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Home Method Slow Cooker Slow Cooker Chicken
5
/5
4 hours 10 minutes

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Thighs

Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard9 Comments
Posted: 9/22/16 Updated: 8/28/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These Southwestern crockpot chicken thighs cook over sweet potatoes and are topped with a 4-ingredient spiced tomato sauce. Add some bell peppers on top for the last hour of cooking and you'll have your entire meal ready!

If you are looking for more hands-off yet tasty dinner ideas, these Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs and Sticky Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are both great options, as is this southwestern chicken thigh recipe!

Scooping out crockpot Chicken Thigh from slow cooker

A complete meal with protein, veggies, and carbs that all cook right in the slow cooker is my favorite kind of meal!

These southwestern chicken thighs could be served over rice, cauliflower rice or in a tortilla, or just straight up! With tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, sweet potatoes and chicken thighs, it simmers until the sweet potatoes are soft and the chicken thighs are fall-apart tender.

Reasons you will ♡ these crockpot chicken thighs

  • they simmer in the slow cooker with tomatoes, cumin and chili powder until fall-apart tender and delicious
  • you can serve it as is for a complete meal with protein, carbohydrate and vegetable
  • you can add in extra veggies (bell peppers, red onions and corn) during the last hour of cooking

Putting Southwestern crockpot Chicken ingredients in crockpot

Ingredients we'll need

  • Sweet potato- roughly 6 cups; 1 large sweet potato. You can leave the skin on or peel it first.
  • Boneless skinless chicken thighs- roughly 3 pounds. This makes a big batch! See below for details on cutting it in half.
  • Diced tomatoes- we noticed in testing that the flavored diced tomatoes added significant flavor. While I haven't tested with Rotel, I bet this would be even better! Aylmer Accents were great.
  • Spices- cumin, chili powder, and salt- note that this is the chili powder blend and not pure powdered chilis
  • Optional- 1 can corn kernels, bell peppers, and red onions added during the last 1-2 hours of cooking
  • Mozzarella- added just before serving to get nice and melty. Swap for your favorite cheese or cheese blend.

spooning diced tomatoes over chicken thighs in a slow cooker

Sweet potatoes go on the bottom

To ensure that the hardy sweet potatoes cook through and that the chicken thighs do not overcook, we place the sweet potatoes on the of the slow cooker and the chicken on top. This way the sweet potatoes are in contact with the heat source (which is in the bottom of the slow cooker), and the chicken is positioned away from it.

Use seasoned diced tomatoes

When testing this recipe, we noticed that the seasoned diced tomatoes (ie: Aylmer Accents) significantly improved the flavor. I suspect that Rotel would be a delicious addition to this recipe, however, it may also make it too spicy for kids. Another option could be to swap the diced tomatoes for chunky salsa.

A note about liquids

Due to the high vegetable content of this recipe, there will be liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker. This did not bother us; we simply scooped the ingredients out, draining the liquid off, and enjoyed. You could serve it over rice or tortillas to soak up the extra liquid.

Another alternative could be to drain off the juice from the diced tomatoes before adding.

spatula lifting crockpot chicken thigh out of the slow cooker with gooey cheese

Optional add-ins

If you want to add more vegetables to these southwestern crockpot chicken thighs, you can add a can of corn kernels (drained), sliced bell peppers, and sliced red onion. These ingredients add more nutritional value to the recipe and make it a full meal with carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables.

Some other ideas that you could add in:

  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can green chiles
  • diced zucchini
  • roasted poblanos, jalapenos or red peppers (diced)
  • tomatillo salsa (swap for diced tomatoes)

Southwestern crockpot Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potatoes on blue plate

Meal Prep + Storage Tips

This recipe could work in multiple ways for meal prep:

freezer crockpot

A freezer crockpot meal is assembled (but not cooked), then frozen. To make a freezer pack, add the sweet potatoes to the bottom of the bag and place the diced tomatoes on top. Add all remaining ingredients to the bag, squeeze the air out, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Find more freezer crockpot meals here.

leftovers

Leftovers may be portioned out into meal prep containers and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Heat until steaming hot in the microwave or in a frying pan, and serve. Do not reheat more than once.

