Pulled Chicken Tacos
Who else is prompted to clean their basement when freezing rain insists on falling on the second weekend in April?
And who else, once downstairs rummaging through the growing pile of stuff that is the even scarier grown-up version of the monster in the basement, finds small appliances they didn’t even realize they had? I discovered that not only did we already own a humidifier – and I didn’t need to go drop $70 for a new one – we do, in fact, have a slow cooker smaller than the big oval 6 quart one I keep hauling out every time I want to cook something slowly.
It’s like Christmas down there, I tell ya. (Likewise for the guys who pick up our recycling this week.)
This has been on my wanna-make list, and so when my mom came over with leftover flour tortillas and guacamole from a weekend dinner party (she made fish ceviche tacos – which are now also on my wanna-make list) this is how I put them to work. This is slow cooking at its most convenient – rather than brown everything before putting it in, which I generally do, you just upend chicken thighs, right out of their package, add salsa and chili powder and garlic in totally imprecise measurements, and turn it on. Once cooked, it pulls apart with a fork – you could do the same with a chunk of pork or beef instead, but I liked the chicken thighs. So did everyone else.
I also love the sort of dinner you can just plunk out in bowls on the table and let everyone assemble themselves. It’s kind of like they’re making their own dinners. Kind of.
Pulled Chicken Tacos
Adapted from Sweet Potato Chronicles
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
1 – 1 1/2 cups salsa
1 Tbsp. chili powder (this sounds hotter than it actually is)
a pinch of saltsoft flour tortillas or hard taco shells
grated cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cilantro, guacamole, sour cream – whatever you likePut the chicken, garlic, salsa, chili powder and salt in the bowl of a slow cooker and toss with tongs to combine everything; set it on low for 6-8 hours.
Pull the chicken apart with two forks and serve with flour tortillas or taco shells and your choice of additions. Serves 6.
April 09 2013 | chicken & turkey and slow cooker | 8 Comments »
