Dump Meals

Chicken Freezer bag

Salsa Chicken

dumpmeals.com/recipes/salsa-chicken/

Chicken thighs, salsa, beans and corn in one pot. Shred and serve in tortillas, over rice or on its own.

Serves
6
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
Low 5 to 7 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours
Slow cooker
5-quart

Salsa chicken is about as short as a recipe gets: chicken, a jar of salsa, a can of beans and a can of corn. The salsa is the cooking liquid, so the jar you pick sets the heat. Choose mild if you are unsure. Thighs stay moist through a long cook, which is why they are used here.

When the chicken is done, shred it right in the pot so it soaks up the juices. Stir in the sour cream just before serving to cool the heat and thicken the sauce. Serve it in warm flour tortillas, over rice, or on a bed of shredded lettuce with a spoonful of extra salsa on top. Leftovers make good quesadillas the next day.

Salsa chicken is also easy to stretch. Add a second can of beans for a heartier filling, or spoon it over baked potatoes. The recipe does not need salt, since the salsa and taco seasoning carry plenty.

Ingredients

Into the slow cooker

  • 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 (16-ounce) jar salsa
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning mix
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped

Near the end

  • ½ cup sour cream

To serve

  • flour tortillas, for serving
  • shredded lettuce, for serving

Directions

  1. If your meat is frozen, thaw it completely in the refrigerator first. Never put frozen meat in the slow cooker.
  2. Put the onion in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Lay the chicken on top.
  3. Stir the salsa, beans, corn and taco seasoning together in a bowl, then pour over the chicken.
  4. Put the lid on. Cook on low 5 to 7 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. Keep the lid on while it cooks.
  5. Check the chicken with a food thermometer. It should read at least 165°F in the thickest piece.
  6. Shred the chicken in the pot with two forks. Stir in the sour cream and let it warm through for 5 minutes.
  7. Serve in warm tortillas with shredded lettuce.

It's done when the chicken reads at least 165°F in the thickest piece with a food thermometer, and it shreds easily with two forks.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through (165°F), not in the slow cooker. Slow cooker safety

Make it a freezer dump bag

Put the chicken, salsa, beans, corn, taco seasoning and chopped onion in one 2-gallon freezer bag. Leave the sour cream, tortillas and lettuce out. Press out the air, seal, label and freeze flat.

Bag: 2-gallon freezer bag. Keeps: 3 months for best quality; safe indefinitely at 0°F in the freezer.

Salsa Chicken

Frozen on:

Thaw in the refrigerator 36 to 48 hours, until no ice is left in the middle. Never cook it from frozen, and cook it within 2 days of thawing. Dump into a 5-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 5 to 7 hours. Check with a food thermometer that the chicken reads 165°F in the thickest piece. Shred the chicken and stir in 1/2 cup sour cream.

Best within 3 months of the date above.

Plan several bags at once with one shopping list and printable labels.

The planner prints this label free. A designed set for all 17 freezer recipes, plus blanks, is in the Freezer Bag Labels pack ($7).

This recipe is one of the ten in The Freezer Session ($12): ten dump bags, one shopping trip, one afternoon.

Cooking for two

Use 1 lb chicken thighs, half the salsa jar, half of each can and half the taco seasoning packet. Use a 2- or 3-quart slow cooker, whichever the food fills at least halfway. Start checking at 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high. Use 1/4 cup sour cream.

More in Cooking for two in a slow cooker.

Tips

  • Mild salsa gives a mild dish; hot salsa gives a hot one. Taste your salsa first.
  • If the sauce looks thin after shredding, leave the lid off for the last 20 minutes on high.
  • Use a thermometer rather than judging by color. Juices running clear do not prove chicken is done.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in the slow cooker.

Food-safety sources

More chicken

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  • Chicken Tortilla Soup Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours Freezer bag Chicken breasts, beans, corn and tomatoes with green chiles in a cumin-spiced broth. Top with crisp tortilla strips.
  • White Chicken Chili Low 3 to 5 hours, or high 1½ to 2½ hours Freezer bag Chicken and white beans simmered with green chiles and cumin, then finished with cream cheese for a creamy broth.
  • Teriyaki Chicken Low 4 to 6 hours, or high 2 to 3 hours Freezer bag Chicken thighs and carrots in a ginger and garlic teriyaki sauce, thickened at the end. Serve over rice.