Slow Cooker Week – Day 3, Shredded Chicken Tacos with Homemade Salsa

January 13th, 2010
by Heather (Ghost Baker)

So let’s talk a little about slow cookers first. If you’re new to slow cookers and this theme week is baffling you so far – slow cookers are electrical appliances built to cook food at a relatively low temperature over a longer period of time. A good machine will have a ceramic cooking pot that fits into the metal, electric part and can be removed for easy cleaning and at least a low and high temperature setting. Slow cookers are NOT pressure cookers, which cooks food in a sealed device.

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Why use slow cookers?

  • It’s easy! You can throw some vegetables, uncooked meat and spices in the pot before work, and come home after work with a well-seasoned, fully-cooked meal.
  • No pots and pans to clean! When you’re cooking everything together in the slower cooker, there’s not as much clean up.
  • Such long simmering times can increase the flavor.*

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    So why don’t we use slow cookers all the time?!

  • *Such long cooking times, while it generally won’t overcook your meats, can cause your vegetables to have their good nutrients cooked out of them.
  • The slow cooker is not great with all types of meats. Fish, for example, doesn’t do well in the slow cooker.
  • Mush – if left too long, some vegetables or meats can turn to mush

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    But at the end of the day, slow cookers can really be a blessing. The recipe I’m sharing today, in fact, turned out pretty awesome, and I’m not really sure how I ever made chicken tacos before without the slow cooker.

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    I love chicken. You may have noticed from the plethora of chicken recipes here on DC! Cooking it in the slow cooker creates the perfect consistency for tacos – the meat shreds effortlessly and it really picks up the flavor of the seasonings. Dry, rubbery chicken is a common problem with cooking chicken; the slow cooker is an easy fix!

    spoonintotacos

    Shredded Chicken Tacos with Homemade Salsa
    adapted from The Pioneer Woman

    2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    15 oz can of black beans
    grated cheddar for sprinkling on finished tacos
    optional – shredded lettuce, sour cream

    for the salsa:
    2 fresh jalapenos, diced (remove seeds for less heat!)
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 yellow bell pepper, diced
    2 15 oz cans Ro*tel tomatoes (I used Mild – Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles)
    salt, black pepper, garlic powder to taste

    for the seasoning:
    chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, black pepper

    Added canned black beans, undrained, to the bottom of the slow cooker. Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl (I was heavy on the chili powder, paprika, and black pepper; then gave about 5 shakes of cumin; and 3 shakes of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, oregano and cayenne). Sprinkle seasoning over the black beans, then set the chicken breasts on top.

    Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Spoon salsa over chicken breasts.

    Cover and set to low for about 6-8 hours (my cooker runs a little hot, so my cook time was 6 hours). Makes enough for about 3 people.

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