Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Bowl with homemade Salsa Verde

Monday nights are made so much better with this super simple Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Bowl with homemade Salsa Verde. A little prep on Sunday or Monday before work and you’ll be coming home to a winner-winner chicken dinner for sure. Leftovers make the rest of the week a breeze too! Roasted tomatillos, white onions, and garlic with fresh notes of cilantro and lime give these chicken enchilada bowls a bold flavor with half the mess. Read on for more about this salsa verde that makes chicken want to dance with maracas!

 

This blog post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All ideas, creations, and opinions are my own.

Mondays can be a real bummer. Meal planning has always been a rough habit for me to start and stick with. However, Mondays always seem to show up and get into my face to remind me how I should have taken Sunday to plan and prep for the week. With Travis is getting back into the Keto lifestyle I found myself scrambling last night and this morning. Now all of a sudden I’m making four different meals. He has to eat one thing, the big boys eat another, the little boy eats his own, and then I eat whatever I can find. Seriously, four meals a night.

Nah! (said in my best Si voice from Duck Dynasty).

Travis is pretty good about making his own lunches during the week if I get him the right ingredients. He can eat the same thing all week long for lunch at work and be just fine. I like some variety and spice in my day, so I’m a bit pickier. I went to the grocery store yesterday and got him 5 1/2 pounds of chicken breast though, and then threw it all in the Crock Pot today. We had these meatballs last night, so he just took those to work today. 5 1/2 pounds of chicken is way more than enough for him for the week. Since I was playing catch-up on house work today, I deemed it appropriate to dip into his chicken stash for these yummy Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Bowls.

 

Cooking Chicken Breasts in a Crock Pot

Cooking the Crock Pot Chicken is super easy. I take the breasts all thawed, and place them in the Crock Pot with 1 Tablespoon of salt, 1 Tablespoon of garlic powder, and 1/4-1/2 Tablespoon of fine pepper. I don’t even toss or turn them. Just sprinkle the seasoning in there, cover the top, turn it on low and let it go. I am always a bit surprised at how much liquid comes out of those chicken breasts after the 4 hours, but it always makes the most moist, fall apart chicken. Tip: If you go to shred your chicken in the Crock Pot and it does not break apart easily, it’s not done. Two forks should be able to easily separate the meat. 

 

What is Salsa Verde?

• There are multiple kinds of Salsa Verde. We tend to link Salsa Verde to certain cultures just by habit or experience. However, Salsa Verde is typically a salsa (mixture of freshly chopped ingredients) that is green and liquid based. Salsa Verde comes in a variety of forms and cultures. For example, while this Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada has a Mexican inspired Salsa Verde, Pesto and Chimichurri is also considered a Salsa Verde. One large similarity between the styles is Salsa Verde has a liquid base of some kind like olive oil or vinegar, and includes the puree or chopping of fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro. It is also known for being a cold sauce or marinade, and being green in color – hence the verde (Spanish for green).

What is a Tomatillo?

• Making a Salsa Verde like the one in this recipe, requires the use of tomatillos. While tomatillos may look like unripened tomatoes, they are not. Tomatillos actually are not tomatoes at all. They come from a completely separate plant and have a husk similar to corn on the outside. When you peel off the paper-like husk they are sticky and are best to be washed before use. Green tomatoes and tomatillos are not to be substituted for one another. While a green tomato is just an unripened tomato and often hard, a tomatillo is green when ripe, squishy to the touch, and tart in taste.

 

My Favorite Tools for the Job

 Crock Pots make life so much easier, especially ones like this. I love how you can actually program the time instead of worrying about shutting off the switch. It seems silly but I have actually turned the crock pot to hot instead of warm before and lost a whole meal. Don’t be me. Get the next step up like this one.

Or if you are also like me and tend to forget, until what seems to be the last minute, that you do in fact have to feed the gremlins you live with… you make prefer an Instant Pot. These things are great! Don’t want to leave the house and leave a Crock Pot on all day? Take all of 30 minutes and get those chicken breasts cooked and shredded to moist perfection in a fraction of the time.  These puppies can do anything! Check this one out – look at all the settings! You can even make yogurt!

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Bowl with homemade Salsa Verde Recipe

This is going to be a party in your mouth! Think cinco de Mayo or any night of the week you want to spice up a bit. This homemade Salsa Verde is roasted in the oven at 400 degrees F, and leaves your home smelling tan bueno – so good! Make a batch of this Salsa Verde and save the leftovers in a mason jar. Keep in the fridge for about a week – if you can resist that long, and add it to other meals or lunches during the week.

I would love if after you try this recipe, because I know you will, go ahead and rate the recipe with 5 stars! Leave me any comments or questions below and I’ll be happy to answer them. And for more tips on feeding your tiny army, join my Facebook Group for busy Moms.
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