Day 215: Tex Mex Chicken and Beans

Serves 6

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir). Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro. Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow step 1, using a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, substituting 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, for dried beans, and increasing water to 2 cups. Cover pot and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Transfer to oven, and cook until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 3. Tip: Use high-quality salsa to keep the flavor strong and true.

Review:

This dish was a little too spicy for my liking. I am not a fan of spicy and hot stuff though at all. So for most people it would probably be just fine. Serving it with sour cream cooled it down though. I liked that this recipe used dry pintos and they didn’t need to be soaked. A great way to use food storage. I served mine with cut up whole wheat tortillas that I put in the oven on broil for a couple of minutes. Kind of like a healthy tortilla chip. Overall, I don’t think I’ll make this dish again. Mostly because I’m the only one in my family that will eat it and it’s a little too spicy. I give it 2 1/2 stars.