Made with salsa verde, diced green chilis, and a bit of cream cheese, this slow cooker green chili chicken cooks down into a creamy, shreddable protein in 3-hours with just 5-ingredients. A versatile meal prep recipe that turns into tacos, enchiladas, burrito bowls, and more throughout the week!

An overhead shot of shredded chicken topped with cilantro and green chilis in a black slow cooker.

5 star review

“Robyn, this is delicious! I turned it into fried tacos. Perfect with just onions and cilantro! …and a little hot sauce if you like. Thank you!”

– John
See All Reviews »

My Favorite Easy Green Chili Chicken

This easy slow cooker green chili chicken is hands-down one of the most useful meal prep proteins I make! Five-ingredients virtually no prep, and the chicken turns into tacos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, and lunch salads all week long. My signature trick: cook the chicken in only a small amount of salsa verde upfront, drain the cooking liquid, then stir in the rest of the salsa, cream cheese, and diced green chilis after shredding. That fresh-sauce-at-the-end move is the entire reason this recipe does NOT taste like a slow cooker recipe.

Also, trust me on the cream cheese. Stirred in at the end, it transforms the salsa verde into a creamy, restaurant-quality sauce that actually clings to the chicken in the best possible way. Full-fat is silkiest, but reduced-fat works in a pinch. Use chicken thighs for a juicier shredded result or breasts for a leaner protein; I keep both in the freezer and use whatever I grab!

Pile this chicken onto warmed tortillas with cilantro and lime, layer it into my green chili chicken enchiladas for the easiest weeknight dinner all week, scoop it onto my hands-off cilantro lime rice with a drizzle of my cilantro lime sauce, or eat it straight out of the slow cooker (no judgment, I’ve done it!). The chicken keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes well for 3 months, which makes the double batch one of the smartest things you can do on a Sunday!

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Shredded Green Chili Chicken

Jump to Recipe Instructions
An overhead shot of a variety of containers holding the following ingredients: raw chicken breasts, salt, green chilis, salsa verde, and cream cheese.
Gather ingredients.
An overhead shot of 4 raw chicken breasts topped with green chili sauce in a crock pot.
Add the chicken, salt, and part of the salsa. Cover and cook.
An overhead shot of two hands holding forks shredding a chicken breast on a wooden cutting board.
Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Set aside.
An overhead shot of a slow cooker with green chilis, salsa verde, and cream cheese.
Drain the cooking liquid, add the remaining salsa, cream cheese, and green chilis.
An overhead shot of shredded chicken in a black slow cooker.
Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Serve as is…
An angled shot of 3 chicken tacos on a wooden cutting board. The cutting board is surrounded by a bunch of cilantro, lime wedges, a striped kitchen towel, and a container with diced onions.
or in tacos with your favorite toppings!

Testing Tips for Crockpot Green Chile Chicken

  • Choose your salsa verde based on heat preference. Mild salsa verde delivers all the bright tomatillo flavor with no kick, which is the right call for kid-friendly weeknights or for making ahead to share with friends, while medium and hot bring noticeable spice.
  • To make this dairy free, swap the cream cheese for an equal amount of dairy-free cream cheese (Kite Hill is my favorite).
  • A squeeze of fresh lime at the very end is what makes this great instead of just good. I add the juice of half a lime when stirring in the cream cheese and salsa, then taste and adjust. The acid brightens the salsa verde and pulls the green chili flavor forward, which makes a real difference even though it sounds like a small step!
An overhead shot of 3 chicken tacos on a wooden cutting board. The cutting board is surrounded by a bunch of cilantro, lime wedges, a striped kitchen towel, a container with diced onions, and a glass of water.

Follow my step-by-step video:

An overhead shot of shredded chicken topped with cilantro and green chilis in a black slow cooker.
4.94 stars (16 ratings)

Slow Cooker Green Chili Chicken (5-Ingredients)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 8 servings
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours
Easy slow cooker green chili chicken made with 5 ingredients: chicken, salsa verde, cream cheese, and green chilis. A high protein crockpot recipe!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 (12-oz) jar salsa verde (tomatillo salsa), divided, plus more for serving
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

To Add at the End

  • ⅓ cup cream cheese, softened
  • 2 (4-oz) cans diced green chilis

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Add the chicken, 3-oz salsa (about ¼ of the jar), and salt to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to coat the chicken evenly in the salsa.
  • Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 5-6, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.
  • Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board, then shred with two forks or dice into 1-inch cubes.
  • Drain the cooking liquid from the slow cooker. Turn to low and add the remaining 9-oz salsa (the remaining ¾ of the jar), cream cheese, and green chilis, whisking until smooth.
  • Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.
  • Serve as is, or tucked into warmed tortillas and served with toppings of your choice.

Notes

  • Serving suggestions: warm tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, small diced onion.
  • Use this chicken to make my 4-ingredient green chili chicken enchiladas next!
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 162kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 308mg, Potassium: 433mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 162IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

Share + Save this Recipe