Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with Sweet Potato Rice
on Jan 21, 2016, Updated May 14, 2024
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I think I have a love affair with sweet potatoes. I could eat them any which way you can make them. Fries – obviously. Mashed – love it. Cubed and roasted – to die for. But rice?! Could it be possible? Let me tell you friends, anything is possible in the kitchen if you aren’t afraid to dirty a few dishes. I love making cauliflower rice which I make with the shredder attachment on my food processor. So I thought HMMM… what else can I turn into rice? And you seem smart so I am guessing you know what I did next. My sweet potatoes met their match with my food processor and they came out the other side, changed for the better. The thing about whole30 is that your options of what you can eat are so limited so you really have to get creative with vegetables. And yes although this doesn’t taste like rice by any means, it is super fun to mix up the way get your veg on. Adding a little bit of kale for texture and lime & cilantro for the Chipotle style flavor made this “rice” taste incredible. And then I realized I hadn’t shared how we make the best salsa chicken ever!! Can you guess the two ingredients? If you couldn’t I would be a little worried about you, but they are chicken and salsa! Just put the two things in a slow cooker and let that chicken get nice and tender so it shreds with ease. I love making a big batch of salsa chicken on the weekend and putting it on everything. I actually used these leftovers on top of spaghetti squash yesterday for lunch and it was amazing. Okay time to cut to the chase…
The Chunky Salsa from Trader Joe’s is a classic but any salsa works.
But if you are on whole30 check those labels!!
Why are things so much better smashed together in a bowl?
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with Sweet Potato Rice
Ingredients
- 3 chicken thighs or breasts, boneless & skinless
- 1 jar salsa, check labels!
- 2 peeled sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt, pepper, garlic powder
- 1 cup chopped kale
Instructions
Salsa Chicken:
- Place 3 chicken breasts or thighs in a slow cooker with 1 cup of salsa. Cook for 3-4 hours on low. (My crockpot cooks things quickly so yours may require more or less time! Take a peak at 3 but if you are doubling or tripling it could be up to 5 hours) Once chicken is cooked, shred it in the slow cooker and mix with all of the juices then let sit on keep warm for at least 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sweet Potato Rice:
- Shred your sweet potatoes either in a food processor with the shredder attachment or on a regular grater. In a large saute pan add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or ghee over medium high heat. Add sweet potato rice and cook covered for about 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and add cilantro & kale then cover for 1 minute so the kale can wilt slightly. Add in 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and some pepper. Then add lime juice and season to your liking!
- To make your bowl add sweet potato rice and top with salsa chicken. Garnish with more salsa and guacamole!
how many servings does this recipe have?
About 4 servings! My husband and I had enough for dinner and lunch the next day!
I can’t wait to try this, it looks so good. I’ve never done Whole 30 but after reading the books I’ve been eating tons of roasted veggies and I’ve fallen in love with sweet potatoes. I could eat them baked, slathered with ghee and cinnamon at every meal.