Right now, we are in the midst of moving. Our home is filled with boxes and we are in various phases of completion in each room. A good portion of the kitchen is already packed, but I left out a few key items to keep handy until the day before we move. The crock pot, rice cooker, baby bullet blender, muffin tins and a few pots and pans are the things I have left to work with. In addition to being limited to these few items, I’m on a mission to use up as many items in the pantry as I can to avoid having to pack it all.
I’ve been searching for easy recipes I can use with my resources on hand and have stumbled across a few new yummy recipes. The requirements for me right now are the following:
- Must be quick to prep. I need as much as my free time (nap time) for packing.
- Must not require me to buy large quantities of an item and therefor have to pack more items. (I hate it when a recipe requires you to use 1/4 of a teaspoon of some hard to find/expensive ingredient.)
- Must be able to use in multiple ways.
Using the rules above and my favorite cook book (Pinterest) I found this recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken on the The Real Food Dietitians that is AMAZING!!! No joke – I’ve made it three times in the past week. It takes less than five minutes to prep, cooks in the crock pot in six hours, tastes delicious and is so versatile. We’ve used it for tacos, quesadillas (for Ryder), sandwiches, burrito bowls, etc. I’m sure they would make delicious enchiladas and I can’t wait to try making them, but I’ve already packed our baking pans.
My favorite way to eat it is over white rice with spicy black beans, chopped avocado and sprinkled with Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning. While preparing the chicken, I just add the rice and water to my rice cooker and in the last 20 minutes, turn on rice cooker. If you don’t use a rice cooker, I highly suggest the Black and Decker Rice Cooker Plus. I use ours so often and cook everything from quinoa to steel cut oats in it. Clean up in simple and it frees up the stove top.
I also think the chicken taste delicious on top of a corn thin with mashed avocado and sprinkled with Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning. I am addicted to these Corn Thins. I use them in place of bread or tortillas for everything. It’s like a rice cake, but flavorful and sturdy. With only 22 calories per thin, I usually have several each meal.
The chicken is perfect for taco night. Just chop up your favorite toppings and dinner is served. Lou prefers burritos over tacos, so it’s an easy way for us to just build our own. I prefer cabbage, greek yogurt and avocado with mine.
It’s also so yummy, I can eat it just plain. I get so sick of eating chicken all the time. This really gives it a lot of flavor. The recipe calls for a mix of chicken breasts and thighs. The thighs give it that extra oomph of flavor. If you’re in a calorie deficit, swap out the thighs for a total of 2lb chicken breasts and you’ll cut a little fat and calories. The sauce brings in so much flavor, you’ll hardly miss the added fat.
Lastly, the best part about this recipe it you can pick up everything at Trader Joe’s and who doesn’t love an excuse to stop at Trader Joe’s? Don’t forget to pick up some chocolate covered goodness on the way out.
Let me know how you use the salsa verde chicken.
Ingredients
- 1lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1lb. Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 16oz. jar salsa verde (love Trader Joe’s brand)
- 1 8oz can fire roasted chopped green chilis
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
- Add chicken to crock pot. Add seasonings, green chilis and jar of salsa. seasonings.
- Cook in the crock pot on low for 6 hours.
- Remove chicken from liquid and shred with two forks. return to liquid and mix.
- Devour. Save some for hubby.
Macros
Salsa Verde Chicken (serves 6):
322 calories / 44g protein / 8g carbs / 11g fat
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