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A sweet and spicy Crockpot chicken recipe made with chunky salsa, all-fruit preserves, peppers, herbs, and spices for a simple and delicious weeknight meal.
I am always experimenting with new easy slow cooker recipes. Our weekdays are BUSY and my kids are on the go, so we need healthy meals that don’t require a lot of fuss and preparation. We had this simple Mexican-inspired chicken recipe this week and it turned out so good! The nutrition stats are also great with 26 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and 16 grams of carbs per serving!
How To Make Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chicken
- 6 (4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 16 oz jar of medium or hot chunky salsa (I love the Trader Joe’s Peach Salsa in this recipe, or use your favorite brand)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small Vidalia onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup apricot or peach All-Fruit preserves
- freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
Directions:
No time to thaw? You can use fresh or frozen chicken breasts for this recipe. I’ve included cooking times for both. Don’t worry if you forgot to pull the chicken out of the freezer…the story of my life. I’ve got you!
Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
Top with chopped peppers, onions, and garlic.
Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk until combined.
Pour over chicken.
Cook 3-4 hours on low (until internal chicken temperature reaches 165 degrees F) for fresh chicken breasts or 5-6 hours on low for frozen chicken breasts.
What To Serve With Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chicken
I served it over brown rice, but you could also shred it up for tacos. You can easily make this a low-carb dish and serve it on top of riced cauliflower.
Toppings that I love for this recipe are chopped fresh cilantro, homemade guacamole, sliced fresh jalapeños or pickled jalapeños, and sour cream or Mexican crema. You can also never go wrong with my favorite spicy jalapeño margaritas. 😉
This one will remain a favorite in our dinner rotation. Everyone loved it! This recipe also works great for meal prep!
*This post has been updated on May 11, 2020 from the original post published on Jan 24, 2012.
Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chicken
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 6 (4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 16 oz jar medium (or hot) chunky salsa *I love the Trader Joe's Peach Salsa in this recipe
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small vidalia onion chopped fine
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup apricot or peach All fruit preserves
- 1 green pepper chopped
- fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker
- Top with peppers, onion and garlic
- Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken
- If using fresh chicken breasts (not frozen) cook on low for 3-4 hours or until the internal temp of chicken breast reaches 165 degrees F. If cooking frozen chicken breasts cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Nutrition
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Joanna says
Hi Amee!I just picked up some Apricot preserve on $ale this morning, however, I forgot to pick up some cumin & smallish can of tomato sauce. I actually have a Large(29ozs.) can of tom. sauce, but I wouldn’t want to waste the rest. Could I use a 6oz. can of Tomato paste instead or do you think it would alter it too much? Also, what can I use instead of cumin?…Paprika perhaps?! I have everything else. I hate when I’m at the store & I forget to pick up those little ‘extras’. Thanks, J
Amee says
Hi Joanna 🙂 I think the tomato paste would be ok if you dilute it with water, so that you end up with the texture of the sauce. I love the cumin here, but you can definitely try it with paprika. It will still come out tasty, just a different flavor. I hope you love it!
kristinewright says
Delightful! This recipe is really easy to follow. i made it for my family and they loved it! Thanks for the recipe! … You might as well take a glimpse at www.gourmandia.com and www.everythinglemon for more exciting recipes that you’ll surely admire!
stephanie says
Freakin’ delicious!! Finally a mexican chicken crock pot meal with flavor!! Thank you!! We have only a tiny bit of left-overs tonight. Thanks!
Amee says
Thanks ladies!!! So glad that you loved it! You made my day! 🙂
Anonymous says
I have a diabetic on a “no-fruit” diet, can I leave out the preserves?Tee
Amee says
This recipe will be fine without the fruit, just add 1/4 more salsa. 🙂
Barbara says
I have fresh canned peaches, also salsa, due to my son having ADHD and we do ALOT of home canning. Do you think if I pureed them that they would work?
Amee says
Barbara, I think the fresh canned peaches would be great! I love that you do a lot of your own canning! If you wanted a little more sweetness (to replace the preserves) you can a little bit of honey or sugar, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I hope you enjoy the dish. 🙂
Tara says
Making this right now. I didnt chop the chicken since it didnt say to. Just wanted to make sure this was fine and I am assuming as it cooks it will fall apart? Anyways sounds amazing and cant way to try it!
Amee says
Thank you, Tara! Yes, the chicken cooks whole and you can pull apart when it’s done. It should shred easily with a fork. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Tara says
It was AMAZING!! Thank you so much! 🙂 I definitely will be making this again and spreading the recipes to others:)
Amee says
Yeah! Love it, Tara!! You made my night. Thanks so much!! 🙂
Syndi says
I think this may just be “what’s for dinner tomorrow night!” Sounds like something my men would love.
Amee says
Thanks Syndi! Hope you all love it! 🙂
Anonymous says
Thank you ,Amee for shareing….will definitely try this 🙂
Amee says
Thank you! Love the feedback! 🙂
Anonymous says
This recipe sounds easy & yummy! What I do like best about it is that I can put the frozen chicken in the crockpot. I’m new to our crockpot & learning new recipes all the time. Love it!
