Recipe of the Week: Slow Cook Chicken Tacos

Who doesn't love a crock pot meal?  Who doesn't love a recipe that turns out even better than it was planned?  Well, this little number is both for me.

We first made it for the missionaries.  It's suppose to be a chicken breast dish with a creamy sauce.  But we realized we couldn't cream the sauce (with sour cream and cheese) because one of the elders is allergic to dairy.  So Ben (giving credit where credit is due) decided he'd try shredding the chicken into the sauce (minus the the dairy additives).  This really was all on a last minute whim, the missionaries were expected to arrive in 10 minutes.  Luckily, it turned into a really yummy shredded chicken taco dish, and we've made it several times since.

3 to 4 chicken breasts
1 cup broth
1 cup salsa (we like to use a "sweet" kind, like peach or pineapple chipotle)
1 can corn (15 oz, drained)
1 can black beans (15 oz, rinsed and drained)
2 TB cumin
1 TB chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
(or, instead of all those yummy seasonings, you can just add a pkg of taco seasoning -- which is what the recipe calls for -- but Ben and I swore off that stuff a while ago, due to lots of processing and high pricing; also, I should note I don't measure any of that, by TB I mean three big shakes and by tsp I mean three normal shakes -- this is not a "stress over measurements" recipe).

Warm Tortillas
Sour Cream
Cheese
Cilantro
Lettuce
Tomatos
Avocado
And whatever else you'd like to put on your tacos

Place the chicken in a greased 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker (PS I have no idea what size my slow cooker is).  Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and seasoning over chicken.  Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours or high heat for 2 1/2 to 3.  Do not over cook, this will make the chicken too tough to shred.

When done, remove chicken breasts and shred with two forks (we're not super patient with this step, so our chicken is always a little chunky, see picture).  Place shredded chicken back in pot and stir all ingredients together.  There still may be some excess liquid, leave it in as this helps flavor the chicken.  Dish taco filing out with slotted spoon in order to remove excess liquid from tacos.

Serve with spanish rice, tortillas, and taco fixings. There should be plenty of salsa left, so you can also have chips and salsa as a side if desired.