A Better Crockpot Salsa Chicken

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Most of us have done it. Thrown chicken breasts into a crockpot and tossed in a jar of salsa with it. It is easy. It tastes good. And there are so many fantastic ways to use the chicken once it is cooked.

Chicken Tacos. Chicken enchiladas. Chicken salad. Chicken tostadas. Chicken quesadillas. Chicken empanadas. Chicken burritos. Chicken casseroles. Chicken and rice. Chicken…

“That-that’s about it.”

For the last few months, I have been adding a few items to my crockpot salsa chicken to give it a greater depth of flavor. It is still easy. It makes your mouth water. And the best part about it is, it just does not taste like crockpot chicken. And that is…

“All I have to say about that.”

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders (Tip: do not ever crockpot chicken breasts with salt water added to them. Those are fine for grilling, but if you put them in a crockpot, the salt water will seep out and create a very salty, watery product)
1 1/2 cups of medium salsa (I used Pace)
1 four oz. can of diced green chiles
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground mexican oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Knorr’s chicken seasoning
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crockpot. Place all other ingredients on top of chicken. Cover and cook on high for four hours or low for six. I was preparing for company coming over that morning so I forgot to take a picture of the chicken in the crockpot. Trust me, it was there. Unlike my brain in my head that day.

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Remove bay leaf and throw it away. Take chicken out of the crockpot.

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Shred the chicken. Ladle some of the liquid from the crockpot over the shredded chicken until it is moist. This is usually three-four ladlefuls for me. Taste. Add salt as needed.

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Serve however you would like.

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I make such a big batch because for my family I can eke out three meals from this one batch. With this batch: The first day I always make chicken tacos (fry white corn tortillas in vegetable oil, allow to cool in layers on paper towels. Add shredded chicken, taco veggies, shredded monterey jack cheese, cilantro. Serve with sour cream and taco sauce on the side). The second day we had tacos again and the third day I made my chicken enchilada casserole (post to come next week).

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This chicken is so good. It is great to feed a crowd. It goes with everything.

Or as Forrest Gump would say, Me and Jenny crockpots and chicken goes together like peas and carrots.”

Barbecamole! Crockpot Chicken Sandwiches

Barbecue chicken sandwiches are one of my favorite things to eat. I previously blogged about the recipe I use, here. They are just the easiest things to make. The chicken is simply made in a crockpot. Then it is shredded. Easy peasy! Lazy Dayzy!

This is the same recipe but I just added a little twist.

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I had some guacamole in my refrigerator that needed to be eaten before it expired the other day.

I had some leftover shredded barbecue chicken that was suffering from the same timed fate.

And I had an epiphany.

Oh, man. Barbecue. Chicken. Guacamole. Barbecue. Guacamole.

Barbecamole!

I had had a guacamole barbecue sauce at an event in October and could not get the flavor out of my mind.

And that is how the following recipe was formed.

And that is how a new word was formed.

And that is why my thighs. Are formed. From gluttonous decisions.

Ingredients:

Shredded Barbecue Chicken from this recipe
One pack of chibatta rolls
A slice of havarti cheese for each sandwich you plan to make
One bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
Container of guacamole
3 Tbsp. Chopped cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil at 500 degrees.

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MaKe the barbecue chicken according to the linked recipe.

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Take the chibatta rolls (I have also used regular rolls and they work fine, too. The chibatta is easier, because it makes a flatter sandwich. This makes it easier to eat) and cut them in half. Add the shredded barbecue chicken to the bottom half of the roll and leave the top half open. Place a slice of havarti cheese on top of the barbecue chicken and then place the tops and bottoms on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet into the oven underneath the broiler for thirty seconds to one minute depending on your broiler. You just want the top half lightly toasted and the havarti cheese melted.

Remove the baking tray from the oven. Pour a little barbecue sauce onto the melted cheese. Sprinkle chopped cilantro onto the barbecue chicken. On the top half of the roll, spread a generous layer of guacamole.

Put the guacamole top bun onto the bottom bun that is covered in barbecue chicken.

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Serve.

And listen to your happy thighs humming.

Oh, yum! Enjoy!

Barbecamole Chicken Sandwiches are my favorite.

