Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Taco Salad

7/20/2017

My husband is one of those who has to have meat at every meal. In fact he eats leftovers for breakfast. He doesn't really like many breakfast foods, but loves dinner food so leftovers for breakfast is his usual fare.

Since we have been so busy and my husband really likes/craves/must have meat to live, I made a crock pot of slow cooked chicken breast last week which we enjoyed in many things all week. We had these taco salads, chicken salad sandwiches, panini's, and burrito bowls which were all fantastic and fairly simple.

I know a plate of shredded chicken isn't much to look at, but this is just to give you an idea of how much chicken I made. I slow cooked 5 chicken breasts all day with fresh ground salt, pepper, and garlic powder sprinkled over it (no measuring, just eyeball it). No need to add water, the chicken bastes itself in the slow cooker. Once the chicken is done, simply shred it and pour any juices left in the slow cooker over it for added flavor and moisture.

Our boys ate dinner at Vacation Bible School every night last week so we were able to get 4+ meals out of 5 chicken breasts. If the boys had been home for dinner, we would probably have only gotten 2 to 3 meals from this much chicken.

In case you are wondering how busy we have been, we have been incredibly busy around here. First, we have four children, including a nine month old who crawls everywhere and has decided he has outgrown naps. He is tired and falls asleep on little car trips around town or when he is nursing, but as soon as I try to lay him down in his crib, the crying starts. It is more like crying/screaming and he sits up the whole time. I have tried to leave him a while to see if he will give up and lay down for a nap, but he is persistent. He literally sits up and cries forever until I pick him up. Luckily he sleeps really well at night, but naps are hit or miss right now. I know this isn't a parenting post, but I will solicit your advice on this one.

In addition to being busy parents, we have done some traveling this summer and have more travels in our future. Packing for 4 kids (including a baby) is no small task. I am a list maker and my to to-do list is looking a little crazy right now. We are road tripping it and I am trying to be prepared for all of the things we will need to travel with kids. We'll see how it goes, maybe I will post our packing/traveling adventure with tips on what worked and didn't work. Any travel/packing tips are also much appreciated.

Making a taco salad is like painting on an empty canvas. You can make it however you like. I started with sweet potato and blue corn tortilla chips then added black beans, shredded chicken, fresh corn, lettuce, and diced tomatoes. We drizzled salsa verde on top before serving. You could also add guacamole, sour cream, fresh squeezed lime juice, shredded or crumbled cheese and of course salsa. So many delicious possibilities.

Ingredients:
(To make shredded chicken)

Chicken breasts (desired amount)
Fresh ground salt and pepper
Garlic powder
If you want to throw in anything extra, go for it...maybe cumin or cajun seasoning...the possibilities are endless.

Slow cook chicken breasts all day (until done) on low with fresh ground salt, pepper, and garlic powder sprinkled over it (no measuring, just eyeball it). No need to add water, the chicken bastes itself in the slow cooker. Once the chicken is done, simply shred it and pour any juices left in the slow cooker over it for added flavor and moisture. If you make extra, you can refrigerate leftovers and use for several days in all kinds of delicious meals.

Ingredients:
(For Taco Salad)
Tortilla chips
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 to 2 ears of fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob (can microwave a couple of minutes if you want it warm)
Shredded lettuce (I use Romaine)
Diced fresh tomatoes
Shredded chicken (recipe above)

For added flavor you may like:
Guacamole
Salsa or salsa verde
Sour cream
Fresh squeezed lime
Shredded or crumbled cheese

Simply arrange ingredients on plates to make taco salads.