Southwestern Crockpot Chicken
The Nitty Gritty:
Nicely melded flavors and SO easy- Level: 1
- Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 8.5 hours in the slow cooker
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Tags: chicken
Ready to go nuts with your crockpot, modern home cook or chef? This dish couldn’t be easier — a few minutes of chopping is the only real work — and the nicely melded flavors will wow your tastebuds.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 12 oz. high quality salsa, the hotter the better
- 2 fresh Serrano or jalapeno chiles, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- shredded Mexican cheese, optional, for garnish
Instructions:
Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot. Add onion, garlic, black beans, corn, and salsa. Stir, ensuring the mixture is evenly distributed in the pot. Set slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
When the chicken is fully cooked, open the lid and shred the chicken breasts by moving against the grain with a fork. (They should be so tender that shredding is nearly effortless.) Mix in chopped chilies and cilantro, season to taste, then close the lid and turn the slow cooker to high for 30 minutes.
As it finishes, make polenta (see instructions below). Serve chicken atop polenta, sprinkling with cheese if using.
Cook's note: The salsa is what determines the overall success of the dish. Try it with a variety of your favorites, but I recommend Trader Joe's Double Roasted Salsa for its slightly smoky flavor.
Polenta
-
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
-
1 18-ounce tube prepared polenta
- 3/4 cup milk
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add polenta and break up with a wooden spoon.
Stir in milk, a little at a time, until polenta is creamy and smooth. Turn heat down to low to let heat through until chicken is ready.
Comments
By MJ Prest
MJ Prest is the editor-in-chief of EthicalStyle.com, an online magazine that covers ethical issues in fashion. She taught herself how to cook properly after eating spaghetti and frozen meatballs for a year after graduating from Williams College, and her grocery bills have never quite recovered. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is perpetually amazed by the produce selection.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
The Humble Gourmand encourages users to comment on any and all of its features, but reserves the right to remove any material deemed inappropriate.
Corey
February 6 2:08 p.m. 1This recipe has changed my life.
Laura Pegula
February 9 2:50 p.m. 2I don't know about everyone else, but slow cookers are a heaven sent for me. There is nothing better than throwing it all in the magic making in the morning before work, coming home anywhere from 6-8 pm and having dinner there waiting for you to scarf down.
I can't wait to try the slow cooker recipes!
Alison
February 10 3:14 p.m. 3Completely agree. How have they been so out of fashion the past decade??
Jasmine
March 11 12:36 p.m. 4I tried this recipe last night. I was impressed. The combination of hot hot salsa and jalapenoes made me nervous, so I toned it down by cutting the jalapenoes in half and using medium salsa. While the dish was good, I should have used the hot salsa--it wouldn't have been too hot.
Also, I doubled the recipe in my crockpot and it turned out fine in the same amount of time.
Alison
March 12 9:55 a.m. 5So glad you liked it, Jasmine. I had similar worries -- I tested it on some pretty anti-hot folks -- and it still went over big!
ditabsesera
December 6 4:21 a.m. 6Alohi. Mi zer novazo. http://jestormani.net