Amee says
Thank you! I love easy, too!!! 🙂
Anonymous says
Was a big hit!! Will definitely be making it again. Made it with a pineapple chutney instead!
Anonymous says
Was a big hit!! Will definitely be making it again. Made it with a pineapple chutney instead!
Amee says
Thanks! Glad you loved it!!
Anonymous says
Can I use fresh chicken breasts instead of frozen and cook for a shorter time?
Amee says
Absolutely, fresh chicken breasts would be great! Just cook on low for 3-4 hours or until it shreds easily with a fork. 🙂
Liesbeth says
Just had this for supper as a filling for fajitas. Yum!! It was a huge hit with the whole family. Next time I would use a bit less of the fluid ingredients when using fresh chicken though. Thanks so much for this recipe!
The Better Baker says
Amee – congrats on being featured at Family Fresh Meals!! This looks absolutely mouth watering. YUUUUM!
Amee says
Liesbeth, thanks for the feedback! So glad you loved it!! Marsha, thanks so much, I was so excited to see my feature this morning! 😉
Barbara says
Good Morning! Just getting back to you on the fresh canned peaches in this dish. They worked great! I did not add sugar or honey. My ADHD son is a VERY picky eater and he LOVED this recipe! I will use the homemade canned salsa in it next time though. Again due to the picky eaters I have for children. LOL
Amee says
So glad to hear back from you Barbara. 🙂 I completely understand about the picky eaters! I have two myself. 😉 I am so happy that your son loved it!!
Shelley Alexander says
Amee, I love to make recipes in the crockpot and this one looks easy and tasty. I will be trying it soon. I enjoy recipes that combine sweet and spicy flavors. I just did a kale coconut curry that has raisins which provided the sweet and spicy bite that I enjoy. Thanks for sharing!
KelleryMellery says
The white font on the grey background makes it really difficult to read the comments!
dream a dream, live a life says
Thanks!!! You just solved my dinner dilemma today…I cook something quite similar, and I love your variation of adding ketchup. Cooking it tonight! If it comes out good, I will post it.Minnie(@thelady8home)http://thelady8home.com
Amee Livingston says
thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Anonymous says
I am only cookin for two people would itbe okay if Ihalf this recepie? I ws actuallygingot make this tomorrow, so it wll b ready when i get back from church. The c hickens alreay thawed out, so it should only take 34 hours right??
Amee Livingston says
Yes, you can certainly half this recipe. Yes, if the chicken is thawed it will be ready in 3-4 hours. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Anonymous says
What are your thoughts on freezing the leftovers?
Amee Livingston says
This should freeze well, just put in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Anonymous says
Amee, I am so excited to find your new recipes. I am a beginner cook, but have married a man with Celiac’s disease and a diabetic. These recipes look very natural and perfect for a gluten-free diet. Would it be hard to also list how many carbohydrates are in the meal or a serving of the meal? That would be really helpful too!
Amee Livingston says
I am so glad that you enjoy my blog! I have thought about including the nutritional stats for my recipes, but it is a lot of calculating and I haven’t found the time to get it done. I wish that there was a simple plug-in to do it all for me! Maybe in the future I can implement that feature. Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Alison says
Hi I am a beginner cook and also have some questions. I added 1/4 cup more of tomato sauce instead of salsa. (in place of the fruit because my husband also has type 1 diabetes and celiacs). Is that ok? Also what should I put in place of the garlic? Can I used garlic powder or salt? Also what kind of rice goes well with this meal? Thanks!
Amee Livingston says
Hi Alison! The salsa, preserves and fresh garlic gives this dish great flavor. There are a lot of salsas that you can use that have no sugar in them. Can your husband have fresh fruit? If so, use some chopped fresh apricots or peaches instead of the preserves. If you can’t use fresh garlic, go for a little garlic powder and salt (to taste). I serve this over brown rice. It’s the least refined and tastes delicious. Enjoy!
Maggie says
Amee, this looks great! Do you use 6 SKINLESS AND boneless chicken breast HALVES for this recipe? Many thanks!
Maggie
Amee Livingston says
Hi Maggie! Yes, I use 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves. 🙂
Maggie Greif says
Thanks so much for responding, Amee.
Maggie
Tim says
HI Amee 😉
This looks great, just wanted to know if I doubled it how much longer do you think I should cook it
Patti says
I made this without the tomato sauce (forgot to buy it) and used chicken thighs I had in freezer, it was great! Loved it! Served over rice perfect easy dinner .
Amee Livingston says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Patti!
Jamie says
Would it be okay to use fresh salsa instead of jarred salsa in this recipe? Also, I only have 4 chicken breasts. Would it be too saucey if I follow the directions as is or should I decrease the liquids??
Amee Livingston says
Hi Jamie! It’s great to use fresh salsa and should be fine with 4 breasts. You’ll just have more tasty sauce for the rice. 🙂
Mary says
Hi, I just made this for the first time and love it. Do you know the nutritional information for this dish? Thank you so much.