• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Archive
  • Easy Dinners
  • Party Food
  • Desserts
  • Food Hacks and Semi-Homemade

FoodLove.com

Easy Dinners | Party Food | Desserts

December 24, 2015 Chicken

Crock-Pot Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken

There is a certain Mexican restaurant that’s very popular in our hometown, and maybe in yours. Its also very popular in my house, and maybe in yours. Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salads? Creamy Tomatillo Dressing? Chile Roasted Beef Burritos? Ring a bell? Maybe you know what I’m talking about…

This recipe started out as a Copy-Cat Café Rio Chicken recipe, but in my kitchen it’s become so much more. This Cilantro Lime Chicken is a staple in my house, and I use it in many different ways.

In its most basic form, this recipe is something you’ve probably seen before: chicken breasts, salad dressing, and salsa cooked in a Crock-Pot then shredded. It’s so simple you don’t even really need a recipe. What sets this one apart is using a homemade marinade instead of pre-mixed store bought salad dressing. It takes only a few extra minutes, and it makes such a difference! One thing you won’t find in this recipe that you will find in most Copy-Cat Café Rio Chicken recipes is ranch dressing mix. I personally don’t really care for ranch dressing, and the marinade is so flavorful I don’t think it’s really necessary.


One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it produces such a large amount of chicken. It’s way too much for my family to eat in one sitting, so I always reserve at least half in the freezer and we still usually have leftovers. Then when the clock strikes 5 on yet another night that I’ve forgotten to plan something for dinner, I can just grab a bag of chicken out of the freezer and I’m ready to make simple tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, salads, and Mexican haystacks.

cilantrolimechicken2

Crock-Pot Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken
2015-12-23 20:43:42
Serves 10
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
8 hr 20 min
Cook Time
8 hr
Prep Time
8 hr 20 min
Cook Time
8 hr
283 calories
2 g
116 g
10 g
43 g
2 g
179 g
193 g
1 g
0 g
8 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
179g
Servings
10
Amount Per Serving
Calories 283
Calories from Fat 93
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10g
16%
Saturated Fat 2g
11%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 116mg
39%
Sodium 193mg
8%
Total Carbohydrates 2g
1%
Dietary Fiber 1g
3%
Sugars 1g
Protein 43g
Vitamin A
7%
Vitamin C
5%
Calcium
3%
Iron
10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. About 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I usually use frozen)
  2. ½ cup water
  3. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  4. 4 tablespoon olive oil
  5. ½ cup salsa
  6. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  7. 1 tablespoon chili powder
  8. 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
  9. 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  10. 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
  1. Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker.
  2. In a bowl combine water, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salsa, and Italian seasoning. Pour marinade over chicken. Sprinkle chicken breasts with chili powder and then with garlic.
  3. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
  4. When cooking in complete, gently move the chicken breasts from the slow cooker to a large bowl. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and discard the rest. Pour the liquid over the chicken, then shred with two forks.
  5. Add the chopped cilantro and lime juice and continue to shred until combined.
  6. To freeze chicken, let it cool to room temperature then distribute meal sized portions of chicken into Ziploc bags and freeze for future use.
Notes
  1. Total Cost: $9.45 Cost Per Serving: $.94
Adapted from Life in The Lofthouse
beta
calories
283
fat
10g
protein
43g
carbs
2g
more
Adapted from Life in The Lofthouse
FoodLove.com http://foodlove.com/
Crock-Pot Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken

Recommended for You

Easy Green Posole Everybody likes a dish they can customize, and that might be one of the reasons Mexican posole is trending in California and other part...
Crock-Pot Sweet Chili Chicken Drumsticks Everyone loves a great Crock-Pot or slow cooker recipe, and if it's cheap and easy, that's even better! I've made these Crock-Pot sweet chili chicken ...
Crock-Pot Honey Balsamic Chicken and Carrots This summer has been absolutely crazy at our house, with one daughter moving to another state, another daughter getting married, and a major renovatio...
Instant Pot Red Posole I've had my Instant Pot DUO for almost two years now, and I've slowly gone from not quite knowing what to do with it to using it just about every day....

Categories: Chicken Tags: chicken, crock-pot, mexican, slow cooker, weeknight dinners

« Crock-Pot Tomato Soup
Budget Ropa Vieja for the Slow Cooker »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nat says

    April 4, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    What salsa do you use? Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Allison McGee says

      April 10, 2017 at 7:52 pm

      Honestly, I just buy whatever salsa in a jar that is on sale at the grocery store that week!

      Reply
  2. Kellie Thompson says

    February 10, 2018 at 9:17 am

    Do you put the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot or do you let thaw first? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Marsha Maxwell says

      February 10, 2018 at 11:19 am

      Hi Kellie, I usually let them thaw, because frozen chicken breasts tend to give off a lot of water. You don’t have to, though. If it’s too watery, you can cook it on high with the lid off for a little while.

      Reply
  3. Julia says

    February 15, 2018 at 5:21 pm

    Tried it out this evening, sorry to say I found it rather bland. It looked so good on paper.

    Reply
    • Marsha Maxwell says

      February 16, 2018 at 10:12 am

      So sorry it didn’t work out for you, Julia!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Meet Marsha and Allison

We're Marsha Maxwell and Allison McGee, the mother-daughter blogging team behind Foodlove.com. Read More…

Popular

  • Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Lime Sauce: a quick and easy vegetarian meal, loaded with flavor. Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Lime Sauce
  • No-Fail Buttercream Frosting: thick and fluffy frosting that works perfectly every time! No-Fail Buttercream Frosting
  • These really are the best ever Mexican black beans. Served as a side, on tacos or salads, or in burritos or enchiladas, they're delicious, quick, and easy! Best Ever Mexican Black Beans
  • This quick and easy Spanish Rice is a perfect side dish for any Mexican or Spanish dinner. Made with only 5 (or 6) ingredients, it's simple and delicious. 5-Ingredient Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice or Arroz Rojo)
  • Crock-Pot Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken

Categories

  • Beans
  • Beef
  • Breads
  • Breakfast/Brunch
  • Chicken
  • Condiments, Sauces and Spreads
  • Crock Pot / Slow Cooker
  • Desserts
  • Drinks
  • Easy Dinners
  • Food Hacks and Semi-Homemade
  • Freezer Meals
  • Fruit
  • Italian
  • Mexican
  • Money Saving and Shopping Tips
  • Party Food
  • Pasta
  • Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot
  • Recipes
  • Rice
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches and Burgers
  • Seafood
  • Snacks
  • Soups
  • Stews
  • Turkey
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegetable side dishes
  • Vegetarian

Terms and Policies

By using this site, you agree to our standard Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
test ad
logo
Food Advertising by

Copyright© 2018 · Cookd Pro Theme by Shay Bocks