Over the last little while I have come across a number of tasty looking crockpot recipes and that reminded me about the crockpot that I picked up over a year ago and hardly used. The only thing that I have really done with it so far is pulled pork, and it is really good at slowly braising pork until it is pull apart tender, but I had always wanted to try doing something more with it. I had always liked the idea of being able to put some ingredients into a crockpot, walk away for a few hours and come back to a fully cooked meal with no fuss and minimum effort but I had never gotten around to trying it out. Even though the holidays are done and the new year is hear, I have been pretty busy and I figured that it was the perfect time to get into some crock pot cooking and I wanted to start with this tasty recipe for crockpot chicken santa fe that I found on Skinny Taste 
Since one of my goals of experimenting with crockpot cooking was to save a bit of time, I decided to test the recipe out on a busy weekday where I could get everything into the slow cooker in the morning before leaving for work. However, I could not resist spending a few minutes in the morning caramelizing the onions and chicken just a bit before transferring them to the slow cooker to add a bit of flavour even though you could easily skip that part and just throw everything into the slow cooker. I was hoping that things would be quick and easy and it was just as simple as putting everything into the crock pot in the morning and pulling the chicken out at night to shred before serving! The most amazing part was when I got home from work and opened the door to the aroma of a fully cooked meal and when it hit me and I knew that I would be eating a tasty meal that night with only of five minutes of work ahead.
Feel free to garnish your chicken santa fe with a bit of cheese, sour cream, avocado or whatever you wish! A bit of cheese never hurts! 🙂
Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe
Chicken santa fe cooked in a crockpot is a quick and easy meal that’s full of flavour.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn
- cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook until tender, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute and transfer to the crockpot
- Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side and set aside.
- Add the chicken broth to the pan, deglaze it and transfer to the crockpot
- Place the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, cayenne, salt and pepper in the crockpot, stir, add the chicken and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken, shred it and return to the pot.
- Serve garnished with green onions and cilantro.
Option: For One-Pan: Make this a one-pan meal by adding 1 cup of rice and 2 cups broth (or 8 ounces of pasta and 2 1/4 cups broth or water) to the sauce after step 6 and cook on high, covered, until cooked, about 20 minutes (or 12 minutes for pasta).
this sounds yummy!! Thanks again for your delicious recipes!!
LOVE using the crockpot – thanks for the great recipe!
Delicious looking! A great dish for cold winter days.
Cheers,
Rosa
Love it! i get use eating rice with corns… tasty. Love the colors of ur photo… thx for sharing the recipe
Me encantan estos platos, perfectos.
Saludos
My biggest pet peeve about crockpot dishes is that they're usually so…ugly. But yours is gorgeous! Both in taste and in aesthetics.
Looks wonderful–and I can't usually say that about slow cooker recipes. I bet that your time caramelizing the onions was a big boost to the dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mmmm… I can almost smell it. As Raechel Ray says, "when will they invent smell-a-vision?" I know this isn't television, but…
I just found your blog via Pinterest, and darlin, I don't know whether I should cry or come to Canada and hug you! Your recipes all look amazing and I will no longer have to worry about what to make for dinner.
I have made this meal from Skinny Taste as well and it is one of my favorites. It reminds me of the burrito bowls at Chipotle, but in the comfort of my own home! Yum!
This looks delicious!! I cannot wait to try this. I love slow cooker recipes!
This looks great. Some healthy food is in order after all of those excess Christmas calories!!
Doesn't the chicken breast get dry? I bet this would also be good with turkey thighs, which are great for this kind of dish.
Kevin, you hit an important point for people using crockpots. While it's true you *can* just throw everything into the pot and walk away with little advance, prep, this results in decidely lackluster dishes with not much aesthetic appeal and very often, decreased flavor.
Crock pot are an efficient time-saving tool and "natural meat tenderizer — but they are not miracle workers.
Consider it no different than a casserole dish which simply takes longer than average.
If you use onions, caramelize them,as you did. If you use chicken, brown it first to bring out the sugars. For every step you take to prep your meal as you would if you were NOT using a crockpot — you'll be thrice rewarded.
While it's true it isn't always possible to take those few extra steps, whenever you can, it's well worth it.
Glad you enjoyed your meal!
So glad you liked it Kevin! This has been so popular on my blog for years! Your photo looks lovely!
Do I see cheese in there? I think I do… I would definitely add a little cheese. And sour cream. Or maybe some avocado… LOOKS YUMMY
Sounds like something lovely to come home to on a cold January day…
Anonymous: The chicken was so moist! I specifically remember noticing that as i shredded it even though I was not really looking for it.
I have to do a quick browning too, you can't get the Maillard reaction in a crock pot. Great looking dish, Kevin. Stunning photography as always. I know you get tired of hearing that, right?
Really, really yummy! I had some avocado and sour cream so added them on top. I also made it in a large pot on the stove top since I don't have a crock pot and why dirty two pots when you can just use one? I'll be making this one again. Thanks so ,much.
amazing post thanks 4 sharing
I made this last night and it was delicious. I threw in a can of diced green chilies and added some avocado chunks with the scallions. I will definately make this often. Thanks for the recipe.
Yummy! Depending on your crockpot, you can turn the heat way up and do your browning/caramelizing right there, then add the remaining ingredients. No second pan to wash!
I usually start my stuff like that while I finish dressing. And you are do right about coming home to that aroma someone spent hours in the kitchen. 😉
OMG I'm always looking for an original crock pot recipe–it's so lovely to come home at the end of the day and kick back with a beer while I dish pre-cooked food from my little 1970's crockpot with one slightly melted leg. I can't wait to give this a shot. THank you!!
I made this for a family dinner–it was amazing. Glad to add another crock pot recipe to my favorites. Bonus that it is made with ingredients that I keep in my pantry/freezer. Yummy.
Cindy: Glad you enjoyed it!