5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken
5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken is a snap to prep and requires just a handful of ingredients.
“I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. I made it a freezer meal by freezing the chicken, peppers and salt together in a bag, and then adding the salsa when I put it in the slow cooker. It was a fantastic meal!” ~Sheilina

5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken
The perfect recipe for when you’re short on time but still want a delicious, real food dinner, 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken is a snap to prep and requires just a handful of ingredients. It’s one of my favorite easy slow cooker recipes.
Easy, simple, and delicious, you’ll want to add this one to your weekly rotation!
Do you ever lose momentum with your meal plan about halfway through the week?
Like, Monday you’re super motivated and ambitions.
You have a fridge full of food and you feel amazing.
Yes, you think to yourself, I am awesome.
Then, by about mid-week you’re ready to call it and hit the drive through or grab takeout?
Yeah, that happens to me.
All. The. Time.
I figure I have 2-3 motivated cooking days in me, at the most, during the work week.
However, I have recognized this pattern and now plan no-brainer recipes for later in the week.
I’ve also started planning a crockpot recipe mid-week because Andrew works late and it’s just way too tempting to hit up a takeout place on the way home rather than try to cook something after a full workday while trying at the same time to entertain Elle.
So slow cooker it is!
The Slow Cooker I Use
Here’s the slow cooker (affiliate) I use for all my recipes, this size works great for our family and I love how easy it is to use!
On that same note, I keep a few ridiculously simple slow cooker recipes that require minimal prep and few ingredients in my back pocket for when things get really hectic.
This Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken recipe is one of them, and I’ll admit to making this almost weekly.
Because it’s easy and it’s good.
And everyone eats it.
That gives is a giant 5-star rating in my book.
I like to prep this one the night before in the base of the slow cooker, cover, and refrigerate to keep things super simple.
Then in the morning, I just pull it out of the fridge, cover and hit on.
slow cooker fajita salsa chicken recipe notes
The spice and a lot of the flavor cooks out of the salsa during the long cooking time, which is good if you’re feeding a child or person who likes things on the slightly bland side.
My daughter LOVES this chicken, as long as I scrape any trace of vegetable or salsa off before I shred it.
God forbid there is a cooked pepper touching the chicken.
I serve her the chicken plain and shredded, along with a preferred veggie, like raw sliced bell pepper or whatever we have in the crisper, and maybe a tortilla and grated cheese to make tacos if we’re feeling crazy.
But I like mine shredded with all the veggies and fresh salsa and lime juice stirred in, plus a healthy dash of hot sauce.
And diced avocado or guacamole. Obviously. #alwaysavocado.
It’s great in tacos, or bowls, or topped with any kind of taco fixins’ you like.
Like my slow cooker enchilada chicken and crispy crockpot carnitas, this is truly a versatile, workhorse recipe that you can bookmark or pin and then turn to again and again.
Recipe Adaptations & Suggestions
1 | Set aside some of the cooked, shredded chicken for resistant eaters. Serve with a veggie of choice.
2 | Use whatever salsa you like, just be sure to check the ingredient list and try to avoid brands with added sugar or with ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3 | This chicken and veggie mixture is extremely versatile, so serve it however you like. Stuffed into tacos, wrapped in lettuce leaves, over brown rice, or just as it is.
4 | Feel free to pile on the toppings. Think sliced avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, green onions, or hot sauce.

