That’s how I originally made this recipe. But I have since switched to the fire-roasted diced tomatoes because I like the flavor they impart. Either will work though.
Frozen corn – You can put this in thawed or frozen. While food safety rules will always tell you to never put frozen food in a slow cooker, I have personally found that, because everything else is raw, the corn being frozen doesn’t seem to make any impact at all. The choice is yours. Do what feels right.
Salsa – Opt for salsa with no added sugar and pick one that you enjoy the flavor of. The salsa does a lot to flavor this recipe, so the more you like the salsa, the more you’ll like the finished dish.
How To Make Southwest Chicken
This is a super simple dish to throw together last minute before you leave the house.
Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour the tomatoes and salsa over that.
Layer on the beans.
And lastly, add the corn.
Secure the lid on your slow cooker.
Cook on low for 5-7 hours, or until the chicken easily falls apart when the pot is stirred. I used an electric mixer on the slowest setting to easily and quickly shred the chicken without crushing the beans.
Serving Suggestions
Another way to enjoy this is to drain off a bit of the liquid and use it to fill tacos. It’s a small twist on the usual taco chicken you make in a slow cooker (see below). It’ll keep your taco night interesting without doing much of anything different. Although if you are using corn tortillas, the added corn may be a bit redundant. But I leave that up to you and your tortillas.
If you’re having a get-together, just set the crock on the warm setting (for up to 1 1/2 hours) and let folks help themselves. A big serving spoon will do the trick and everyone can enjoy it as they like it if you serve some small dishes of toppings like avocado or guacamole and sour cream (greek yogurt?) and even a little fresh, chopped cilantro if you like cilantro. (It’s amazing how many people out there think cilantro tastes like soap! Glad that hasn’t been my experience because I love it so much!!!)
I like to serve southwest chicken and beans over brown rice with a selection of yummy toppings. It’s a really versatile dish and the leftovers (if there are any!) are fabulous the next day.
So bust out that slow cooker this summer and enjoy a home-cooked meal without ever heating up your kitchen. It’s the best of both worlds and everyone will be asking for a second helping!
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken – This easy-to-make dish will cook itself, and is wonderful for filling tacos, burritos, or adding to a taco salad!
Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts – Delicious chicken that pairs well with pasta, rice, or just veggies.
2 Ingredients Slow Cooker Taco Chicken – A quick and easy prep that makes plenty of filling for tacos!
Tools For Making This Crock Pot Recipe
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Southwest Chicken Crock Pot Recipe Card + Video
Southwest Chicken Crockpot Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 lb. chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 15 oz. can pinto beans (rinsed and drained, or 1 ⅓ cup home cooked beans)
- 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained, or 1 ⅓ cup home cooked beans)
- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice (low sodium is best)
- 1 lb. frozen and thawed organic corn
- 12 oz. jar of your favorite salsa (no sugar added)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour the tomatoes and salsa over that.
- Layer on the beans.
- And finally, the corn.
- Cover securely with lid.
- Set to low temp. Cook on low for 5-7 hours, or until the chicken easily falls apart when the pot is stirred.
- When done, shred the chicken simply by stirring everything. If that doesn't do an effective job for you, use either forks, or an electric mixer set to it's lowest speed so as not to crush the beans.
- Serve on its own, with corn chips, over rice, or even as a burrito filling.
Notes
Nutrition
This post from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 4/23/12.
I would like to make this recipe but am a novice to home cooked beans. I was planning on soaking them overnight, but then what? Do I need to simmer them an hour before using them in this recipe or can I just toss them in?
Tamrah – They definitely need to be cooked first. If you have a slow cooker (which I assume you do), that is the easiest way to cook them. Just put a cup or two of beans in the slow cooker and cover with water. Cook until soft on high. When they are done, drain them and prepare the recipe as shown.
Is it okay that the corn is frozen? (It’s in there cooking as I type!)
Alycia – It will probably be okay. You generally don’t want to use frozen food in a slow cooker because the food doesn’t get hot enough, fast enough. But if it’s just the corn, you will probably be okay. Just be sure to cook it well.
