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These Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls are THE definition of easy meal prep! The Salsa Verde Chicken cooks in the Crockpot (making it so juicy!) while we quickly char the grilled vegetables in the air fryer. So hands off, macro-friendly and makes the perfect lunch. Easily swap the rice out and serve chicken and peppers in a tortilla or alongside tortilla chips instead!
About This Recipe
If you love Mexican food, these Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls are for you! We’re having chicken and rice so to speak. But we’re building these bowls with shredded chicken, and adding a little fajita twist with some charred bell peppers.
The chicken cooks in the Crockpot with green salsa verde, honey and liquid smoke – bringing about the most flavorful, fresh and juicy chicken!
While the chicken cooks, we’ll air fry the peppers and onions. And then I used microwaveable rice to make these slow cooker salsa verde chicken bowls come together even quicker. But you can cook some rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker while the chicken cooks. Or switch the rice out for a tortilla to build a quesadilla. Or keep the rice and stuff the tortilla like a burrito!
You can eat fajita style, build enchilada or tacos with it. Eat with tortilla chips or on top of a salad. Seriously, super customizable! And super macro-friendly too. They’re actually pretty low in fat, so I would recommend serving with some fat, like avocado, guacamole, cheese or sour cream.
And the best part? You can prep all of these ingredients in ADVANCE and throw them together in just 5-minutes. Perfect easy meal for lunch or dinner when you’re just ready to eat something!
Why You’ll Love These Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls
- EASY MEAL PREP – seriously the easiest tastiest meal prep you ever did do.
- Hands off recipe – chicken cooks in Crockpot, vegetables cook in air fryer. All you do it marinate, toss, go!
- Macro-friendly – A low fat, low calorie, protein-packed, macro-balanced meal.
- Super customizable – Can eat as a bowl, burrito, taco salad, quesadilla, fajita-style – the list goes on!
- SO flavorful! Made with fresh ingredients and so so good. These bowls always hit the spot!
- Chicken – this recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts but chicken thighs also work!
- Jar of salsa verde – I used Herdez in the Jar.
- Honey – Gives the chicken some slight sweetness!
- Liquid smoke – Really elevates the flavor of this chicken tremendously! I used Stubb’s. Liquid smoke can be found in a small bottle next to the BBQ sauce at the grocery store.
- Bell peppers – I used one green bell pepper and one yellow bell pepper. I like the contrast in color but any color bell peppers work.
- Onion – I used a red onion but you could use a white, yellow or sweet onion too.
- Olive oil – We’ll be using olive oil to air fry the peppers and onions. You could also use avocado oil or any oil of choice here.
- Seasonings – Grab some salt black pepper, cinnamon and garlic powder!
- Cilantro – Not only does cilantro bring freshness to this salsa verde chicken, but it also helps bring all the other delicious flavors out more!
- Rice – I used two packs of microwave rice to make these bowls come together quickly but any rice or grain works!
- Optional for serving – avocado, guacamole cups, cotija cheese, queso fresco, sour cream or greek yogurt, salsa, tortilla chips. So many yummy things to serve with!
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
Equipment Needed
How To Make
Store leftover ingredients separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Topping Ideas For Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls
- Guacamole – the little guacamole cups add the best creaminess to these bowls and are perfect for meal prep!
- Avocado – dice some avocado if you’re at home and got one on hand.
- Queso or Cotija cheese – two delicious cheese toppings for these bowls but any cheese would be yummy!
- Black beans – for the some added fiber and little more protein.
- Pico de Gallo – red salsa, green onions, or fresh cilantro – for an extra burst of fresh flavor!
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt – for a dollop of cool creaminess!
- Crushed tortilla chips – for an added crunch!
- More veggies – no need to stop with the peppers and onions. Feel free to load this bowl up with lettuce, corn, tomatoes, and more!
- Dressing – since when was adding dressing on top of something a bad idea!? Ranch or my Cilantro Lime Sauce would make a great addition!
- Hot sauce – for some extra spice!
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Yes, chicken thighs work great too!
Can I prep these salsa verde bowls in advance?
Absolutely! These bowls come together in a few different parts. So you can always cook your chicken in the Crockpot the morning of or day before. You can chop the peppers and onions and have them marinating before air frying them, which only takes 15 minutes. Then I used microwaveable rice to complete the bowls and that only took a few seconds (just warmed them slightly since I wasn’t eating the bowls now). You can do each of these in parts according to what fits your day!
How are these salsa verde chicken bowls best served?
These bowls make a great macro-balanced meal! Top with avocado, guacamole (the cups work great), cotija cheese, queso, salsa, sour cream (or Greek yogurt).
Best meal prep containers for meal prepping?
We only use glass now and those are what I would recommend! We have these 2 & 3 compartment containers along with this 20-piece round set which works great to store 4 meal prep meals in, plus have the others for proteins, sides and sauce
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Meal Prep Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls (Easiest Ever)
Ingredients
Salsa Verde Chicken:
- 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 3/4 cup salsa verde (186g) I use Herdez in the jar
- 2 Tbsp honey (42g)
- 1 Tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp each: salt garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
Peppers & Onions:
- 2 medium bell peppers (315g) I used green & yellow
- 1 medium red onion (175g)
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil (22g)
- 1 tsp each: salt & garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For serving:
- 2 cups cooked rice I used 2 packs Ben’s Original
- Avocado optional for serving
- Queso cheese or other cheese, optional, for serving
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Instructions
Cook the Chicken:
- Add all the ingredients except the cilantro to the Crock Pot and toss around to evenly coat the chicken.
- Top with lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
- Shred with two forks, toss around in juices then stir in 1/4 cup fresh cilantro.
Cook the Peppers and Onions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Add the pepper and onion slices to a large bowl and add the oil, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Toss until well combined.
- Spray the air fryer basket and place the peppers and onions inside. Air fry for 15-17 minutes, tossing half way through, to ensure they cook evenly.
Assemble:
- Add cooked rice to one side of your meal prep container, add salsa verde chicken to the other side and add cooked peppers and onions to the middle. Sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. When ready to serve, top with diced avocado and queso cheese, if desired, and enjoy!
Each Bowl:
- 1/2 cup salsa verde chicken (139g)1 cup cooked peppers & onions (44g) 1/2 cup cooked rice (67g)
Notes
- LFF Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
- LFF Air Fryer Peppers and Onions
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
