This slow cooker tomato lime chicken recipe is so incredibly easy and a family favorite. Some links in this post are affiliate link that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
Every once in awhile, I go through a stage where I want to empty my fridge. I just want to use up the last bits of this and that that I’ve been saving.
I hate when food goes bad, and I would definitely prefer to reinvent the items to create something else yummy. So you can imagine my dilemma when I searched my fridge the other day and discovered some previously juiced lemon and orange that I had no use for.
It was a day when I was going to be running all day until dinner, which meant I couldn’t simply marinate some chicken – my go to solution – and grill it. Instead, I decided to keep thinking and see what I could do with my crock pot instead.
And thus, tomato lime chicken came into being thanks to an overly-stocked pantry.
The big win is that it was really tasty. Everyone in the family ate it, and my husband requested that it stay in the rotation.
All that from some leftovers that I dumped into a pot? That’s my kind of dinner some days!
Enjoy this over rice or as a filling for your next Taco Tuesday. It’s so versatile, and it’s allergy friendly, which makes it great for potlucks and parties.
Even better? I used frozen chicken breasts for this. This is such a “dump meal” that it works when I forget to defrost my chicken. You can always use fresh chicken, but I love the frozen option!
How to Make Slow Cooker Tomato Lime Chicken
Juice your limes. Add the fajita seasoning, chicken stock, and orange juice to the lime juice and stir to ensure it’s combined. Chop your cilantro.
Chiffonade your cilantro. It’s the fastest and easiest way to cut herbs. Roll them like a tube, then chop down the tube once.
Add the chicken to the crock pot, and pour the liquid atop it. Add the cilantro and then the salsa, being sure to cover the chicken.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Use tongs to shred your chicken.
It will be so tender that it simply falls apart, so no need to remove it from the pot.
Add more stock to make this a soup and serve with tortilla strips or make into a “taco” by placing the meat onto a tortilla and topping with sour cream.
Or go my favorite route and serve it over rice. You can make a whole taco bowl out of it if you choose, but I like the simplicity of rice and just this chicken.
Tomato Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 8 ounces salsa
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Juice your limes. Add the fajita seasoning, chicken stock, and orange juice to the lime juice and stir to ensure it's combined. Chop your cilantro.2 limes, 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning, 1/3 cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Add the chicken to the crockpot, and pour the liquid atop it. Add the cilantro and then the salsa, being sure to cover the chicken.1 1/2 pounds chicken, 1/2 cup cilantro, 8 ounces salsa
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Use tongs to shred your chicken. It will be so tender that it simply falls apart, so no need to remove it from the pot.
- Add more stock to make this soup and serve with tortilla strips or make into a "taco" by placing the meat onto a tortilla and topping with sour cream.
Video
Notes
- I use frozen chicken for this recipe but you can always use fresh chicken instead.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
What’s your go to pantry dinner?
More of my favorite simple dinner recipes:
- Slow cooker pulled pork
- Crock pot Thai pork
- Slow cooker Italian pot roast
- Slow cooker Thai chicken chili
- Crock pot Mexican beef
- Slow cooker lemon pepper chicken
- Slow cooker enchilada chicken
- Crock pot tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons
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Printing this out to try on the family Taco Tuesday rotation, too! So many yummy ideas 🙂
[…] slow cooker tomato lime chicken came into being in a moment of desperation years ago when I had food about to go bad that I needed […]
[…] quick and easy favorite is my tomato lime chicken. This is a great crockpot recipe where all ingredients get tossed into the slow cooker in the […]
This is another great recipe of yours that I have printed out.