Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

I love using my crock pot to fix meals when I have to feed my family members at different times.  This particular dish is super easy to assemble, because there is no browning, or chopping required in getting this meal started.  This is also a good meal to make if you're on a tight budget.

I always like to give credit for the source of the recipes I make, but in this case, I don't have any idea where I got this one.  I think someone shared it with me, so if you recognize this as a recipe you gave me, let me know and I'll add your name to this post!  This dish gets all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by placing the chicken in my crock pot.  The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I used chicken tenders this time, because they were on sale!  Helpful tip:  When using a slow cooker, always put cold or room temperature foods in a cool crock pot, and if they are warm (browned meat, etc.) put them in a pre-warmed crock pot.  It takes a little while for the crock pot to come up to full temperature, so this helps ensure that the food cooks well from the beginning of the cooking time, and helps avoid bacteria from beginning to grow.

Directly on top of the chicken, I add the frozen corn (no need to defrost), the black beans which I drain and rinse, the canned tomatoes, as well as the seasonings (chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and minced garlic).  I place the lid on the crock pot and turn it on low for 8 hours.  If you don't have that much cooking time, it can be cooked on high for 4 hours.

About half an hour before the end of the cooking time, I cook 3 cups of white rice according to the package directions.  At the end of the cooking time, I remove the chicken and, using two forks, shred it and return it to the crock pot.  I thoroughly mix it into the vegetables and replace the lid to keep it warm while I shred some cheese and chop some cilantro.

To plate this dish, I put some white rice on the bottom, then add the Mexican chicken.  I top that with some shredded cheddar cheese and some chopped cilantro.  It's nice to come home to a dinner that needs very little attention to get it on the table!  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

½ pound (8 oz.) frozen corn

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

½ bunch cilantro, optional

Place chicken in a cool crock pot.  Add salsa, black beans and corn, making sure the chicken is covered.  Sprinkle chili powder, cumin, minced garlic, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper on top.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  About ½ hour before the end of the cooking time, prepare rice according to package directions.  When fully cooked, remove chicken from crock pot and shred with 2 forks.  Stir back into ingredients in crock pot.  Serve over hot rice, adding shredded cheese and chopped cilantro to the top.