Thank you Flatout Flatbread for sponsoring this Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken post. All opinions are my own.
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken (Tacos) – the tangy sweet and spicy flavor of this chicken is out of this world – pile it in seasoned Taco Shells, and you have some serious can’t-stop-eating-deliciousness that couldn’t be any easier!
SALSA VERDE CHICKEN RECIPE VIDEO
I have a love obsession with salsa verde. From my 3 Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken to my creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas smothered in a luscious, white sauce infuses with sour cream, green chiles and salsa verde to my Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. These enchiladas are unlike many of the recipes out there by the same name that use heavy cream. Instead, my recipe combines extra honey and lime with extra salsa verde for an explosion of flavor that equals my husband’s favorite enchiladas. Ever.
As I started thinking about those enchiladas, I started obsessing about them. I needed that fiesta of flavors – in my mouth. But we’ve been having a heat wave around here and when its extra hot, I love my slow cooker just as much as I love my grill. So in went chicken, salsa verde, honey, lime, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, etc….
And out came Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken without even breaking a sweat (at least from cooking). And barely raising a finger.
After you shred your chicken, it will seem like there is a ton of juice/liquid let, but let the shredded chicken soak in the salsa verde honey lime bath for 20-30 minutes more and you will be amazed at how much deliciousness it drinks up. And even more amazed when the chicken enters your mouth.
Now as much as you will want to devour this Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken plain, it is perfect to stuff in burritos, chimichangas and enchiladas and pile on nachos, tostadas and salads – but my favorite way to devour Honey Lime Chicken is in Tacos with pico de gallo, and a side of Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Style Rice!
But these aren’t just any tacos, these are mini taco shells made of guilt free Flatout Foldit Ancient Grains Flatbread that get brushed with the seasoned juices from your slow cooker then hung on the oven rungs and baked to golden crispy taco perfection (see video of technique HERE, and start dreaming of the seasoned taco shell possibilities! BBQ Sauce, Pesto, Buffalo Sauce, etc.). The shells are hearty, crispy on the outside while still tender on the inside, perfect to cocoon Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken piled high with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream. And perfect to eat 5 in one sitting. At least.
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken. For the most delicious, easy “dump and run” meal. For your tangy, sweet and spicy chicken cravings. For your otherworldly delicious taco cravings. For you. With love.
Looking for more crockpot shredded chicken recipes?
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
- Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Fajita Chicken
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Chicken
- Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
Want to try these Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken (Tacos)?
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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
If you love everything Tacos, be sure to check out some of my favorites such as Turkey Tacos, Tacos Al Pastor, Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos, Chili Lime Chicken Tacos, Baja Fish Tacos, Blackened Fish Tacos, Baked Fiesta Ranch Chicken Tacos, Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos and on and on…
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 240 minutes |
| Servings | -24 mini tacos* |
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup mild salsa verde (I use Herdez in the jar)
- 1/3-1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Hot sauce to taste
- 1-2 packages Flatout FolidIt Flatbread Ancient Grains***
- Monterrey Jack Cheese
- lettuce
- Tomatoes
- cilantro
- Avocadoes
- sour cream
Ingredients Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken
Tacos
| Rate this recipe! |
- Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add all of the remaining Slow Cooker ingredients except for the hot sauce. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (there will be a lot of liquid remaining). Return shredded chicken and let cook on low for an additional 20-30 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices. Drain excess liquid before serving or use tongs to remove shredded chicken. Taste and add more honey for sweeter, lime for more tang, hot sauce for spicier.
- To make Seasoned Flatout FolidIt Flatbread Taco Shells, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut each FoldIt in half and lightly brush with Salsa Verde Honey Lime juices from slow cooker on one side. Hang each cut FoldIt in half over individual oven rungs so they from a taco shell and bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 10-12 minutes or until edges are crisp. Remove and let cool for 1 minute. (See video on how to bake shells).
- Stuff taco shells with chicken and top with desired taco toppings.
