Recipe of the Week: Slow Cooker Black Beans and Chicken

Mexican food is confusing to me. I'm guessing our options here in Indiana are not even all that authentic to begin with, but I still have a hard time differentiating between a tortilla, a burrito and a taco. And then there are fajitas, enchiladas, and chimichangas to contend with too!  I love that one scene in One Day, where Anne Hathaway's character explained to a customer at a restaurant, that




“A tortilla is either corn or wheat, but a corn tortilla folded and filled is a taco, where as a filled wheat tortilla is a buritto. A deep fried buritto is a chimichanga. Toast a tortilla, it’s a tostada, roll it, it’s an enchilada.”

—	Emma, One Day

We don't typically incorporate a lot of Mexican flavors in what we cook, but since we've been wanting to include more beans in our diet lately, we decided to try out a slow cooker black beans and chicken recipe. This turned out to be easy and delicious!

Here's how to make it ...

Ingredients
1 lb skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of dried black beans soaked overnight
2 cups stewed tomatoes
1 5oz can of mild green chiles
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chili powder
corn tortillas
sour cream
cilantro
(Zach also made guacamole and pico de gallo)

Directions
Season chicken with oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. And then sear till golden brown (you do not need to cook the chicken through).

Then layer beans, tomatoes, chilies, and salt to taste. Top with chicken, cover and cook on high for 4 hours. After 4 hours, stir in cilantro, shred chicken, return to slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.

You can eat this with rice, or with tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and/or pico de gallo. Enjoy!