As a follow up to my recent wellness posts Nutrition Before & After Cancer, and Living Beyond Breast Cancer Twitter Chat: Making Healthy Eating Doable, I wanted to take a moment to talk about easy meals. In order to eat healthy during the week, you have to find meals that you can make easily. There is a time and place for gourmet meals with a million ingredients, but ain’t nobody got time for that after a long workday. Crock pot meals are one of my favorite ways to achieve a healthy result without a lot of work. Crock pot meals are also a great way to cook a large amount of food without any additional effort.

Since I have heard many people express concerns about finding easy, healthy & delicious crock pot meals, I am sharing my favorite, Crock Pot Chicken Chili. My version is an adaptation of the Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili from Skinnytaste. This recipe is a family favorite, lovingly referred to as “crock pot chicken”. Usually I will make this on a Sunday and we’ll eat it multiple days during the week or have it for lunches. It reheats well and is very filling. If there is any left over at the end of the week,  I will freeze it to have on hand for last minute dinners.

Our favorite way to serve this chili is with Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce and sour cream. It is also great with chips, rice, and/or cheese. My hubby likes to eat his with saltines. This recipe is so easy, even the most kitchen challenged will find it a success. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 3lbs Frozen Chicken
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Can Rotel
• 1 Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Packet Taco Seasoning (or make your own using the SkinnyTaste Recipe)
• 1 Can corn (or frozen corn)
• Garlic Salt (to taste)
• Tabasco Hot Sauce (optional)
• Light Sour Cream (optional)

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in the crock pot, starting with the frozen chicken breasts
• Stir ingredients to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed
• Set crock pot to low and cook for 8 hours
• Remove and shred the chicken breasts. When fully cooked, the chicken is easy to shred with a fork, but I like to use a mixer. It’s even easier.
• Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot and stir into the mixture
• Cook for an additional 30 minutes
• Season with garlic salt
• Top with Chipotle Hot Sauce and light sour cream and enjoy. This combination adds a deliciously creamy and smoky taste.

Look out for my next recipe coming soon, Pad Thai Zoodles.