One of the things I LOVE about slow cookers is that once you’ve prepped everything and thrown it in the slow cooker your job is done! Well, you do have one more job- you have to eat the food!
If you move a little slow in the mornings like me, you’ll want to do all your chopping and seasoning the night before. Add everything to the slow cooker and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning just plug in the slow cooker and then just go to work. When you get home it’s ready! What could be easier than that?
For me the hardest thing or more tempting thing I should say, is to not let the slow cooker do it’s job. I always want to check on it and stir it around, make sure it’s working. Find excuses to walk into the kitchen and check things out. It worked for me that I left the house to go to work. I get home and I get so excited that I don’t have to be too exhausted to cook because dinner is already (pretty much) ready!
Before you serve the soup you’ll want to remove the chicken and pull apart into smaller pieces. Or you could just leave them whole and eat the stew with huge chunks of chicken, who’s judging? Different strokes for different folks!
If you are one to enjoy the smaller pieces of chicken go ahead and pull it apart and then toss back into the slow cooker to absorb more of that flavor.
I tend to often look for ways to incorporate some type of Mexican taste to a lot of the food I eat. The cilantro, lime, avocado, spiciness. All of that!
Before you prep a bowl of the stew, taste to see if you want more of any of the seasonings or spices. I added in some extra peppers and lime juice to mine but make it however you think you might enjoy it!
Nom nom nom.
Ingredients
- 2 yellow squash, cubed
- 2 zucchini, cubed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 14.5-ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 chicken breast, cut into 4 pieces each
- 1 carton chicken stock (about 4 cups)
- Small yellow onion, diced
- 2 dried chipotle peppers
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Pepper ¼ teaspoon
- Cumin ¼ teaspoon
- Paprika ¼ teaspoon
- Garlic powder ¼ teaspoon
- Chili powder ¼ teaspoon
- Red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon
- Optional toppings:
- Juice from lime wedge
- Cilantro
- Fresh jalapeno
- Avocado slices
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8-12 hours, or high for 5-6 hours.
- About 30 minutes-1 hour before serving, remove chicken from slow cooker and pull apart with a fork. Place back into slow cooker and give a good stir.
- Serve in a bowl with optional toppings.
