Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili

I know I posted this a couple months ago, but it's so good that I thought I'd share it again :-)  This was my husband's bowl, there's a little cheese, some tortilla chips strips (they're supposed to be for salads, but they worked well with this) and a bit of sour cream.

Ingredients

 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans no salt added stewed tomatoes

1 can chili beans, undrained

1 can green chili peppers, undrained

6 ounces frozen corn

1 packet taco seasoning

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with visible fat removed

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a crock pot. Lay the chicken breasts on top and cook for six to eight hours on high. If it looks a little dry add a small can of tomato sauce. About 30 minutes before serving, take out the chicken and cut or shred into small pieces.

Nutritional Info


Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 300.0

Total Fat: 2.6 g

Cholesterol: 53.3 mg

Sodium: 1,520.1 mg

Total Carbs: 47.9 g

Dietary Fiber: 10.9 g

Protein: 29.4 g

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken over Grits

These is a great recipe for trying to sneak in a little more veggies into your diet.  The grits have some pumpkin in them, but because of the rest of the flavor in the dish you can't taste it.  My husband made the comment that this is great for the cold days we've been having.  And the slow cooker makes this a great dish for when you don't know when everyone's going to be ready for dinner.  Just make get the chicken started and whenever you're ready the grits only take a few minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 1/4 cups water

1 cup quick cooking grits

1 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup shedded cheddar cheese

1 can no sodium chopped tomatoes

Directions

Combine 1/2 cup chicken broth, the barbecue sauce, chili powder, can of tomatoes (including liquid) and cinnamon in a slow cooker. Whisk to make sure everything is combined. Add the chicken and cook on low for five and half hours. Using two forks, shred chicken and let cook for another 30 minutes while you cook the grits.
In a large sauce pan, bring the remaining chicken broth and water to a boil. Stir in the grits and pumpkin. Lower the temperature and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the cheese.
To serve, place the grits in a bowl and top with the chicken mixture. If you would like, you can top with sour cream, green onions and/or cilantro (these haven't been calculated in the nutritional info.)

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 310.2

• Total Fat: 4.1 g
• Cholesterol: 47.5 mg
• Sodium: 859.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 46.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.3 g
• Protein: 22.5 g

Crispy Chili Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries

Tonight's is relatively easy, crispy chili lime chicken, sweet potato fries and broccoli.  I cheated a little bit with the chicken and instead of adding the chili powder and lime zest like it says in the recipe, I just used Pampered Chef's Chili Lime powder.   When I took the chicken out at the halfway point I added the fries to the baking sheet and threw it back in the oven.  The broccoli was just the microwave steamable frozen stuff, so that went in the microwave a few minutes before the chicken and fries were done.  Everything was done at the same time, which is always nice when it happens.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lime zest
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine the panko bread crumbs, lime zest and chili powder in a large, flat bowl. Place the chicken breast in the bowl, one at a time, and press the crumbs onto the chicken. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Turn over and bake for an additonal 25 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is fully cooked before serving.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 2
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 263.3

• Total Fat: 4.6 g
• Cholesterol: 90.0 mg
• Sodium: 147.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 21.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 34.5 g





Ingredients

2 Sweet Potatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400.
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into thick strips. Put in a plastic bag without holes with the cumin and garlic salt. Shake bag to throughly coat the fries. Arrange on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes (depending on thickness), flipping halfway through.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 92.4

• Total Fat: 0.9 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 31.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 20.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
• Protein: 2.1 g

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

Like I said the other day, I love slow cooker recipes.  On days like today when I have errands and chores and homework to get done, it's a little reassuring to know that I'm not going to have to worry about making dinner.  Tonight's experiement was Chicken Coconet Curry, though you couldn't really taste the coconut much.  Next time I think I'll sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top of it and maybe some green onions for color.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 large red pepper, chopped
3 large green onions (scallions), chopped
1 can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons curry powder

Directions

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for six to eight hours. Serve over rice (not included in nutritional info).

Makes Four Servings

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 255.9

• Total Fat: 6.8 g
• Cholesterol: 45.0 mg
• Sodium: 481.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 32.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g
• Protein: 20.7 g

Cheesy Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta

There isn't actually ranch in this, but the combination of spices make it taste ranchish.  And I know there's only two slices of bacon in this (my husband's only complaint), but I wanted just enough to flavor it and keep the calories and fat down.  I also tried some zuchini fritters, but kinda failed on them.  I'll try them again soon.

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta (penne, bowtie or macaroni)

3 slices centercut bacon

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder and dill

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the directions.
In another pan cook the bacon until crispy, remove the bacon and dice it, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the chicken to the pan and cook in the bacon drippings until done.
Remove the chicken and melt the butter in the same pan. Sprinkle the flour and seasonings over and whisk until while blended. Slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth. Let it come to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat and allow to thicken for about five more minutes. Combine 3/4 cup of cheese, 1/2 the bacon, chicken and pasta with the sauce. Transfer to a greased 8x8 pan, top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Broil until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 412.4

• Total Fat: 10.1 g
• Cholesterol: 58.6 mg
• Sodium: 450.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 51.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g
• Protein: 30.9 g

Chicken Taco Chili (crock pot recipe)

I love crock pot recipes, usually all you have to do is throw some stuff in it and turn it on.  Plus if you have several people eating at different times, crock pots are a great way to allow everyone to eat something healthy whenever.

Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans no salt added stewed tomatoes

1 can chili beans, undrained

1 can green chili peppers, undrained

6 ounces frozen corn

1 packet taco seasoning

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with visible fat removed

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a crock pot. Lay the chicken breasts on top and cook for six to eight hours on high. If it looks a little dry add a small can of tomato sauce. About 30 minutes before serving, take out the chicken and cut or shred into small pieces.

Nutritional Info


Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 300.0

Total Fat: 2.6 g

Cholesterol: 53.3 mg

Sodium: 1,520.1 mg

Total Carbs: 47.9 g

Dietary Fiber: 10.9 g

Protein: 29.4 g