Meal Prep Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls (Easiest Ever)

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!

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!

INGREDIENTS 

• 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!

HOW TO MAKE SALSA VERDE CHICKEN BOWLS

1. For 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.
2. For 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 in a single layer. Air fry for 15-17 minutes, tossing half way through, to ensure they cook evenly.
3. Assemble: Add 1/2 cup cooked rice to one side of your meal prep container, add 1/2 cup slow cooker chicken (139g) to the other side and add 1 cup cooked peppers (44g) 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!

HOW TO STORE

Store leftover ingredients separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

TOPPINGS 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!

FAQ: SALSA VERDE CHICKEN BOWLS

MORE MEAL PREP RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• MEAL PREP HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN AND CAULIFLOWER
• CHEESEBURGER SALAD WITH SKINNY SPECIAL SAUCE
• MEAL PREP SLOPPY JOE BOWLS
• MEAL PREP JERK CHICKEN BOWLS WITH PINEAPPLE BLACK BEAN SALSA

WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you try these Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls and love them, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!