but i digress. i left everyone hanging in the middle of getting to know and love my crockpot, but no more! i'm back, with some time on my hands, and let me tell you, dinner tonight was delicious. granted, that wasn't such a surprise - a while back i made this dish...just didn't get around to telling y'all about it. that being said, here's my crockpot take on chicken fajitas.
before it becomes an issue, i realize that this is not "fajitas" in the traditional sense if for no other reason than that the chicken is shredded. don't let that dissuade you. i promise, you won't be disappointed.
the original recipe is:
Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas – from www.stacymakescents.com
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
Squirt of lime juice
Tortillas
Fajita fixings
Combine sliced onion and peppers
in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour
chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder.
Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8
hours. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve
meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.
now. the first time i made this, i followed the recipe pretty closely. today, i kind of winged it because i thought i remembered it. like i said, today's dinner was delicious, but i think i prefer the first version to the more recent. my notes are these: grease the crockpot with olive oil. with the exception of the "spicy" peppers (jalapeño, serrano, habanero - that part comes later), i put all the veggies in under the chicken, so the layering would be oil, veggies, chicken, spices, liquids, "spicy" peppers. i don't remember if i used a white onion or a yellow onion, but that probably really doesn't matter. i used green bell peppers - probably one or two, but i really can't imagine myself using three. i'm just not that wild about bell peppers. not that i don't like them, i just really don't see what the fuss is all about. today, i used two bags of a frozen 3 pepper (red, yellow, and green bells) and onion (white) mixture. great when you're in a hurry, but i would still rather the first way. i'm pretty sure i put in a poblano the first time, too, which i am pretty wild about. i used frozen chicken breasts - i'm still amazed by the fact that you can throw something frozen into a pot and have dinner when you come home. chicken broth, yes - i forgot that today. i've never really measured spices and seasonings in cooking (baking, of course, is another story), so i'll say i put a little bit of salt, a whole lot of cumin, a good bit of black pepper, and some garlic powder, and some chili powder (which i couldn't find this morning). also, instead of a squirt of lime juice, i used a generous amount. let me say this. i will always prefer fresh fill-in-the-blank to what comes in the bottle, but shoot if it doesn't save you a lot of time. and that is the point of the crockpot chronicles, is it not? i did some sliced mushrooms the first time, too, and both times (because this part, for me, is key) i sliced up a fresh jalapeño, a serrano, and a habanero. word to the wise - use a cutting board for this part, don't just slice it over the crockpot, and remember to wash your hands when you're done. speaking from painful experience here. also, if you're not a fan of the spicy but you still want the jalapeño flavor, rib and seed it before it goes in. same with the serrano, but definitely leave out the habanero. takes more time, i know, but i had a house full of runny-nosed people tonight. when it's done, just shred up the chicken. fan. tastic. the first go-round, i just put this chicken/veggie mix on tortillas and it was a big hit - with me and with my parents. today i went a little farther - sour cream, guacamole (that i bought at the store - granted, it was HEB so it was freshly made), pico de gallo (again, thanks, HEB), shredded cheese, and some black refried beans (just a can of goya that i doctored up a bit - if you're curious, let me know).
y'all should definitely try this one out. it has been by far my favorite, and quite healthy as well.
and now to the judges - hey, the olympics are coming up!
- ease of prep - 5 - throw and go. love it.
- multiple parts/same pot - 4 - the store-bought sides are super easy, but those black beans sure were good.
- cooks for 6-8 hours - 5 - set it and forget it.
- crockpot to table ease - 5 - i set everything up assembly-line style tonight and everybody did their own thing before we all sat down.
- freezer leftovers - 5 - i'm glad i made this with something like...three pounds of chicken. - i guess i forgot to add that as one of the changes - but it's great in the freezer. put it in, juice and all, and i'm telling you, the flavor only gets better.
24/25 - told y'all this was my favorite. try it out. let me know how it went for you, whether you prefer the fresh or frozen onions and peppers...all that good stuff. y'all have a great memorial day weekend! my mom and i are off on our traditional girls' trip for this weekend. we plan to eat quite well. i'll tell you all about it when we get back! be safe!
♥ whit