This Recipe is:
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoWhole30

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5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Fajita Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 1-2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1-2 medium bell peppers, red, yellow, orange or green, thinly sliced
- 1 16-oz jar salsa, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
Optional Toppings
Equipment
Instructions
- Add the chicken, onions, peppers, about ⅔ of the salsa, and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6, or until the chicken and vegetables are very tender.
- Uncover and remove the chicken to a cutting board. Shred with two forks or cut into pieces.
- If there is a lot of liquid in the slow cooker you can drain some off or leave it all in, depending on whether you want a drier or saucier consistency.
- Add back the chicken, the remaining salsa, and lime juice, stirring everything together. Taste and add additional salt, lime juice or salsa if you like.
Notes
- This recipe serves 4-6
- Vegetable Side Suggestion: 5-Ingredient Everyday Creamy Slaw
- Set aside some of the cooked, shredded chicken for resistant eaters. Serve with a veggie of choice.
- Use whatever salsa you like, just be sure to check the ingredient list and try to avoid brands with added sugar or with ingredients you can’t pronounce.
- This chicken and veggie mixture is extremely versatile, so serve it however you like. Stuffed into tacos, wrapped in lettuce leaves, over brown rice, or just as it is.
- Feel free to pile on the toppings. Think sliced avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, green onions, or hot sauce.
Nutrition Information:
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Sounds incredible! I recently finished my first Whole30 and a staple recipe (no brainer, in the crockpot don’t have to think about dinner kind!) was: One sweet potato chopped per person topped with chicken breast and no sugar, no crazy ingredient salsa on top. Set it and forget it! I loved topping it with avocado and occasionally for crunch I would nibble on some plantain chips 😉 I can’t wait to try your fajita version!
~Anna
Anna, I love the idea of adding sweet potatoes to the slow cooker along with the chicken for a full meal! I’ll need to work on a recipe like that for the blog–thanks for the idea. I hope you enjoy this version (and I’m with ya on the avocado and plantain chips)!
This is SO good! Eating over a yam for lunch!
Yay, so glad you like it Sibyl! Love the idea of serving over a yam. Fantastic suggestion!
Do you have a good salsa recommendation? I typically use Newmans Own, is there something better?
Ashley, I look for fresh salsa on the refrigerator aisle, and prefer those with just a few fresh ingredients. Newmans Own is a good choice, too, I believe. 🙂
We just ate this as a soup since I added mushrooms and all 16oz of salsa (I didn’t have the recipe handy when I made it – and I love that it’s that easy of a recipe). I couldn’t waste all that liquid, and it was still fantastic as soup. We use a lot of spices, so I added cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder with the salsa. At the end I added more lime juice and fresh cilantro just before serving with cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado. Looking forward to fajitas tomorrow. Thanks for a great versatile recipe!! This is a keeper.
I love that you made the recipe your own, Melissa, and your version sounds amazing! Enjoy the leftovers. 🙂
I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. I made it a freezer meal by freezing the chicken, peppers and salt together in a bag, and then adding the salsa when I put it in the slow cooker. We ate it with corn tortillas my husband fried in lard, and had a salad and red wine to go with it. It was a fantastic meal! I am working my way through most of your recipes right now, they are all delicious! Thank you so much for this blog and the recipes!
Sheilina, wow, love that you turned this one into a freezer meal! Such a helpful tip. And sounds like you made it into a really lovely meal. So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for following along! 🙂
Just put mine chicken peppers onion salsa in crockpot can’t wait for lunch have wheat tortilla wraps ! I thought I saw one pic of pasta in it think that might be good too ! Thank you for recipe looking forward to seeing more 🥰
Jane, yay, so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
How can I make this freezer meal for postpartum? Prep and throw in a bag and put in the crockpot for how long?
Or just cook it all and unthaw??
Thank you ! It was so delicious and made a ton! I added some fresh corn and beans. YUM!
Juliet, so glad you’re enjoying this one! You can definitely cook a big batch and freeze in portions to reheat postpartum (you can reheat directly in the slow cooker)! I haven’t tried prepping the raw ingredients ahead and then freezing, but I think it could work. Just add all the ingredients to a bag, label, and be sure to defrost completely in the fridge prior to cooking. Then just follow the recipe directions. Cheers
Easy, adaptable, and a family favorite.
Amanda, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one – thanks so much for leaving a review!
Delicious! Any meal my 3 year old eats is a win in my book! We will definitely make again.
Thank you!
Yay, love it when that happens! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This looks good! I love the idea of using my crockpot, but have been hesitant, because of our work hours. I wondered if the cooking could be done in an instant pot? Just curious….
I haven’t tested this one in an Instant Pot yet. Sometimes tomato sauce can set off the burn sensor in Instant Pot models, but in some it’s fine, so if you give it a try let us know how it turns out!
Thank you!
You’re so welcome!
Can you make this with an instant pot? And if so, what temperature and time? My slow cooker is broken currently lol
Hi Hope, I haven’t tested this one in an Instant Pot, but I imagine it will work. I’d try 10 minutes on high pressure, then 10 minutes of natural release, then quick release if necessary. If you try it let us know how it turns out!