Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

What’s not to like about being snowed in with something in the crock providing a background aroma for however you choose to spend your day?

We were supposed to babysit our granddaughter Ainslie today, but both mom and dad were off from work and we found ourselves free instead.  I’ve had this recipe for months and when I saw the forecast thought it might be a good one-pot meal.  I braved the temporary insanity and panic of the grocery store to get the ingredients I needed, which did not include milk, bread, or eggs.  Most of the ingredients can be found in the canned vegetables aisle.  We’ve been trying to cut down on using canned vegetables and fruit, but sometimes you’ve just got to do what you have to do.  All in all, this is still a healthy low-calorie meal.  Each serving (without the toppings) is only 204 calories.

This is the simplest crock pot chili I’ve ever made.  In fact, it's the simplest chili I've ever made.  You literally open the cans and dump everything into the pot.  Add a chopped onion and some cumin and chili powder, as well as a packet of taco seasoning, and you’re ready to go.  The chicken breasts I chose were fairly large, so I included three instead of four.  You simply lay those on top of the chili mixture and either cook for 10 hours on the slow cooker’s low setting, or 6 hours on high.  We chose the high setting as we wanted to eat by 6:00 p.m.  We like green bell pepper in our chili and that’s an option.

About a half hour before the chili was done, I pulled the chicken breasts out of the mixture.  They were no longer on top, and had migrated below the surface.  I allowed them to cool slightly and then began pulling them apart with two forks.  I had prepared a chef’s knife to cut chunks against the grain of the meat, but the chicken was so tender, it just fell apart.  The shredding was the easiest I’ve ever done, and a pile of meat resulted from the three breasts.

The shredded chicken was added back into the chili mixture and was allowed to cook for another 15-20 minutes.  For serving, we topped each bowl with some shredded Mexican three-cheese blend and some chopped cilantro.  It’s delicious…it’s easy…and I’ll bet it will even be better tomorrow!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

(makes 10 servings)

1 onion, chopped

1 16-oz. can black beans

1 16-oz. can kidney beans

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

10 oz. package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes with chilies

1 packet taco seasoning

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

24 oz. (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ green bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 cup Mexican three-cheese blend (for topping)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (for topping)

Combine everything except the chicken and toppings in a crock pot slow cooker.  Place the chicken on top and cover.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.  A half-hour before serving, remove the chicken and shred.  Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir in.  Top with three-cheese blend and cilantro, or you could try sour cream.