Say Yes to Busy Nights! Crock-Pot Chicken Enchiladas to the Rescue!

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The first time I made these amazing chicken enchiladas was back in February, while covering for a co-worker on maternity leave, and coming right off a week long ski trip to my entire sales team in town! I was extra busy and needed to learn to lean on my Crock-Pot. I have always thought of Crock-Pot meals as 1. Heavy 2. Unhealthy 3. Fat 4. Hokey Midwestern (no offense). In the last 12 months, my opinion on this incredible kitchen appliance has completely shifted, especially after reading this inspiring Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe. So after eight years of being used solely to make my specialty football season queso, we are now using our crockpot on a regular basis. This recipe is the current favorite in our household.

Crock-Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • Chicken breast per person
  • Can black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • Can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • Can mexi-corn (drained and rinsed)
  • 1-2 chopped jalapeños
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 cup water
  • 10oz can enchilada sauce
  • 2 tbsp hot chili spice
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • Option- 1 cup dry quinoa

Recipe:

  • Spray Crock-Pot with Pam
  • Put everything (except chicken in Crock-Pot) and stir
  • Add chicken (I would stab it a few times, so it incorporates all the flavors)
  • Cook on low for the 9-5 work day, or on high for 3-4 hours

My 3-year-old was able to pour all the ingredients (except the chicken) into the Crock-Pot this morning. I’m all about empowering kids to cook, and he is so proud when I let him run the show!

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I ran to the market after work to buy Funfetti cake mix for my daughter’s smash cake this weekend and saw a stack of tostadas out of the corner of my eye. So tonight, we have fully branched out. We made…Chicken Enchilada Huevos Rancheros. I mean. Oh. My. Gah. I had to try it. My husband was skeptical but went all in. We did two tostadas stacked (with just a little bit of the deliciousness in between, then more on top; then topped with a salt and peppered egg over easy, diced avocado, pickled jalapeno, and mexi-cheese.

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If you’re ever in a rush or need to bring dinner to a new momma, impress a girl, or feed a group, definitely give this a shot. In taco form or served up fancy, this meal has never let us down, and is always sure to impress! Can’t wait to find our next Crock-Pot favorite!

Katie Livingston

I am a New England girl who has bounced between Connecticut and North Carolina her whole life! Raised by busy parents and with 3 siblings, we often ate very simple meals together, and would come together on Sundays after church for a big meal. In the summers we would head out to a small town in Rhode Island, where there are no chain restaurants. That really established my attitude that it is so important to support small business and source locally grown products. Even to my pre-teen self, you got to know the restaurant owners and their success made you proud! The majority of my developmental jobs were in the restaurant industry. I scooped ice cream. I made sandwiches. I worked in the kitchen at a summer camp, doing hundreds of dishes a night! I managed a snack bar, waited tables, served. Through all these years it instilled many simple and critical habits. How you plate a meal. How it should taste. How you treat people. How the quality of the food is the most important thing. Today, I am happily married with two kids and a full-time job, commuting about an hour a day. We still love eating out and have established a “family date night” every Friday night. It’s our time to come together and breathe. Our kids are 2 and 6 months. We eat at 5:30 – it doesn’t matter how fancy the restaurant is if you go early enough! This gives my husband and me the opportunity to try out new restaurants. It gives us time with the kids and each other without any distractions. We feel normal and fun! The rest of the week I try to get a healthy dinner on the table every night. I love looking at recipes and tweaking them! There’s a lot of crock pot meals and meal prepping. It’s so much fun! I’m so excited to be joining the Girls on Food community and sharing recipe ideas and fun restaurants in and around Raleigh, NC! Follow me on Instagram @RealFood2015 for my day to day!

1 Comment

  1. Marji Gabert-Milam

    November 15, 2016

    Oh my gosh, this is one I definitely have to try. It looks amazing. Thanks for posting.

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