Homemade Crock Pot Salsa - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

How to make homemade salsa thick? ›

Always cook your boneless skinless chicken breasts on LOW for the best results. I do not recommend cooking boneless chicken breast on HIGH, as it will become very dry and tough, even if you check it early. On high, the chicken turns out drier; I consistently have the best results with low.

Cook the salsa, and you'll trade bright, fresh flavors for something deeper, sweeter. Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and/or chiles creates rich, smoky flavors.

A unique blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice contributes to the vibrant, lively taste of restaurant-style salsa.

All great salsa need a hit of acidity to lighten and brighten their flavors. Perry and Damuck like lime juice (skip the zest; it's too perfume-y), plain white vinegar, or red wine vinegar, which is a nice match for the tomatoes.

Foods such as pickles or salsa need to have an acid added if they are to reach a pH level of 4.6 or lower to prevent microorganism survival and/or growth.

A heads-up about those tomatillos: If you boil them, make sure you cool the tomatillos (and the water) completely or else the salsa will congeal. If your salsa is lacking tang and you don't want to add tomatillos or lime juice, you can add a splash of vinegar.

Roma Tomatoes are a popular choice for salsa-making due to their dense and meaty texture, small number of seeds, and full-of-flavor tanginess. Variations of this tomato are sometimes called “plum” or “paste” tomatoes. Red Beefsteak Tomatoes are another favorite for those who favor a juicier tomato in their salsa.

For a whole chicken – Place it in your slow cooker breast side down. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. For bone-in pieces - Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 3-4 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.

Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes. Perfect for shredding!

Why is my chicken in the crockpot still tough? ›

In addition, chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

While fresh tomatoes make great pico de gallo, you gotta go with canned tomatoes if you want that true restaurant salsa flavor.

If you have a garden that can provide you some or all of the ingredients in the recipe, your salsa is going to be less expensive whether you can it or not. For example, pulling just the tomatoes and a bell pepper from one's own garden drops the price of ingredients by about half. Plus, your salsa will taste better.

If you'd like a thicker sauce, combine 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (or any starch to thicken) with 2 tbsp water and mix until starch dissolves (this is to create a "slurry"). Pour into slow-cooker and mix to combine with shredded chicken.

Once it's refrigerated, it will gel a bit because of the pectin in the tomatillos. to break it up, give it a stir and let it sit at room temperature. As it sits at room temperature, it will start to relax.

4. Cool your salsa verde for better texture. Tomatillos are high in pectin, so salsa verde will thicken as it cools. If it gets too thick, try thinning out with water, lime juice, or chicken broth.

Acidic Ingredients

Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar and has less effect on flavor. You can safely substitute an equal amount of bottled lemon juice for vinegar in salsa recipes using vinegar. However, do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice because this would reduce acidity and produce an unsafe product.