Slow Cooker Chicken Mix :: Use for Quesadillas, Salads, Burritos, Nachos, Chicken Casserole, Tex-Mex Soup, Baked Potatoes or Chicken Tacos!

Behold: The Holy Grail of Crock Pot recipes!  This chicken mix has everything you want in a Slow Cooker recipe AND you can use the resulting mixture in at least EIGHT different dishes.  Make extras and feast All. Week. Long.

Slow Cooker Chicken Mix

Why I love this recipe:

1. Quick and Easy!
2. Can be frozen before OR after the meal has been cooked!
3. Cost effective!
4. Multiple meals can be made out of 1 dish!
5. Healthy AND flavorful!  (And both my boys eat it without any complaints!)
6. No need to thaw out meat!

If you’d like for this recipe to be a freezer crockpot meal, simply place all ingredients into a freezer bag and then freeze.  When you’re ready to cook this dish, empty the frozen contents into the crock-pot and cook on Med for 6-8 hrs.

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 LBS FROZEN chicken (if using thawed, cut cook time down by 2 hrs)
16 OZ your favorite salsa
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn (or a bag of frozen corn)
1 C. chicken broth OR 1 chicken bouillon cube and 1 C. water
1 pkg Ranch dip OR 2 TBS of the mix from the larger container (larger container is more cost effective)
2 pkgs Taco Seasoning OR 4 TBS of the mix from the larger container (more cost effective)

Throw all ingredients into the crockpot and give a quick stir.  It will look like you need more water. Don’t add any. It’ll make it’s own juices after a couple of hours.  Cook on medium for 4-6 hrs or low for 6-8.  Once you’re ready to serve, remove the chicken and shred.  It should be so moist that it just falls apart.  Add shredded chicken back to the crock-pot and give a quick stir.

Once cooled I make dinner, and put roughly 2 cups of the mixture into a container to make a different meal for the next day.  Then I put the remaining mixture into Ziploc freezer bags, roughly 2 C. portions and freeze.

Now for the dinner variations:

Loaded Potato – Pop a couple potatoes in the microwave.  Once they are soft to touch, remove from the microwave. Cut in half and then stuff with the chicken mixture!  Top with cheese and sour cream.

Chicken quesadilla – Heat up the skillet.  Place 1 tortilla in the bottom of the pan.  Spread a thin layer of the chicken mixture (make sure it’s drained), top with cheese, then another tortilla.  Make sure your skillet is about medium heat as tortillas burn easily.  Flip the quesadilla over after about 1-2 mins.  Then remove after the other side has been crisped for 1-2 mins.  Then cut into fourths!

Nachos – Place some tortilla chips on a plate.  Layer the mixture on the top.  Then top with your favorite nacho toppings!  Olives, sour cream, cheese, onions, peppers, etc

Soft or Hard shell tacos – Place some of the mixture in the bottom of the shell.  Add on some lettuce, tomato, cheese, and salsa.

My favorite…

Fiesta Salad – I use pre-packaged spring mix.  In a bowl put some salad mix, then top with COLD chicken mixture, olives, cheese, and salsa!  Best salad ever!

Chicken burritos – Get a tortilla.  Spread a small layer of refried beans.  Then top with the chicken mixture.  Add some cheese and then wrap it up.  Pop in the mircowave to heat or bake if you like a crispy burrito; then serve.

Tex-Mex Pasta Casserole –  Cook your choice 8 oz pasta al dente and drain.  (We like bow tie pasta or rigatoni noodles for this particular recipe).  In a 9×9 dish add in the pasta, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, and 2 Cups of the chicken mixture.  (Feel free to add more chicken mixture if that’s what your family would prefer)  Stir.  Then top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 mins.

Loaded Tex- Mex Soup – In a stock pot add in 3 C. chicken stock (if you prefer lots of broth, add 1 extra cup of broth), 2 diced and peeled potatoes, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp pepper, 1 onion-diced, 1 green pepper-diced, and 2 C. of the chicken mixture.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 30 mins.  Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream

There you have it – EIGHT dinner options from the same batch of Slow Cooker chicken mix – AND you can throw it in still frozen! Does it get any easier than that?!