Please note: The title said CROCK. Not Crocs. I do NOT rock Crocs. My loathing for those is ANOTHER blog post entirely. And if you're a man wearing Crocs--right now perhaps, no words can express my disappointment in you. Good luck Sir.
Now. On to me rocking the crock--pot to be exact.
Recently I was on a diet. Cue the eye rolling. No one wants to hear about another woman bawling over the weight she needs to lose, her fat thighs, and how she just needs a piece of chocolate. Me neither. So I'm not going to speak of dieting, calorie counting or back fat (despite the fact that I find the last topic humorous in many ways). No this post is about how something GREAT came out of something crap. Yes that sounded very intelligent. I like it.
You will need:
1. A Crock Pot
2. 3-5 Chicken Breasts
3. One can Hunts Tomatoes with Garlic
4. One Habanero Chili
5. One good sized Serrano Chili
6. Cumin
7. Salt & Pepper, Garlic Salt
8. Salsa Verde or a Green Chili Sauce
9. Crushed or Minced Garlic
10. Chicken Broth
11. Mushrooms
12. Cheese of choice
13. Avocado
First empty a can of tomatoes in the crock pot.
You could use any canned tomato in all actuality but I just liked how these already were cooked with garlic.
Place chicken breasts in crock pot.
Season liberally with salt and pepper, and garlic salt.
Also sprinkle liberally with cumin. There is a lot of liquid going to be in the pot so don't be afraid to use it.
Throw in two Tablespoons of minced garlic.
Add about a half a cup of chicken broth to the crock pot.
Get one Habanero (the pretty orange one) and one Serrano chili. These have kick--especially the Habenero, but the flavor is amazing. Don't worry, they won't kill you. The cheese and avocado will cut the spice nicely. Don't skimp on a pepper or you'll regret it. If you are scared of the spice, use half of each. However, I have been told I am a "honkey" and this doesn't even make my lips burn. It is just a nice heat.
If you haven't used chilies like this, please wear rubber gloves while you chop them. They have natural oils that once on your fingers are easy to transfer to your eyes or... other places. All of which I'm sure would be unpleasant. I used the bag from the grocery store to cut the stems off and then a chopper to do the rest.
Another way to cut the heat is to get rid of some of the seeds if you like. Also, remember the smaller the chili the hotter it is so when you pick out your Serrano, you are much better off with a bigger one!!
Chop the chilies as fine as possible. You don't want to get a big bit of a Habanero. Okay, you might. You might also be a masochist. But to each their own I say. Throw chopped chilies in on your chicken.
Add about a cup of Salsa Verde or green chili sauce. This is a great flavor with cumin, garlic and chicken! Start your crock pot on a low setting. It can take anywhere between 1.5-2.5 hours depending on your crock pot and the number and thicknesses of your chicken breasts.
About half way through, stir up your chicken, turn over if needed and make sure it is all being coated. If you like, add some cut up mushrooms at this time.
When chicken is done, turn off crock pot or put it on its warming setting. Add cheese to top of chicken breasts. I used a mix of Provologne and Monterey Jack. It was wonderful. The cheese cuts the heat, so don't skimp unless you like it spicier. If you're on a diet you can skip this step... but oh, you're missing out. Replace lid until cheese is melted.
When cheese is melted and you are ready to plate, cut up avocado and add slices to the top of chicken breasts.
Enjoy!! Sorry it doesn't look all that pretty, but by this time, I just wanted to eat it!! I hope somebody takes my word for it and tries it. You won't be disappointed! (and if you are, I'll just blame it on operator error and none of my own doing!!). Bon Apetit!!
