I’m very often looking for two things: a new twist on Taco Tuesday and a simple crockpot recipe. This single recipe from The Defined Dish satisfies both. Maybe it’s the pickled jalapeño slaw, but this doesn’t taste like a run of the mill bbq sandwich, but it also definitely doesn’t taste like your standard taco which means it’s perfect for a twisted Taco Tuesday.
For the chicken, place 1/2 a sliced red onion along the bottom of a slow cooker, along with 3 cloves garlic (minced), 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Pour 1/2 chicken broth over the onions and stir in a can of green chiles, ½ cup of bbq sauce (I used Stubbs), and the juice from half a lime (or the whole lime depending on how juicy). Give it another good stir and place 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs among the onions. NOTE: I didn’t have quite this much chicken but still used almost that much liquid – use your eyeballs. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. While the chicken cooks (or just before serving – I’m not sure what your weeknight schedule looks like; the point is, this part doesn’t take long but it could be done in advance if you want) make your slaw. Combine 1 clove of garlic (minced), 2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp brine from a jar of pickled jalapeños, 1/4 c. chopped pickled jalapenos, a big squeeze of fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine the dressing and toss in slaw mix and a very large handful of cilantro (chopped). When you’re ready to eat, shred the chicken and serve with the slaw, some shredded cheese, and avocado.
Because my new job is fully in-office, I did the crockpot portion of the cooking overnight. I woke up 10 minutes early on Tuesday morning to shred the chicken, put it in the fridge, and clean out the slow cooker. It made supper that much easier. I also think that using chicken thighs made the chicken that much better. chicken in the slow cooker is always tender but the thighs are on another level. Typically I don’t love red onion, but when they’re cooked down forever with the chicken like this, they have some real good flavor to ’em. Any leftover chicken is particularly good in a rice bowl with some black beans and corn, just sayin.
Peaches to Apples 