Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Tacos

Here’s a set-it-and-forget-it recipe that’s perfect for your craziest days. I first tried this one when the Kid was performing in a not-local-enough production of Pippin. Since he was 9 at the time, I was with him at each and every rehearsal and performance, and there were a lot of rehearsals. It’s all worth it, I kept telling myself, as I looked at my filthy kitchen floor and wiped my bleary eyes (late-night rehearsals don’t sit too well with this early bird.)

I give the recipe’s performance 5 stars!  It’s definitely Stage-Mother-Approved, taking only 5 minutes to assemble and about the same amount of time to shred the chicken before serving.  Since it’s a slow-cooker recipe, it’s perfect for Matinee days.  And it would make a can’t-miss Cast Party hit, since my slow cooker has a “warm” setting that would keep this chicken nice and hot until the performance is over and everyone’s ready to eat. (In fact, I’ve used this recipe at the high school’s Tech Week Dinners since it’s super-easy to expand for a crowd.)

Fiesta Chicken Tacos

Makes 6 servings (2 tacos per serving)

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa (choose your favorite salsa; any kind will do!)
2 TBL taco seasoning mix (there’s a great recipe for this seasoning mix here)

Place chicken in the slow cooker.  Sprinkle seasoning mix on top, and add salsa.  Cover your slow cooker and cook 4 to 6 hours on LOW until meat is fork-tender.  Shred with forks*, mix well to distribute the sauce, and serve on warmed soft tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Go ahead and double the recipe right from the start. It freezes well!

*Note: if you have a heavy-duty stand mixer, you can load up the mixer bowl with the cooked meat and salsa, attach the beater (yes, the same one you use to mix cake batter) and run the mixer on the lowest speed. Keep an eye on it, because there’s a fine line between “shredded” and “pureed”–but this takes only a few minutes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe inspiration: The Yummy Life

copyright 2014 Barb Szyszkiewicz