Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Two thumbs up are in order for my FIRST-EVER crock pot meal!

Hard to believe, right? Growing up my mom never used or even owned a crock pot. Now that I have a crock pot (“thanks Paula for the wonderful Christmas gift!”), I’ll be slow cooking all time!

I will admit, I was a little scared prior to using the crockpot. I’m a little fearful of fire . In my younger days I caught salmon on fire while broiling it in the oven. Actually it was the excess olive oil on the foil that caught on fire.

That being said, that’s nothing compared to the Easy Mac I caught on fire in the microwave when I was in eighth grade… not so easy now is it?? How did it it catch on fire you ask? I forgot to add water.

Last but not least, my CHI flat iron caught on fire two years ago. Black smoke starting coming out of the on/off switch. When I took it back to Ulta, the sales associate said, “What, you don’t want to look smokin’ hot!!” I had to laugh at that one.

Lucky for me, no fires were were started with this slow cooker. I was extra careful to watch it, just in case something were to happen. 🙂

This meal doesn’t get any easier. Simply throw your chicken breasts into the pot. Add the taco seasoning. Add the salsa. Turn on the heat. And wait…..

In the meantime, you could go for a nice run, work from home, run some errands, eat a a snack, get on Facebook…. 🙂 After a few hours, you can check on the chicken. When it is done, shred it with two forks and return it to the pot. I found that the chicken got even more tender when I returned it to the slow cooker. Meanwhile, preheat your oven. Get the taco shells ready, your tomatoes, green onions and other toppings chopped, and set your table because dinner is about to be served.

Super easy, right? Matt even gave his approval!

QUESTION TIME:

Have you ever caught food on fire? If so, what was it?

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
16 ounce jar salsa (I used Tostitos)
Corn taco shells
Taco toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, green onions, lettuce

Instructions

Lay chicken breasts in a single layer in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle on taco seasoning then pour in salsa. Lift chicken breast halves to get salsa underneath. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken breasts are tender. Shred then mix with some or all of the cooking liquid.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add shredded chicken in the bottom of tacos shells then top with cheese. Bake on a foiled-lined baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with desired toppings.
Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans.

Notes

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Dinner at Cantina – Aspen, Colorado

Dinner time in Aspen! For our first meal of the trip, we headed to Cantina – Aspen for some good’ole Mexican food. My sister and parents had eaten at this same restaurant a few days before Matt and I arrived to Colorado. They said it was great, and were game to try it again.

We were still all on Dallas time, and even though it was only 5:30, we were all starving! I think high-altitude makes me hungry, in addition to the fact that it was 6:30 PM back at home.

What did I think of Cantina? I thought it was very good. The chips and salsa were very fresh. I could see freshly diced fire-roasted tomatoes, chopped onions and sliced green onions in the salsa.

Cantina – Aspen from the street

Cantina menu

Chips and Salsa

Matt and I split the Mexican Street Tacos which consisted of chicken, diced onion, cilantro, and spicy sauce, all rolled in corn tortillas. The corn tortillas were a little tough… probably because they coated them in oil so they would not break. Other than that, it was very good. (P.S. Matt is a “double-beans guy, so no rice on our plate!)

Street Tacos Mexican – soft corn tortillas filled with grilled chicken and topped with diced onions, cilantro, and a spicy salsa

My sister ordered the chicken fajitas. The chicken was very tender, the seasoning not over-powering, and the pico de gallo was fresh and one of her favorites.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas served with grilled onions and peppers, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa fresca, and warm corn tortillas.

My dad ordered the salmon, which had a bold, spicy sauce that really added to the flavor of the dish. I loved his! (Sorry, no picture…it was blurry). My mom ordered the chicken tortilla lime soup with shredded chicken and cheese, tortillas strips, and avocado. No complaints there!

Overall, we would return to Cantina – Aspen. However, since I’m from Texas, I’ve had better Mexican food. My all-time favorites include Mi Cocina and Anamias in Dallas, and Escalantes in Houston. For Colorado, though, I thought this was pretty good food.

Breakfast Tacos in Aspen

This past weekend, my family and I traveled to Aspen, Colorado to escape this torturous Texas heat of 110 degree F temperatures. We thoroughly enjoyed waking up to a crisp 42 degree morning, and 82 degree high in the afternoon.

Every morning, my sister, her boyfriend Colby, and I would wake up around 6:30 – 7:00 and head out to run 6 miles (Colby ran about 10 miles) along the Roaring Fork River in Aspen. After returning from our run, we would always be starving. For three days in a row, we (actually my parents…I have to give them credit) made all of us breakfast tacos. I must admit, I have not eaten sausage in over two years. Back in January of 2009, I gave food poisoning to my husband, Matt, from two week old sausage! Poor Matt, I caused him to lose 11 pounds in 12 hours. hehe 🙂 Ever since then, he has not eaten sausage, and I don’t blame him.

I thoroughly enjoyed these breakfast tacos, especially the sausage, every morning! These breakfast tacos were a weeknight “breakfast for dinner” tradition that my family and I enjoyed making while I was growing up. If you want to change up the recipe, you can substitute bacon for sausage, add cheese, salsa, and/or jalapenos if desired. We usually make these breakfast tacos just as you see here. Plain and simple…eggs, sausage, and tortilla.

Enjoy!

P.S. Our hotel, the Hyatt Grand Aspen provides spacious kitchens with Viking appliances, Le Creuset skillets and pans, Wustof knives, a complete place setting of plates, mugs, and cups, and plenty of utensils. This is our favorite place to stay in Aspen… plus it is gorgeous on the inside!