No more dry chicken! Slow cooker southwest chicken bowls are the nourishing comfort meal you need this fall. Full of protein, fibre and goodness for your body!
If there's a meal that screams cozy, it's these southwest chicken bowls. As soon as there's a slightly chill in the air, you'll see me drag my slow cooker out of retirement to make this recipe.
Slow cooker meals are seriously the best because they're low maintenance (dump and cook!) and always turn out super delicious. Your chicken comes out tender and infused with rich flavour, since it's been slow cooking for hours. It's the secret for any flavorful meal and can be used for chilis, lentil soups and curries.
These southwest chicken bowls are warming, hearty and nourishing for your body and soul. Family friendly staple for this fall and winter season!
Why This Recipe is Dietitian Approved
- Freezer and batch prep friendly. I love this recipe because you can easily make a huge batch for meal prep. These southwest chicken bowls reheat beautiful and freeze well too.
- Protein and fibre. I guarantee you'll be full and satisfied in the best way after this meal, thanks to the powerhouse combo of 10g of fibre and 27g of protein!
- Low effort. Slow cooker meals are perfect for beginners or anyone working during the day. Essentially, we're just adding all our ingredients to the slow cooker so it can do the work for us in the background.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Chicken broth
- Quinoa
- Lime juice
- Black beans
- Corn kernels
- Yellow onion
- Bell peppers
- Zucchini
- Taco seasoning
- Kale
- Cheddar cheese
For topping:
- Cheese
- Avocado
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Green onion
- Crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
Spray the inside of your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts at the bottom of the ceramic insert.
To the ceramic insert, add diced tomatoes, salsa, chicken broth, quinoa, lime juice, black beans, corn, onion, bell peppers, zucchini and taco seasoning. Ensure the chicken is completely submerged in the liquid.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours. The chicken is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken breasts reaches 165 F.
Remove the chicken breasts and use two forks to gently pull apart the chicken, shredding them.
Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, add kale and cheese and stir. Allow to simmer (stirring frequently) for about 3 minutes until the kale has wilted. Turn the slow cooker off.
To serve, top with additional shredded cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips and sliced green onions.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
To make dairy-free: Use a dairy-free cheese.
To make vegan: I have not tested this option, but you can try leaving out the chicken and replacing the chicken broth with veggie broth.
To make nut-free: This recipe is naturally nut-free.
Missing an ingredient? Try this:
- Taco seasoning: Make your own taco seasoning with 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Black beans: Swap for kidney beans, navy beans or another bean of choice
- Kale: Swap for spinach
- Quinoa: Swap for rice
- Corn: Fresh, canned or frozen corn will all work
- Diced tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes or freshly diced tomatoes will also work
To adjust for your flavor preferences:
- Add chili powder to make it spicier
- Add paprika for a slightly smokier taste
- Add cumin for depth of flavour
- Add brown sugar to make it sweeter and balance out acidity
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Storage
Southwest chicken bowls can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze, place the leftovers in an airtight container or portion them in ziploc bags or Souper cubes and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When defrosting, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to cook, place in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth or water if necessary.
Top Tip
Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, the cook time may vary slightly. I recommend monitoring the chicken after 3 hours to avoid it overcooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can! If you would like, simply add the liquid, chicken, seasoning, and veggies into a freezer bag and freeze until ready to be used. Defrost in the fridge overnight and in the morning add everything to your slow cooker along with the uncooked quinoa.
I personally like the low sodium option from Old el Paso because budget friendly and convenient.
Yes! I recommend:
- Cooking the chicken in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes.
- Cooking quinoa following package instructions on the stove.
- Once chicken and quinoa are done, add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
You should be able to however please note I have not tested this option! Please let me know if you do try!
For best results I recommend defrosting chicken prior to cooking.
More Cozy Recipes
Warm up with my favourite cozy recipes!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make southwest chicken bowls, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 cups diced tomatoes 1 14 oz can
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 + ¾ cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 398 ml can black beans
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced bell peppers about 1 medium bell pepper
- 1 cup diced zucchini about 1 medium zucchini
- 1 package of low sodium taco seasoning or see note below
- 2 cups kale
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
For topping:
- Shredded cheese
- Diced avocado
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Green onion
- Crushed tortilla chips
Instructions
- Spray the inside of your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts at the bottom of the ceramic insert.
- To the ceramic insert, add diced tomatoes, salsa, chicken broth, quinoa, lime juice, black beans, corn, onion, bell peppers, zucchini and taco seasoning. Ensure the chicken is completely submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours. The chicken is fully cooked when a thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken breasts reaches 165 F.
- Remove the chicken breasts and use two forks to gently pull apart the chicken, shredding them. Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker, add kale and cheese and stir. Allow to simmer (stirring frequently) for about 3 minutes until the kale has wilted. Turn the slow cooker off.
- To serve, top with additional shredded cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips and sliced green onions.
Michelle Carley
Hi there! This recipe looks yummy, but before I make it, I was wondering if the corn should be fresh or canned? Thanks!
Nicole Addison
Hi Michelle! Great question- both actually work great in this recipe! If you use frozen you don’t have to defrost it ahead of time you can just add it directly into the pot.
Nicole
Peejay
Making it right now. Kinda scared of cooking Quinoa in a slowcooker, never done it before but it doesn't really work with rice or pasta. But we'll we will see 🙂 also swapped kale for frozen spinach, that is defrosting right now
Peejay
Reporting back. Quinoa turned out fine!
I knew the recipe is gonna be good, but it turned out absolutely delicious 🙂 such a cozy autumn meal, which takes almost no effort.
Will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe!
BTW I cooked it on low for 4.5h and it was more than enough. I do have one of those smaller crock pots and I think they do run a bit hotter. I also used chicken tendies and those cook a bit faster as well