Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Chicken Taco Salad

Easiest salad ever and so so good!!!  We were craving some mexican the other night so I randomly thought up this idea and luckily had the stuff to make it!  It was so tasty that we ended up making it again last night for dinner...a rare thing to repeat meals within two weeks in our house.  My friend Lauren posted this great convenient (& healthy) way to cook chicken so I used her method the second time I made it and loved it!  That is how I will share below.  Its a great way to cook chicken for any mexican dish, casserole, or really just anytime something calls for shredded chicken!  It made the chicken so tender and moist.


Chicken Taco Salad
yields two salads with leftovers for another salad or quesadillas!

2 to 3 chicken breasts
1 to 2 cups chicken or veggie broth (or use water to dilute it as I did)
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I keep the leftovers from a can in my freezer in a ziploc for easy use in dishes like this)
garlic powder, chili powder, cumin (or other seasonings)
1 head red leaf lettuce (or romaine, etc.)
cherry or grape tomatoes
diced red onion
shredded cheese
3/4 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
salsa of choice (we used a red & a green salsa)
ranch dressing
cilantro

Place fresh or frozen chicken breasts in crock pot and cover most of the way with broth (or water).  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Remove chicken from crock pot and shred with tongs or a fork.  (The peppers are very spicy so start with one at first.)  Dice chipotle pepper and mix into chicken.  Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, etc. 

Chop lettuce and add to bowls.  Top with chicken once its cooled a bit so your lettuce doesn't wilt too much!  Top with remaining toppings.  You will only have to use a little ranch as the salsa acts as a dressing as well!

7 comments:

  1. So glad you liked the chicken method!! :) Looks yummy!

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  2. Yum!! I love te recipes on your blog!!

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    1. thank you! thanks for commenting - glad to have found a new blog to follow!

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  3. I clicked over to your blog from a comment you left of Tales of the Trees. The name Jourdan intrigued me because I had a friend in middle school with the same spelling and I'd never seen anyone else with it that way. I don't think you're her, but I thought I'd leave you a comment because my name is Jordan Leigh, and I'm also 26 :) As I was typing that sentence I realized the irony that I clicked over to your blog and got excited about our similarities after reading Megan's post about people's differences... sigh.

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    1. that is too funny about our names! A couple of months ago I met a girl checking me out at Sam's club that spelled her name the same way as mine, but that was the first one ever! We were both very excited to have found eachother haha! Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Hi Jourds!
    I wanted to share another simple and excellent way to make chicken to use in Mexican dishes. Just put about 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless breast or tenders in your crockpot. Sprinkle one package of taco seasoning over them. Then pour about a cup or so of your favorite salsa on top. That's it! You don't even have to stir it. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours (less if using tenders). When done, just shred right in the pot with two forks. It just falls apart. I know you guys like a little more heat, so you could add whatever you like to make it spicier. You can use this for any recipes that call for Mexican seasoned chicken. Love you and miss you and can't wait to see your bump. You and Corey are going to be the best parents! I'm beside myself with happiness for you all. Give Corey a hug for me! P.S. One day when we move back to Indy, you and I should open a bakery. Just sayin'. :)

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  5. That is a great idea! One of my friends suggested cooking chicken in the crockpot with chicken broth or even water over low to get shredded chicken. Its so easy and I love this idea. I just have to remember to set the crock pot in the morning! :) We miss you guys so much too and hopefully will get to see you soon! Thank you so much! And I love the idea to open a bakeshop - sounds fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!

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