Chicken Tacos (left over roast chicken)

25 Oct 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish Tags: ,

The night after I made this roast chicken I made some of the left overs into filling for some tacos.  They were delicious!  You have total creative control here-I just used what I had on hand.

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Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup left over chicken, shredded or chopped into small bits (I used white meat only)
  • 3 tbsp low sodium chicken broth
  • a pinch to a dash of cayenne pepper, ancho chili powder, ground cumin and chiotle chili powder
  • 2 small soft taco shells
  • toppings like avodaco, fat free sour cream, salsita hot sauce, lettuce, grated monterey jack or cheddar cheese etc..

Instructions:

  1. In a small sauce pan set over medium heat add the broth and chicken. Add the spices and cook until the broth is evaporated, the chicken is still moist and is hot. It will take maybe 10 minutes.  Stir it occasionally.
  2. Warm the tacos in the microwave the top with the chicken and any other toppings you may like.
  3. Enjoy!

This made 2 pretty stuffed tacos.

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My Taco Seasoning

21 May 2013 3 Comments

by sparksfromthekitchen in Seasoning Tags: ,

The packet stuff is ok but I made my own.  Adjust to your own taste and use as much or as little as you’d like.

  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp white pepper
  • 1/8 tsp hot paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
  • 1/8 tsp dried cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning

This makes enough to use to season 2 lbs. of meat.

Santa Fe Chicken in the Slow Cooker

25 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Freezer, Holiday, Lunch, Main Dish, Prep-Ahead, Freeze then Cook, Slow Cooker, Thaw/Reheat & Serve Tags: , , , ,

It’s official. I love my slow cooker. I was looking around online for a new recipe and came across a chicken recipe for the slow cooker. I adapted it a bit and the recipe below was born.  Really easy and super tasty.  The chicken in this recipe was really nice and moist, easy to shred and the veggies, herbs and spices are just right for a great balance of taste. 

I like that this can be made in either 6 hours or 10 hours (great for weeknights after work). I would assume it freezes well but we didn’t have enough left to try.

I made a burrito/taco bar including sliced avocado, sliced tomato, lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa and large tortillas.  Husband at his like tacos and I made burritos out of mine and put them on the panini press to heat and make the tortilla crunchy.  YUM! I had 2. I was a pig. But  they’re GOOD!  And since it’s pretty low cal and low fat and since I used fat free sour cream and low fat cheddar cheese I didn’t feel so bad.

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Santa Fe Chicken for the Slow Cooker

Chicken Ingredients
  • 1&1/2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken breast
  • 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
  • 4 oz can green chilies
  • 10 oz frozen corn
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • salt to taste

Toppings:

  • Fat free Sour Cream
  • Low Fat Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated
  • Ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
  • Avocado, sliced thin
  • Salsa
  • Cilantro

Instructions:

  1. Place everything except the chicken listed in the ‘chicken ingredients’ in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
  2. Place the chicken on top of the combined ingredients.
  3. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.  30 minutes before serving shred the chicken with 2 forks (you don’t need to remove the chicken from the cooker-just stick your forks in and shred). Stir it all back together and let it all come together for the remaining 30 minutes.
  4. While the chicken is finishing cooking prepare the taco/burrito bar and lay out toppings.
  5. Serve on tortillas with toppings.

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Adapted from skinnytaste.com.

Shredded Beef Tacos-slow cooker

13 Dec 2012 1 Comment

by sparksfromthekitchen in Lunch, Main Dish, Slow Cooker Tags: ,

Yummy yummy yummy!!! I love tacos. I love tacos even more when the beef has been cooking all day, the house smells awesome, and there’s creamy avocado, tangy sour cream, bright red tomatoes, oniony scallions and cheese on the taco. It’s like a bite of heaven.

I’m a big fan of the Skinnyms website. They have great recipies and hey-why not eat a healthy version of something delicious that won’t make you pop the button on your pants?

Taco

Shredded Beef Tacos-slow cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 lb chuck roast
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can green chilies, drained
  • 1 small onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup lime juice-1 lime
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper

For taco assembly:

  • Shredded (not pre-shredded) cheddar and monterey jack cheese
  • A super-ripe tomato sliced, seeds and watery parts removed
  • Avocado-sliced
  • Scallions-chopped
  • Fat free sour cream

Directions

Place the onions, chilies and garlic in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Season the beef with salt and pepper on all sides and place on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the tomato sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Pour the spice mixture over the beef and cover.  The beef will not be completely covered-and it’s ok.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, then keep warm until serving.

Once the beef is cooked and tender, use two forks to shred the beef. If there’s any fat bits floating in the mixture pull them out with a spider and discard. Stir the beef with the cooking juices and keep warm in the slow cooker until ready to serve.

This makes a ton of meat for tacos. I bought carb-balance Mission Tortillas (the small ones) and nuked them in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them up then set up the assembly line-tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado and beef.  Other ideas too: chipotle sauce, hot sauce, lettuce etc…

The beef also reheats really well for left overs. I had myself a nice lunch at the office the next day.

Recipe adapted from: http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-mexican-shredded-beef/