let me tell you a story about the power of social media. recently, i posted this question on twitter:
i received tons of responses, + almost everyone said that they loved their crock-pot, so i decided it was time to buy one. then? one of my twitter friends (who’s also a real-life friend) told me he had an extra crock-pot that i was welcome to have. a few days later, we met up – he gave me an awesome crock-pot + i made homemade Rolo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies for his daughter. everyone wins!
since receiving the crock-pot 10 days ago, i’ve already used it three times, + have honestly LOVED each meal made with it! thus far, i’ve made indian chicken tikka masala, this mexican chicken, + beef stroganoff. for real, everything has been delicious – i’m so thrilled that i finally have a crock-pot! i posted pictures of all three meals on facebook + instagram, + while all got a great response, i thought this one received the most requests for the recipe ASAP. ask + you shall receive, friends!
of the three crock-pot recipes i’ve made so far, this one is the easiest, as it requires no pre-searing of the meat. you simply measure out some spices, cut up chicken breasts + pop it in the crock-pot along with black beans, corn, salsa + chiles. then, let the crock-pot do the work. the result? a fall-apart tender, juicy, + flavorful chicken with just a hint of spiciness. while there are tons of ways you could serve this, i used flour tortillas to make soft chicken tacos + served it with cilantro-lime rice, chips + salsa, which truly was a perfect meal. i can’t wait for y’all to try this recipe – i think you’ll love it!
slow cooker mexican chicken
serves 6-8, adapted from skinny mom
ingredients
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 16 oz jar salsa (i used a medium-spicy one)
1 14 oz jar diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 15 oz can black bans, rinsed + drained
1 8 oz bag frozen corn (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 jalapeño pepper, stem removed, pierced several times with a fork
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt + pepper to tastedirections
in a large bowl, toss cubed chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper + 1/2 teaspoon salt until well-coated. allow to sit for 10 minutes or so, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
combine salsa, beans, corn, tomatoes with green chiles, chopped green chiles, cilantro, + jalapeno in the crock pot – stir to combine well. add the seasoned chicken breast cubes to the crockpot, stir to combine.
cook on low for 4-5 hours (check for the chicken’s doneness after 4 hours), then serve with rice and/or tortillas. discard jalapeño before putting leftovers in the refrigerator, as jalapeños can continue to release heat/spiciness into the leftovers over the next few days.
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
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Wow, you’ve had a ton of good food at your place lately! I love slow cookers and am so bummed I broke mine. Pouring cold water into an empty hot crockpot was genius! You’ve managed to make something that’s quite ugly on its own very pretty.
(that’s supposed to be a compliment!)
that is a *huge* compliment to me! i understand exactly what you mean. i tried hard to make these look pretty, so your comment made my day!
I use my slow cooker all the time – I love walking into the house and smelling the yumminess coming from the kitchen after a long day!
Yay, I was so excited to see this recipe! This is currently at the top of my to-crockpot recipe list. Tacos = always a yes!
I’m so glad you got a slow cooker – mostly so I can have a good resource for slow cooker recipes. I got one for Christmas two years ago, but I’ve only used it a handful of times. I like the concept, but I have a hard time finding recipes that don’t call for a tons of cream of something or other soup/packets of ranch seasoning etc.
agree, tons of slow-cooker recipes seem to call for cream of whatever soups and/or seasoning packets that are chock full o’ preservatives. i promise you that any crock-pot recipes i post won’t have any of that in there. i like to keep it as natural as possible. =)
glad you’re enjoying the gloriousness of the crockpot! seriously one of my favorite kitchen tools!
So glad you finally got a slow cooker! I know you’ve been wanting one for a while now. And these tacos are absolutely drool-worthy! I need to dust off the slow cooker and make this ASAP!
Glad you have discovered the amazingness of the crockpot! Just wait till fall/winter – you will be forever greatful when you magically have hot soup to devour for dinner 😉
We eat a lot of tacos in our house – I think I’ll give this recipe a try, it sounds delicious!
I love my crock-pot! Beef stroganoff and pulled pork are my two favorite things to make in it. But now I HAVE to try this. I love Mexican food, so hello Saturday night dinner! (and how perfect with the rice!)
Coincidentally, i used my crock-pot to make beef stroganoff last night + it turned out great! it’ll be up on the blog soon. =)
amy, this looks fabulous! I’m on a gluten free + dairy diet right now. This is actually a meal I could eat. I’ve had a crockpot aversion for years. Seems now I might have to conquer my fear and make this dish:)
yay! you’ll have to let me know what you think if you try this. so glad it works with your current dietary situation, too!
I need to get me a slow cooker ASAP! This looks amazing, love!
First, I don’t own a slow cooker and I’ve often wondered the same thing. I may have to break down and buy one.
Second, this really does look perfect to serve with that cilantro lime rice you made.
honestly, i’m loving my slow cooker SO much more than i expected i would. you should totally get one!
neeeed to whip out the crockpot soon to make this! it looks so yummy with those tortillas!