*The original recipe stated 1/2 cup honey, so if you have made this recipe previous to 2/22/2017 and thought it was perfect, that is the amount you used. This was too sweet for some, so I have adjusted it to 1/3-1/2. You can start with 1/3 cup and add more to taste if desired.
**This chicken is a little on the spicy side due to the salsa verde but I think its perfect for most people. If you want it very kid friendly, then I would recommend reducing the salsa verde to 1/2 cup, honey to 1/4 cup lime juice to 1/4 cup. Then adjust to taste.
**This recipe makes enough for 2 packages Flatout FoldIt Flatbread (24 mini tacos) but you can just make one package (12 mini tacos) if you prefer.
©Carlsbad Cravings Original
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Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
susan says
Made this, Awesome flavor, used the 1/2 c honey, not too sweet, I could have just put my face in the pot and inhaled! Thank you!
Jen says
LOL! Thanks Susan, that’s the amount I use and love too! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Vivian redken says
To make it low carb, can I switch the honey with maple syrup?
Jen says
Hi Vivian, I would just use less honey as I’m afraid maple syrup would alter the taste.
Laura says
Can this be made ahead of time, refrigerated, then reheated? Or does the texture suffer?
Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Laura, fresh is always better but you can definitely reheat it. For the best texture, I would shred into big chunks and let that sit in the juices overnight then reheat in the juices then shred. I hope that helps!
Meagan says
Is this recipe gluten free?
Jen says
Yes, the chicken recipe is gluten free, enjoy!
Debi says
Another Carlsbad Cravings recipe to be filed under EXCELLENT!
Jen says
yesssssss! Thanks for making my day Debi!
Holly says
This looks and sounds DELICIOUS! For the “hot sauce to taste,” do you use red or green hot sauce? Is there a particular brand you’d recommend?
Jen says
Thanks Holly! I love Bufalo hot sauce for Mexican dishes (with one “L” not to be confused with Franks Buffalo Hot Sauce) It comes with a green cap and looks like this: https://www.hotsauce.com/Bufalo-Mexican-Hot-Sauce-Set-p/hsc-bufalo-mexican-set.htm?gclid=CjwKCAjw0ujYBRBDEiwAn7BKty0r5slLqMjT_Mw4hN4OJvDwqHtEJCHfyHMcZlsNqZaZs9J9P7GSKRoCkQgQAvD_BwE&click=74864 (don’t know why that link is so long!) But any hot sauce will work great!
Nick says
Any suggestions on how to adapt this recipe for an instant pot
Jen says
Sorry I don’t have an instant pot Nick – good luck!
Frank says
I did this in my instant pot for 7 mins. Came out very tasty. I did have to add broth, almost a cup, to get to required liquid amount for my pot. I have the largest pot as well
Jen says
7 minutes is amazing! Thanks for the liquid tip as well Frank!
Al says
Use the instant pot slow cooker mode. Easy to use and turns out great.
Jude says
Made this yesterday for tacos! It was a big hit!! Thanks for all your great recipes!
Jen says
You are so welcome Jude! I’m so happy you’re enjoying them!
Ms. Brooke says
Fantastic!!! We loved it! Will make again. Super easy. Excited to make enchiladas version.
Jen says
Awesome! I’m so happy they were a hit, thank you!
Karen says
You were correct! This recipe is awesome! I used a wee bit more honey (probably closer to half a cup) and the flavor was amazing.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to put the cooked chicken into the fridge and waited two days to serve it to my family. But, I HAD to taste the chicken when I was putting it away and it tasted good, probably a “B” or “B+.” I was expecting great but it was acceptable. However, when I tasted it 2 days later, it was OUTSTANDING!!! The flavors really meld together wonderfully. Hubby is VERY happy! Thank you so much for another terrific recipe, Jen. BTW…I’ve been pouring over your T-Day recipes (50+ plus? I’m getting excited!) and am trying to select your very best (gotta make the family happy!) Hope your list shows YOUR favorites!
