I absolutely love food blogging. But I have to confess, there’s one thing about my pre-recipe-developing days that I really miss sometimes about cooking — not measuring stuff.
Before I started sharing recipes with you, I was totally “that cook” who prided herself on rarely pulling out a measuring cup or spoon. Sure, I usually had to do so for baking. But for cooking? I loved tossing in a “glug” of this here, a “pinch” of that there, a “handful” of that here, and a “sprinkle” of that there….you know, “eyeing it”. It’s definitely my favorite way to cook. And arguably, it’s the way that people have cooked for most of history and still continue to cook today in most countries around the world.
But hey, there’s also something to be said for a good, specific, predictable, tried-and-true recipe. So today I thought I’d share one that began as a dump-everything-in-a-crock-pot-and-see-what-happens, and actually turned out so good that I went back afterwards to measure everything in order to share it with you. It’s basically a seriously delicious and easy Mexican shredded chicken recipe made with two of my favorite ingredients — salsa verde and beer.
I actually made this one for a cooking class I taught a few months ago at my church. I wrote about it on here once before, but basically it was a serious taco-a-thon complete with 3 homemade salsas and 3 homemade fillings.
The salsas included my favorite restaurant-style salsa, tomatillo salsa verde, and 5-ingredient mango salsa. And the fillings included a spontaneous sweet potato and black bean saute and my crispy slow cooker carnitas. And….this chicken.
We only had a little over an hour to cook together, so I prepped the carnitas and chicken in the slow cooker. But I hadn’t planned out how to season the chicken, so I did some experimenting. (Nothing like trying out a recipe on 20 people for the first time.) ;)
Thankfully, it came out even better than I expected! Here are the steps:
Begin with a bunch of chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I’d like to try boneless dark meat next time for extra flavor.
Pour in a bunch of salsa verde, either homemade or store bought. (And if you like spicy food, I would also recommend adding in a jalapeno or two here with the stem removed.)
Then add in a bottle of beer. I had our local wheat beer on hand, but Modelo Negro or a Corona might be a little more apropos for this recipe.
And then add the step that I didn’t photograph — cumin! You definitely want cumin to help round out the flavor profile and bring in a little of that earthy, peppery goodness.
Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low heat. Then once the chicken shreds easily with a fork, shred it all up and give it a good toss with those juices that remain.
And then serve it up however sounds good. I loved this one with just your simple street taco toppings — chopped fresh cilantro and white onion on corn tortillas (which are gluten-free!) . Of course, it’s also all the better when topped with “a few” slices of fresh avocado, a “heaping spoonful” of extra salsa, and a “sprinkle” of some crumbly cheese. Or whatever sounds lovely.
Really, this shredded chicken will taste good with just about anything. So get creative, and give it a try. :)
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1 bottle beer*
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- salt and black pepper
- (optional: 1 jalapeno, stem removed and diced, leaving the seeds in for extra heat if desired)
Instructions
- Add chicken to the slow cooker. Top with salsa verde and beer, and sprinkle with cumin and season with a few generous pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Use a pair of tons or a spoon to turn the chicken so that both sides are coated. Cover. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat, or 7-8 hours on low heat.
- The chicken is ready when easily shreds with a fork. Shred the chicken in the slow cooker, and toss with the juices. Then remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and serve warm. Or, store the shredded chicken in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- *If you want to make this gluten-free, you can either use gluten-free beer. Or replace the beer with chicken broth.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!Here are some of the other recipes we cooked that night:
I tried this yesterday. It was great! It’s a tasty, gently-flavored chicken… the toppings add the sparkle. I salted the chicken the night before (chef tip I picked up somewhere). I halved the recipe for my little Cuisinart, used 50% dark meat, still used 1 TBSP cumin (which might have been too much, haven’t decided). Two hours on low was plenty for it to be fully cooked, at least with the amount I had. We used the same toppings as the pic, white onion, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime. Served it with lime-cilantro Mexican rice and the mango salsa. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed it, and it was great to have the afternoon free to do other things while the main dish was cooking!
That’s awesome, Laura, thanks for sharing! We’re glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed this!
I made this last night for my mom and my step-dad. IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. I never post comments but I had to on this one! I used this chicken recipe to make tostadas. I layered sour cream, then refried pinto beans, then the delicious mouth watering chicken, topped it off with cilantro, onion, and avocado. IT WAS AMAZING! I highly suggest giving this recipe a try.
Thanks, Teigan, we’re so glad to hear that! : D
This is now one my fave things to cook, so simple and so nice even the next day, truly one to keep in mind ☺
We’re so glad to hear that! : )
Hi! Thank you so much for this recipe! It was amazing…. And easy to do! One of my favorite recipes now. My fiancé and I both loved this one. We used a Corona and even though I don’t like that beer, it went with this recipe perfectly. Thank you so much again!
Hey Zachery! You’re so welcome, I’m glad you guys like it! : )
I can’t wait to make this recipe this week! Quick question- can you estimate (in weight) about how much chicken I need? I buy from our local butcher, and those chicken breasts are normally GIGANTIC compared to what I’d find at the regular grocery store!
this was ok, but not as flavorful as I expected. Next time I would increase the salsa, sub chicken broth instead of the beer, add more cumin and maybe some cayenne and other spices.
Thanks for your tips Megan, I hope you’ll give it another try with your suggestions! : )
Thank you for not only giving us this simple and delicious recipe, but also some links for go withs and meal inspirations!
MB
Thank you MaryBeth!
So delicious and easy! Thanks for sharing!
This looks easy & delicious & I cant wait to try it!
MB
Tried this tonight for dinner. The shredded chicken was very good. But no one liked it with the corn tortillas. So, I quickly cooked up some rice and we had it over rice. Much better. Be sure to save the sauce it was cooked in and spoon the sauce over the chicken and rice mixture once plated. Served with green beans.