Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken is a slow cooker meal that cooks while you're out and is a complete meal ready to serve. Serve chicken breasts topped with cheese and salsa with the corn and bean mixture on the side or shred the chicken and serve all together over a bed of rice or with crushed tortilla chips.
Layer the crockpot. To the bottom of the slow cooker layer the onions, green chilies, diced tomatoes, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin.
1 small onion, diced, 4 ounce can green chilies, 14.5 can diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin
⭐️ Cut chicken in half lengthwise. Slice the chicken in half lengthwise making 4 chicken breasts rather than 2. Place on top of the mixture in the slow cooker.
1.5 pounds chicken breast
Add the corn and beans. Season the chicken breasts with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Add the corn and black beans. Cover.
1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 lime, juiced, 15.25 ounce can corn, drained, 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
Cook. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
⭐️ Serve. Use a flipper to gently remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker without breaking them apart. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (it will melt on its own) and top with salsa and cilantro. Mix the corn and beans mixture in the slow cooker. Serve on the side. Alternatively, you can shred the chicken then stir it into the corn and bean mixture and serve on a bed of rice or sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese, 1/4 cup salsa
Notes
Frozen Chicken: It is recommended to put frozen chicken in the crockpot due to food safety concerns. Defrost the chicken prior to placing in your slow cooker by thawing in the refrigerator overnight or submerging into cold water (changing the cold water every 30 minutes until defrosted).
Variations: Swap the chicken breasts with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenderloins. We recommend 3-4 chicken thighs or 5-6 tenderloins if swapping.
Prevent dry chicken: Chicken breasts are a very lean cut making them important not to overcook. If cooked longer than the recommended time (high for 2-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours), the chicken breasts tend to dry out. Avoid overcooking or opt for replacing with chicken thighs, which can handle longer cooking times.
Leftovers: Crockpot Santa fe chicken leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days to be enjoyed reheated, as a taco, on a salad, as a burrito or easily made into a Santa fe chicken soup by heating with chicken broth then topping with tortilla strips.
CCK Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you're new to eating gluten-free we understand it's overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don't. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten.The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn't require a helper.