You and your fantastic Mexican dishes just keep on coming my friend 😀
Another winner!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I LOVE using my slow cooker. So glad you finally got one! And this recipe looks wonderful. You know how I feel about Mexican food: I can’t get enough!! Your pictures turned out great, too!
i LOVE slow cooker meals. they are life savers and so awesome to have in the winter!! i have a bunch on my blog if you’re ever looking for some
this mexican chicken is killer. love the mexican flavors and i can see myself having lots of leftovers and enjoying every second of it!
This looks excellent! I used my slow cooker extensively when we were in a kitchen reno about a year and a half ago. I was so grateful to have my kitchen back, I haven’t really pulled it out since then, but you’re making me reconsider!
its great you got a slow cooker! the chicken looks amazing! I must must try this out soon!
excuse me while I go get my crock pot out so i can make this. oh yea, i can just taste it now. yummy!
I’m realizing right now how long it’s been since I used my slow cooker! I think it’s time to dust it off and try this!
Oooh, fall means time to break out the slow cooker more often so my house can smell warm and amazing…this looks perfect, so glad you’re enjoying your new kitchen gadget
My mouth is watering–this looks phenom, Amy! And I LOVE my crockpot. I didn’t use it for the longest time because I was intimidated by its so-called magical powers, but I’m so glad I got over my fear because it’s awesome! It makes everything so easy and makes tacos like these awesome!!
for real, it makes everything *so* easy! i can’t believe i went so long without one – it’s truly a magical appliance! =)
i love my crock pot too! this looks great.
This will definitely be making a weeknight appearance soon!
Welcome to the wonderful world of the slow cooker, my friend. I’m so glad you made the jump! 😉
I have about a million slow cooker recipes on my blog, if you wish to partake. You know I love my slow cooker!!
I cannot wait to make this!
Welcome, friend…to the world of crock-pots! I love slow cookers! I’m a sucker for what I call, “sunday soups.” you wake up, throw a ton of ingredients in the crock-pot, let it sit all day, and then enjoy for dinner!
And I love Mexican. That’s all I need to say for you to know how soon I’m going to try this (once I identify what box I packed my crock-pot in…)
you know how much i love soup, so i cannot wait to make some sunday soups of my own once the weather cools down. yum!
Wow! This looks amazing and easy! I rarely use my crockpot but I will be tempted to pull it out with this recipe. We love Mexican food in my house
Did you have to shred the chicken when it was done to get the pieces to be so small?
thanks, Elissa! I barely had to shred it – basically, when i just ‘mashed it’ slightly with a fork, it was so very tender that it just fell apart. pretty awesome!
Your crockpot story reminds me of my trepidation when I first considered buying a food processor. Now I am hooked, and I can’t imagine how I possibly did anything without it. I have really enjoyed the crockpot recipes you have shared so far, and I’m looking forward to more as we get into cooler fall days (no pressure or anything…).
I feel the same way about my KitchenAid Mixer as well. it’s amazing how many gadgets I couldn’t live without now that I finally have them. By the way, I already have 2 more crock-pot recipes lined up, + there will definitely be more to come!
Congratulationes on your new crock-pot, my friend has one and he always uses it when he organizes a dinner party. Food out of it is so delicious! And yours has to be as well, as it looks amazing!
i use my crockpot a lot in fall/winter, but never think to take it out in summer! your chicken came out great…looks so moist and delish! pinned this for my busy upcoming fall…
you’ll have to report back how you like it when you make it, wendy – enjoy!
Glad that you finally have a crockpot Amy. Really a necessity for any kitchen and ever so helpful in preparing some amazing food like the chicken for these tacos. Also well done of the images, as I find that tacos can be tricky to photograph. Cheers!
YAY!! I bet I’m going to see more slow-cooker recipes from you! I bought one for $10 when it was on sale and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. hahaa… There’s so many different kinds of things you can do with it! Oatmeal, pasta, pulled-pork etc etc etc.. 😀 oh and your chicken looks absolutely delicious!!
Will be making this recipe soon. Looks so easy and delicious!
I’ve always been so tempted to buy a crockpot. You’ve convinced me enough!
Amy…thought you might enjoy this recipe: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/12/brown_sugar_spice_cake.php
I did a series of posts for Houston Press called: What a Crock. This was my fav. It contains tomato soup!?!…and it’s awesome. Hope all is well!
That is awesome! thanks so much for sharing, kevin – i will definitely give it a try!
You will definitely use your crock pot all the time now!! It’s just so easy!!
This looks and sounds amazing! I’m all for crock pot meals!
Oh, yay-The recipe is up! Just pinned and can’t wait to try it out in my “no longer new” slow cooker. Thanks for sharing
crock pots are the best – especially for those crazy days- you can load it up in the morning and have a nice meal ready when you get home.
this recipe looks so good. Love the photo! Can’t wait to see more of your crock pot recipes!
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