Again, thank you for all your outstanding recipes!
Karen
Jen says
Thank you so much Karen! That is awesome it was even better after sitting in the fridge – love that idea for taste and convenience. That is a great idea to add my favorites list to the Thanksgiving recipes – I’ll work on that, although it is going to be HARD :)!
Lise says
This was amazing!
Has anyone frozen the leftover chicken?
Jen says
I’m so happy you loved it! This chicken should freeze great!
Melody says
I made this recipe recently and wow… one of the best crock pot chicken recipes I’ve ever had. It smelled heavenly then when I tasted it, I had to make myself stop spooning the juice. I followed the recipe exactly as listed except I subbed 1/3 cup agave for the honey. The sweetness was level was perfect.
Other reviewers have mentioned how good the leftovers are and I have to concur – I think it was even better after it had refrigerated. Because I have zero time in the evenings with a full-time job and a 2 year old, I put the leftover chicken into tortillas, topped with red enchilada sauce and cheese and baked. Yum! We all loved it.
Your Mexican Chicken is up next. I can’t wait. Thanks again!
Jen says
Hi Melody, thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I’m thrilled this is one of the best crock pot chicken recipes you’ve ever had! I love the idea of making red chicken enchiladas with this chicken – I’m going to have to try that next! I hope you love the Mexican Chicken and find many new recipes to love here!
Katherine says
This recipe is amazing! I actually eat it with brown rice in lieu of the tortilla. It tastes amazing and is pretty healthy. Is there an instant pot version of this or have you tried it in an instant pot before?
Jen says
Thank you so much Katherine and I love it with brown rice too! I don’t have an instant pot version yet, but I am working on some Insta recipes coming soon!
Helen Walker says
This looks so delicious! Can I use chicken thighs?
Jen says
Absolutely!
Riley says
So I got a little too excited about this recipe and added all of the ingredients to my slow cooker including the hot sauce (a few dashes of Tapatio) and I just realized I was supposed to wait… How bad did I mess up? Is it going to be too hot? I guess I’ll find out in 7 hours!
Jen says
Hi Riley, I don’t think it will be hot – I always add the hot sauce – I personalty think it needs it. I just say not to add it to the end for those who don’t like any heat or so people can customize the heat and don’t get mad at me for it being too spicy 🙂 So if you like heat at all, I think you’ll be fine. Please let me know what you think!
Lisa Long says
I made this last night in the Instant Pot. It was amazing! It cooked for 6 minutes, so about half an hour including pressurizing and depressurizing. Then I shredded the chicken and let it sit in the juices for about 25 -30 minutes. It was so good! Even my pickiest eater loved it! Thanks for another amazing recipe, Jen!
Jen says
You are so welcome Lisa! I LOVE how fast it cooks in the InstaPot and great call letting sit in the juices another 30 minutes!
Lisa says
Hi there. I’d love to make this in my instant pot but I’m new to it and haven’t used it. Can you help with how to do it, do I need to modify anything? Is it the pressure cooker setting? Thanks
Stephanie says
Both my 5 year old and 1 year old gobbled these in tacos, no complaints. And for that, you are my hero!
Jen says
Wahoo! Love a dinner the whole family loves! Thanks so much Stephanie!
Maria says
I started making this and realized I misread the ingredients and though you used regular salsa instead of salsa verde. I do not have any salsa verde on hand. Any suggestions on what I could use instead? I have regular salsa?
Jen says
Hi Maria, you can use green enchilada sauce or if you just have regular salsa then I would make this instead: https://carlsbadcravings.com/easy-slow-cooker-shredded-mexican-chicken-recipe/
Nancy Maloy says
This is totally amazing!! Just had this for dinner and used the smaller amount of honey. Very, very good flavor. I could see how you could make this taste a little different each time you make it. Next time going to add some cilantro and a tad more lime juice. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Jen says
You are so welcome Nancy, I’m so happy you loved it so much!