So I have posted several times on Facebook about this really great crockpot recipe I've been making. It's become a weekly regular on our meal plan, for Taco Tuesday. Andrew requested these chipotle lime chicken tacos again when we were planning meals out on Sunday, and I was happy to acquiesce to his request!
I have had multiple people ask me for the recipe, and rather than continue typing it out in emails, I decided to just put it here in case anyone else wanted it. It's an easy recipe, but it DOES take slightly more prep work than your average crockpot recipe. Still only takes about 10-15 minutes of prep work, though, so that's not too bad. The first time I made it I followed the recipe almost completely to the letter, and I have since made adjustments that are pretty perfect, haha, if I do say so myself. Well actually, don't just take it from me: Andrew told me last night it's "one of the best-tasting things that has ever come out of our kitchen." It's THAT good. And the beauty of it is, you can alter some ingredients if you want, and turn the heat up or down depending on your tolerance for spice.
Before starting this recipe, I HIGHLY recommend making a jar of special spice mix. If you cook in the crockpot a lot, this is an essential mix that can be used in ANYTHING. It's also a great meat rub when grilling up chicken or making turkey meatballs (a personal fave of ours) or just about anything. It needs some heat, so make it however spicy you would like. Andrew has his own blend, and I cannot divulge EVERY ingredient here (he's secretive, haha) but I can give you a great base and you can add seasonings as desired. You want to mix up the following:
Cumin
Paprika
Salt
Ground black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Powdered chipotle pepper
Adding any dried/ground herbs you love would also make a great addition. You almost can't mess this up, haha. BUT! A blend of these (and other) spices are what really pump this recipe up to the level it's at, so I highly recommend starting here. This will be your primary source of heat for the "chipotle" part of "chipotle lime" chicken tacos. =)
Now, to how to prepare the recipe. Get some water boiling in a small pot right off the bat. While it's coming to a boil, chop up 3-4 whole carrots (peeled first, obviously) to very small pieces, a little smaller than dime-sized. You need about a cup of these. Once they are chopped and the water is boiling, put them in the pot, and turn the heat down to just lightly simmer while you prep other things. The purpose of this is to help soften the carrots. If you throw them in with everything else, they will still be pretty crunchy when it's time to eat, and we tried them both crunchy and softened, and softened is WAAAAAAAAY better. They end up absorbing the juices and spices really well and become one of the best ingredients in there. So, if you prefer a crunchier carrot, you can skip this step and just fine-chop them and set them aside.
Prepare about the same amount of celery, also small pieces. Set aside.
You will need about 2-4 boneless skinless (thawed) chicken breasts. Costco has HUGE ones, so you can get away with just two. But if they are normal size, 3 or 4 will be best. Season these lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. We add about 1/2-1 teaspoon of the special spice mix to each side as well, rubbing it in to ensure it is coated evenly. If you like it less spicy, just do a light sprinkle and rub in. But seasoning the chicken in SOME way with this is important.
At this point, go ahead and drain your carrots. Place them and the chopped celery on the bottom of the crockpot, and carefully arrange the chicken breasts over the veggies.
Now time for the sauce. It's pretty simple, and seems kind of gross. But trust me: it becomes this amazing delicious sauce that just goes PERFECTLY with the chicken and veggies. In a separate bowl, you need a 15 ounce can of plain tomato sauce. To that, you need to add 1-2 cans of your bean of choice. We do a can and a half (1 is too little, 2 is too much) and we just save the other half a can to toss in with a salad or other dinner later in the week (beans can bulk up just about anything and are SO good for you). We also use Bush's great northern beans because I prefer the white beans (I also like butter beans). You can use any beans you like: black, kidney, whatever. But drain and rinse them, and add to the tomato sauce. You will also need to use the juice of three large limes. The fastest way if you don't have a small citrus juicer is to just cut them in half, poke a fork inside each half and twist with one hand while squeezing with the other hand. The three limes will make the sauce thinner, but it's all good: promise. You will also want to add 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The original recipe calls for them to be minced and added to the sauce, so if you don't mind that then go ahead and do that. I, however, do NOT like that, haha. I just chop them into 2 or 3 big chunks each, and toss them in the sauce. This way they impart flavor, but I don't have to munch on a hot pepper, haha. Also, if you can get 1/2-1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce in there, it will really amp up the smoky/spicy flavor. If you think it will already be spicy enough, leave it out. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be a wimp about spice. And I make it this "spicy" and it's not too bad. A good heat that lingers just while you're eating, and then it fades. Plus it mellows out when you refrigerate it so you want to amp it up a bit that first day. You can always add sour cream on top later to balance the heat out. Here I add about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix, as well as a sprinkling of additional garlic and onion powders, salt, and ground black pepper. I have seen a Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning that I'm curious to try in there, but haven't yet. Feel free to try it and let me know what you think!
Normally my last ingredient in the sauce is a drained can of sweet corn. BUT! Last night we roasted corn on the grill and cut it from the cob, and mixed it into everything JUST before serving. This was BY FAR the best way to add the corn. However, you CAN add a drained can of corn to the sauce if you would like.
Mix your sauce up, and pour it evenly over your chicken and veggies. You can either cook it on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours. After 3 hours on high (or 6 hours on low), you will want to pull the chicken out to shred it. We bought these bear claw-like meat shredders on Amazon for less than $15, they make short work of shredding meat. However, two forks will get the job done here. Once shredded, place back in the crockpot, and turn the heat to low. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, uncovered.
As I said earlier, at the moment you are ready to serve, I have found that adding freshly grilled corn straight off the cob to this mixture and stirring is the best way to use the corn. Or you can just add drained sweet corn from the can here. It retains its sweetness when you don't cook it in there.
You are ready to assemble your tacos! First things first, cut up a fresh lime and squeeze a little on top of your taco (after you've spooned a little chicken mixture in, of course). This really accents the lime already in there and gives it this wonderful freshness. We then add a bit of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Goes well against the heat. You could also dice up an avocado and some cilantro. Andrew likes to spoon this mixture over lettuce and make a taco salad.
You could also leave the chicken un-shredded and serve it over rice.
When serving, the juice will be pretty runny. You can use a slotted spoon to get the food into your taco, but don't dispose of the juice. It thickens up when you refrigerate it and it's absolutely AMAZING as leftovers.
If you're a fan of onions and bell peppers, you could saute those lightly before hand (like when you boil the carrots) and put those in the bottom of the crockpot, too. Go crazy, be creative. Just make sure it's got some heat and the lime flavor, and you can't go wrong! Let me know if you make it and any changes/additions you made. I hope you enjoy it!! =)
No comments:
Post a Comment