Chicken Salsa Crockpot Goodness

I got this recipe from one of my friends, Brittany. I absolutely love it! And it is SOOOO incredibly easy that there are no excuses NOT to have it! (okay, if you don't have a crockpot, that's a good reason.... go borrow one :p)

-- 4-5 FROZEN boneless, skinless chicken breasts (isn't that great? FROZEN - you can use any part of the chicken you want, but boneless, skinless would be best)

-- 16 oz. jar of salsa (we prefer medium but you can use what you want)

-- 1 can drained black beans (here's a trick for you - drain what you can, then put some water in the can, shake a bit, drain, repeat until the water is pretty much clear... that'll be good enough - and you don't have to get a strainer or sieve out!)

-- 1 can drained corn

-- 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

Put the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot. Pour entire jar of salsa on top, then add the drained cans of black beans and corn. Cook in the crock pot on high for 4 hours (or on low for 8). 30 minutes before it's finished cooking, fork apart the chicken and put the cream cheese on top of the mixture. Let it soften, then mix everything together and ENJOY!

Helpful hint (for me, at least): take the chicken breast out to fork it apart. It's so much easier for me this way! I want it shredded pretty finely, so that's one more reason to take it out. Make sure you replace the lid while you're doing this. An unbelievable amount of heat is released when you take that lid off and slows the cooking process... at this point, you're just working to melt the cheese into the mixture, but you want all the heat you can get, right?) Put your chicken back in, put the cream cheese in there, let it sit for half an hour and then YUM!!!

We eat this with chips (like a salsa dip), on tortillas, or on rice. It's SO yummy! And it makes a lot so you can freeze it or have lots of leftovers/lunches! It's just as good when you reheat it in the microwave, too.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I think random recipes sounds better. :)

This is a recipe I got from my mom and adapted by adding shredded chicken to it.  It is actually made like a casserole - in layers - instead of rolled up in the tortillas.  However, you could wrap them up and make them that way if you'd like.  I like the casserole version because it's super fast and easy!

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

About 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped

1 pint sour cream

1 medium chopped onion 

1 Lg. can and 1 Sm. can of chopped/diced green chiles

2 can Cream of Chicken soup (not diluted)

Mix and season these ingredients to taste with salt, pepper, garlic salt, season-all, etc.  

2 lbs. grated cheddar cheese (I like medium or sharp, you can use whatever you'd like)

Pkg. flour tortillas (I like to buy a large package and use the remaining tortillas for other yummy treats, but it doesn't take very many for the casserole.)

Put into casserole dish in layers:

tortilla

mixture

cheese

repeat

Last night, we also added chopped tomatoes to one side of it and they added a nice flavor.  Feel free to add things and mix it up to make it how you like!

Cook to 16o˚ in the microwave (with a probe) or

At 400˚ in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until done.

And enjoy!  It's delicious!

Definitions:

chop: to cut into small pieces

shred: to tear into small pieces, especially small strips

"season to taste": add seasons to acquire a particular taste or flavor, especially one that you enjoy