Can I use fresh salsa
Courtney – You could try it, but I’m not sure how it would hold up in a slow cooker.
I can’t wait to try this! Sounds amazing!
Melody – I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
I read somewhere that there are no canned tomatoes that don’t contain MSG in them. Not even organic ones. So, I’m wondering, instead of diced tomatoes in a can, could I just substitute it with fresh diced tomatoes? If so, would I need to add in any water or anything to make up for the juice that’s in the can?
Nicole – If a can contains MSG, it has to list it in the ingredient list. But if you are nervous about it, yes, you could use fresh tomatoes. I wouldn’t worry too much about extra water though unless you feel it’s too dry somehow. You could add water at any time, so I would cook things first and see how it turns out. My guess is that it will still be okay without the water. Just a guess though…
Hi Tiffany, I made this today and it is delicious! I especially love how easy it is, I didn’t even have to chop anything! I used a mild salsa from my local farmer’s market, but will use medium next time for more of a kick. I served it over quinoa topped with avocado, yumm!
Michelle – Fabulous!! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can I use frozen chick for this or do I need to thaw the chicken out first?
Nicole – I would thaw it first for food safety reasons.
Opps chicken not chick.
This was SO easy and wonderful! I made some brown rice to go with it. What an tasty, healthy dinner! Thank you!
Sharon – My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this tonight and the WHOLE fam loved it! Last night I made your Tex Mex Alfredo chicken pasta and we had the same fantastic results!! I’d say you’re 2-2 in my kitchen!! I’m just trying to get used to eating clean and you’re making it so much better!! Thanks a million!
Lauren – My pleasure! 😀
Making this at this moment. Already I can tell it’s going to taste good. I didn’t put the whole jar of salsas, just half.
Maria – Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
All I can say is WOW- I made this last night. First time using a slow cooker and have only REALLY been cooking since July 1st. I like to say I follow a clean-hybrid diet (that’s what I call it). I eat as clean as possible by cooking my own food and using as many fresh ingredients as possible. No store bought or take-out meals for me! This dish was an absolute delight. I used the Market Fresh Salsa (Hot) from Wal Mart which gave it a GREAT kick and is totally clean (or so it seems to this novice). All in all, a 10! So delicious even my fiance who is not a clean eater, couldn’t refuse it! Thank you so very much for making this process so much easier and for sharing recipes that are so simple and delicious!
Vanessa – My pleasure! So glad you both enjoyed it! 😀
Love this! We’ve have about once a month now!
Brittany – Awesome! 🙂
I made this recipe and really enjoyed it! I added one seeded jalapeno pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. When it was ready I topped it with cilantro and avocado…it was a hit!
Stephanie – Fantastic! 😀
I have been making THIS recipe for about a year now and it is absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!
NC – Wonderful! So glad you enjoy it! 😀
I wasn’t looking for clean eating recipes, I just found this on my Ziplist recipes I get emailed to me, and thought it sounded good. It was delicious!! So easy to make, and easy ingredients. I will be making this on a regular basis from now on. So I guess I’ll be eating a more healthy diet by accident!
Suelin – Nothing wrong with that!! It’s not really about eating more healthy, it’s about eating real food. Which is by default, more healthy. 😉
I have been eating this all week for lunch. Yummo! I shared the recipe on Facebook too!
Meghan – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I plan to make this just for myself and was thinking to half the recipe. How long would i cook it for?
Quick question. I have a delicious taco chili recipe and I am trying to make it clean. The only thing I can’t figure out are the Mexican stewed tomatoes. Any suggestions?
Bekah – I’ve never heard of them. What’s in them?
Gracious Pantry – They are just stewed tomatoes with Mexican seasonings I guess. They come in a can at the store. I am relatively new to clean eating so I don’t know if regular canned stewed tomatoes are clean or not. But the Mexican seasonings typically include jalapeno, onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, things like that. It just adds spice to the dish.
Bekah – If that is truly all that is in there, then it should be fine. The big problem I run into a lot is finding tomato products without citric acid. There is some evidence to suggest that it’s not just vitamin c these days. It’s something very processed that they call citric acid. I’m still researching this. But from what you say there, it sounds good!