Mexican Chicken Results

Yummm.... I love coming home to an apartment that smells delicious, it's such a good way to end the workday on a good note and always calms me even if its been a bad day.  Last night was no exception.  I got off of work much later than expected, so the chicken was cooking for about 9.5 hours on low.  Thankfully, the broth prevented it from drying out or burning.

When putting everything together in the morning, there was a bit of chicken broth left over, so I just put it in anyway and added a bit more salsa.  After I got home, I heated the oven and shredded the chicken.  The chicken just fell apart, so that only took about 5 minutes, maybe less.  I was starving, so I started eating the chicken while I made the enchiladas :)

I rolled tortillas filled with chicken and cheese and then topped it off with store-bought green enchilada sauce and lots of cheese.  I put it in the oven for about 10 minutes while I cleaned up.

I'd give this recipe an A.  It was a little spicy and very flavorful.  Next time I make it, I'll probably do tacos or something where the flavor comes out more and isn't masked by the sauce on top.  This was cheap, easy, and tasted great.  I love my crockpot!

Adventure 6: Mexican Chicken for Enchilladas

Mexican Chicken for Enchiladas

I've made enchiladas before, but they've always been so much work and a bit underwhelming.  I've always boiled the chicken and then shredded or cut it before putting it into the tortilla.  Shredding literally takes hours, and cutting the chicken into bite sized pieces results in chicken always falling out.  The chicken ends up being very bland, but that's usually masked by the enchilada sauce.  When I found this recipe I was really excited to give it a try.

Ingredients

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup salsa of choice 
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp chili powder (more if you like some heat)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
sea salt and pepper to taste

tortillas (I use flour)
shredded cheese
enchilada sauce

Directions
Put the chicken in the slow cooker.  Add the other ingredients and stir.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours (mine will probably end up in there closer to 9 due to work).

After work I'll shred the chicken, add cheese and wrap in a tortilla.  Then add the sauce (already heated up in a pot on the stove) and more cheese to the top of the enchiladas and throw in the oven for about 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese.

Thai Chicken Results

Throughout your life, teachers, parents, and other authority figures tell you to read instructions and follow directions.  Unfortunately, that has never been my strong suit.  When cooking and not really knowing what you're doing, it's very important to check for extra instructions!

 

When using PB2, you need to mix with water... I did not see that and didn't do it.  I came home to extremely dry and kind of burnt chicken.  The flavor was there and the chicken tasted pretty good, but even after pouring the remaining spoonfuls of sauce over the chicken, it was still dry.  I'll probably try the recipe again, I think with extra liquid in the crockpot it could be really good, but I'd probably have to give this dinner a C-.

Adventure 5: Spicy Thai Chicken

Spicy Thai Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

This recipe sounds extremely easy to prepare.  One of my friends made it and it tasted amazing, so I felt like giving it a try.

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1/3 cup PB2 (reduced fat peanut butter)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup sambal oelek ground chili paste
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
So the night before I added all the ingredients together minus the chicken and cilantro.  I realized my ginger was old and unusable so we're going to see how this tastes without it.  In the morning I cut as much fat as I could from the chicken (it was really gross) and put the chicken in the crockpot, poured the sauce on top, and cooked on low for 8 hours.