Monday, July 16, 2012

Salsa Verde Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Since my last 6 posts have been decadent desserts, I guess it's time to give you a delicious, clean, easy meal to get back on track. IMG_0002cThis is another great recipe where you let the crockpot do most of the work. Slow cooking the chicken with tomatillo salsa gives it great flavor without drying it out. I chose to make my own salsa verde and corn tortillas, but you can also use store bought to make this dish even easier.

We loved the combination of flavors here - bright red onion, creamy cojita cheese, earthy black beans, and of course the wonderful salsa verde. It's a new favorite of ours!
Salsa Verde Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Salsa Verde Crockpot Chicken TacosSource: Slightly adapted from The Novice Chef
Yield: 4 servings





Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 3 cups medium salsa verde, divided (recipe follows)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For the tacos
  • 8-10 corn tortillas
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 jalapeno, stem removed (remove seeds if you don't like the heat)
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
  • lime, for squeezing on top
Directions:
  1. Whisk together 1 cup salsa verde, chicken broth and garlic salt in crockpot. Add chicken breasts and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  2. Combine black beans (do not rinse/drain) and jalapeno in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium-low until beans are cooked and pepper has softened, about 8-10 minuted. Puree in a food processor or blender.
  3. Remove chicken from crockpot and discard remaining liquid. Shred chicken with two forks and place in a medium bowl. (You can also shred chicken by beating on low spead in a stand mixer for about 30 seconds - works great and is very quick!) Add remaining 2 cups salsa verde and chopped cilantro to chicken. Mix to combine.
  4. Fill tortillas with a scoop of black beans, a scoop of chicken, a few slices of red onion, a healthy scoop of crumbled cotija cheese and a squeeze of lime!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Source: slightly adapted from Rick Bayless
Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 pounds (12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  • Fresh hot green chiles to taste (3 serranos or 3 jalapenos), stemmed
  • 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 small white onion, finely chopped
  • Salt
Directions:
Roast the tomatillos, chile(s) and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until blotchy black and softening (they’ll be turning from lime green to olive), about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, then transfer everything to a blender, including all the delicious juice the tomatillos have exuded during roasting. Add the cilantro and water, then blend to a coarse puree. Scoop into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually 1 teaspoon.

1 comment:

  1. This sounds amazing and perfect for a week-night meal. Can't wait to make it soon.
    Great photos as well!

    ReplyDelete

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