Cleanup Is a Breeze With These Crock-Pot Fajitas
Not only are fajitas a family favorite, but as a dish filled with lean meats and veggies, they're healthy too. This dish can be a messy one to make, and when you have limited quality time with your family juggling work and everything else, the last thing you want to do after dinner is scrub grime from your stove. To save cooking and cleanup time, make your chicken fajitas in the Crock-Pot. The chicken and veggies will come out tender and full of flavor.
This recipe requires very little prep work, making it the perfect meal to put together and throw in your Crock-Pot before you head out the door to work.
Total Time: 6 to 8 hours | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 jar mild salsa
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 bell peppers, including yellow, red and green, cut in strips
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
- In a 6-quart Crock-Pot, cover the bottom with the jar of salsa.
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In a small bowl, mix together cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle half the seasonings over the chicken, then turn the chicken over and season the other side. Place the chicken breasts on top of the salsa.
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Top the chicken with garlic, peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the Crock-Pot and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.
- Once cooked, shred the chicken with two forks.
Serve your fajitas with warmed flour tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce and cheese served family style. Your kids will have a fun time creating their own flavor combinations.
Tip
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While this recipe uses chicken, you can easily substitute beef for the chicken. Skirt and flank
steaks work well with the flavors and the slow cooker. But cut the steak into strips before you add it to the Crock-Pot. Be sure to cut these leaner cuts against the grain so the meat remains tender.
* Shrimp is also a delicious protein to fill fajitas. The problem with shrimp is that it cooks quickly, and if overcooked it becomes rubbery and inedible. If you like shrimp fajitas, you can prepare only the veggies portion of the fajitas as directed with the seasonings, and throw in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Use peeled and deveined shrimp. You can also take out some of the veggies before you add the shrimp for any of your vegetarian diners.
References
Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.