I will be making this recipe instead of traditional shredded barbecue chicken sandwiches from this point forth.

Now I’m off to raid my refrigerator. What else can I combine? What do we think of ham and feta?

Hafeta?

Nah.

What about Jenni and McConaughey?

McJenniahey?

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!”

I like the sound of that.

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P.S. I shared this on Cozy Little House.

And Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

Crockpot Shredded Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

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Sometimes Pinterest can bring about miraculous things. It brought me my Moroccan Chest. It has provided hours of entertainment. And countless delicious recipes.

This is one of them.

It is called Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue Sandwiches.

This is so easy. And just really good.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use tenders)
12 ounces of barbecue sauce (a typical bottle is larger than this. I use the remainder to top the sandwiches with.)
1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Knorr Chicken Seasoning (this is not in the original recipe. I just like to add it.)
Package of rolls (I use Hawaiian rolls. The chicken is also good heated up and served over rice with chopped cilantro and barbecue sauce the next day for leftovers.)

Optional sides:

Salad
Chips
Cole slaw

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray. Place chicken in crockpot.

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Combine ingredients in a Measuring glass. I use a fork.

Pour over chicken.

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Cook on high for four hours.

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Remove chicken from crockpot to a separate bowl. Shred chicken. Pour some of the cooking juices in until moist again.

Serve in rolls. I use Hawaiian Rolls. Top with barbecue sauce. And cole slaw (if you like that sort of thing).

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I always make this salad. It is so easy to make. One package of pre-washed romaine lettuce or baby spinach with 1/3 cup crumbled feta and 1/3 cup italian dressing. Done!

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I also serve mine with chips.

Now partake in your meal. No one needs to know how very easy it was to make.

Have you made anything from Pinterest? What has been your favorite?

* For an updated twist on this recipe, please click here..

Tyler Florence’s Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

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I have been making this beef taco recipe for years. It is so simple. So easy. And you will look like a hero when you are finished. Seriously, you will not believe how very quickly you can throw this together and be crowned “Queen of the kitchen.”

It is up to you if you want your family to curtsy or bow.

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Ingredients:

3 lbs. boneless top sirloin (I use a different cut of meat than him. I also used almost four pounds for the batch shown here, because I made beef enchiladas with the leftovers.)
1/4 cup of diced onion (I add less than him)
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
1 Tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon ground Ancho Chili Pepper
1 Tablespoon cumin
3 bay leaves
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (and one can full of water)
Salt and pepper to season
A good amount of vegetable oil to fry tortillas in
Corn tortillas

Optional Ingredients:

Shredded cheese
Cilantro
Sour cream
Lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Refried beans to serve with
Mexican rice to serve with

I followed Tyler’s recipe here. Please see his recipe for full details on how to make these.

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It will take about seven minutes to slightly brown all of your meat and throw the ingredients in the pot. And then you just wait three hours. It will smell divine in your house, in the meantime.

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Browning meat. Easy peasy. I used my frozen diced onions and all ready minced for me garlic.

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All put together, about to simmer for three hours. Here is a tip: check your meat and stir every thirty minutes or so. I was lazy during this batch, and I did not do that. Some of the meat had been sticking out of the mixture, unbeknownst to me. Talk about a tough piece of meat! That piece ended up having to be tossed. Which is really sad. All of the meat should be simmering prettily in the water, getting nice and tender.

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When it is all done, the first thing you are going to do is, remove all of the pieces of meat to a bowl. The very next thing you will do is fish out the three bay leaves from the pot and throw them away. It might take a moment to find them. This is really important. Years ago, I did not do that and later found out one of the bay leaves was stuck to a piece of meat. I accidentally served that piece to my husband. He bit into the bay leaf and his whole mouth went numb. I had to relinquish my title that day. Be better than me and keep your throne.

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Shred meat. Add enough liquid from pot until it is moist.

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Here is the finished product. They were so yummy! I made my beef enchiladas with the remaining meat. I will show that recipe in a post to come. If you are in a hurry to make these (And why wouldn’t you be?), See my cheese enchilada post for my enchilada sauce recipe and follow my directions, but fill enchiladas with beef instead of cheese.

Enjoy!

I shared this on Savvy Southern Style

And My Romantic Home