Find my favorite meal prep containers here.

More slow cooker dinner recipes

  • Crock Pot Pulled Pork
  • Smoky Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
  • 7 No Sautee Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
  • Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Crockpot White Chicken Chili
  • Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

hand scooping spoonful of mexican chicken thighs out of the slow cooker

Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Thighs (and Sweet Potatoes)

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 4 hrs
Total Time: 4 hrs 10 mins
Print Rate
These Southwestern crockpot chicken thighs cook over sweet potatoes and are topped with a 4-ingredient spiced tomato sauce.  Add some bell peppers on top for the last hour of cooking and you'll have your entire meal ready!
6 -8

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato large- cut into large chunks (roughly 6 cups)
  • 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs roughly 12
  • 19 oz can of diced tomatoes liquids strained
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Optional (not pictured) One Hour Before Serving

  • 1 can corn drained
  • 2 bell peppers sliced into strips
  • ½ red onion sliced into strips

Min Before Serving

  • 1 cup mozarella cheese shredded

To Serve:

  • rice or tortillas
  • greek yogurt
  • guacamole or avocados

Instructions 

  • Place sweet potato chunks in the bottom of a 5- or 6- quart slow cooker. Arrange chicken thighs on top.
  • Stir together the diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder and salt. Spread over the chicken.
  • Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
  • Optional During the last hour of cooking, scatter the corn, bell peppers, and red onion over the chicken.
  • 15 Min Before Serving Scatter the cheese over the chicken/veggies, cover and heat until cheese is melted through.
  • Serve Over rice, in tortillas or as is.

Tips:

Recipe can be halved and cooked in a 2.5 qt crockpot with the same cook time
 
Storage
Leftovers can be portioned out into meal prep containers and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a frying pan or in the microwave until steaming hot.
 
Freezer crockpot
You can prepare this meal as a freezer crockpot meal (assemble and freeze before cooking):
  • To make a freezer pack, add the sweet potatoes to the bottom of a sturdy freezer bag or large meal prep container and place the diced tomatoes on top.
  • Add all remaining ingredients to the bag, squeeze the air out, and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw completely before cooking as directed in the recipe card.
 
 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 batch, Calories: 272kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 118mg, Sodium: 267mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Slow Cooker

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Recipe Rating




  1. gail says

    Posted on 7/9/17 at Posted on 7/9/17

    Can I use chicken breast instead? If so, how would I adjust the cooking time?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 7/9/17 at Posted on 7/9/17

      Hi Gail, I haven't tried with chicken breasts but I think they'd work just fine. I think the same cook time would work well, unless your slow cooker cooks hot, I'd start checking around 3 hours? Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Laura says

    Posted on 1/14/17 at Posted on 1/14/17

    What is the approximate weight on the chicken thighs? I can't get "small" thighs. 12 thighs would end up weighing like 4-5 pounds.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/14/17 at Posted on 1/14/17

      Hi Laura! They were really small. I can get my scale out tomorrow and give you a more precise answer but according to google, maybe around 3 oz each?

      Reply
  3. Andi says

    Posted on 10/1/16 at Posted on 10/1/16

    I haven't run across any of your wonderful recipes that show nutritional info. Am I missing that or is that something you you prefer not to include?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/1/16 at Posted on 10/1/16

      Hi Andi, I have added the nutritional information to some recipes in the past, but it is extremely time consuming, and they are not necessarily accurate (I use the MyFitnessPal App when I do add them, and there is huge variation between different brands etc). It is definitely something I'd like to have on all of my recipes in the future when I can find the time 🙂

      Reply
  4. Rachel @ Bakerita says

    Posted on 9/22/16 at Posted on 9/22/16

    Oooog girl, these chicken thighs look so good! My dad has been begging me for "tomatoey chicken in the slow cooker" - looks like
    I found my recipe 🙂 totally trying this soon! Have so fun in Tofino, Denise.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/28/16 at Posted on 9/28/16

      Thanks Rachel! I hope your dad likes them 🙂 Tofino was awesome....I already want to go back!

      Reply
  5. Denise says

    Posted on 9/22/16 at Posted on 9/22/16

    Hi Jill I just e-mailed you 🙂

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Denise

Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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