Slow Cooker Fiesta Shredded Chicken over Pineapple Brown Rice

February 19, 2014

I often feel (especially lately) that I’m rushing from one thing to the next, simply trying to fit it all in and survive. I’m the master juggler in my circus of life … and chances are good that you are too. Dinner is one of those things on the to-do list that can be a challenge among working, training, writing and family time. I plan our meals and do the grocery shopping on the weekend, and I’m constantly on the lookout for delicious, healthy meals that are fairly easy and quick to make. Recently, I’ve found and created a few that are keepers – dinners that earn their spot on the regular rotation because they make life easier and are tasty. I’m going to share my favorites with you each month in case they help make dinner time easier for you too. First up on the menu is one of my favorite slow cooker chicken recipes.

Slow Cooker Fiesta Shredded Chicken over Pineapple Brown Rice from runladylike.com

Using the slow cooker is a God send on days that are going to be long and when the last thing I’ll feel like doing is preparing a big meal after working and running. My slow cooker fiesta shredded chicken over pineapple brown rice recipe is a great one because it’s incredibly easy to prep in the morning, can be tweaked and customized based on your favorite ingredients (or whatever you have in the house) and includes lean protein, whole grains, colorful veggies and healthy fats. It’s a hit in our house, and I know it will be in yours too.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 14 oz. can of black beans
  • 10-16 oz. jar of salsa of your choice (I typically use Frog Ranch because I like that there are no fake ingredients or sugar, but any of your favorite jarred salsas will work great.)
  • 8 oz. corn (I use a half of a can of canned corn but you could use fresh or frozen.)
  • 1 bell pepper (your favorite color) chopped
  • 1-2 zucchini chopped (If you don’t like zucchini, choose any chopped veggie of your choice or whatever you have in the house.)
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder (add more or less to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin (add more or less to taste)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 cups of brown rice, cooked
  • 1 cup diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Directions

  • Place raw chicken breasts in the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I like to use the crockpot liners for easy clean-up that can be found at the grocery store near the Ziploc bags, foil and plastic wrap. Just place them in your slow cooker before adding any ingredients.)
  • Place the black beans and remaining ingredients through the cumin into the slow cooker on top of the chicken. Stir to mix evenly. (To save time in the morning, chop the vegetables the night before.)
  • Cook on low for 7-8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, take the chicken breasts out, shred them and place them back into the slow cooker, mixing to combine all ingredients.
  • While the chicken mixture is finishing cooking, boil the rice according to package directions on your stove top. To speed things up, I like to use the boil in a bag rice (takes 8 minutes to cook once the water boils) or the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s that you can heat in the microwave for 3 minutes.
  • Stir the chopped pineapple and cilantro into the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like to make it a bit richer, add a little butter.
  • Spoon one cup of rice into a bowl. Top with one cup of the chicken mixture. Top with sliced avocado. (You can also add shredded cheese if desired.)

Serves 4 to 6 people

For a variation on this slow cooker chicken recipe, you can skip the rice and use corn tortillas to turn these into fiesta shredded chicken soft tacos. Just add some salsa and any other toppings you enjoy. Serve with fresh mango on the side.

What is your favorite slow cooker recipe that makes dinner prep easier for you and your family? If you try my slow cooker chicken recipe, let me know what you think!

Comments

Jojo @ RunFastEatLots

I don’t have a slow cooker, but I’m thinking about getting one to save some time with cooking. This chicken in some tacos would be delicious!

Cori @olivetorun

Oh you cook too? Great, I’m looking forward to a delicious meal in April 😉

rUnladylike

LOL! Only because I have to eat dinner 🙂 I am by no means a chef, and as you can tell, not a food photographer. Hee hee. But this is a good one.

Kimberly @ Healthy Strides

Delish! I do a version of this for our family – salsa, chicken and veg – in the slow cooker. Mark makes burritos, and I usually do a salad. This year, I canned salsa with tomatoes from the garden and I got to be super smug when I made the dish. Sadly, the salsa is all gone.

I LOVE my slow cooker. It’s the only thing that saves me during the week when it comes to dinner. I have a few on the blog (http://healthystrides.blogspot.com/search/label/slow%20cooker) but you can basically put any sauce/marinade with chicken and cook it. Easy peasy.

rUnladylike

Ooh! Thanks for sharing this! Can’t wait to check it out and pin it to my recipes 🙂

Angie

Yummy…..I can’t wait to try this! I LOVE my slow cooker, can’t live without it! My favorite recipe is salsa chicken – put 4-6 chicken breast halves (boneless) in bottom of cooker. Add 1.5 cups of thick salsa. Cook on high 3-3.5 hours. Stir in 1 tsp.cumin, pinch of red chili powder and 3 tbsp. lime juice and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve it with any fixings you want and put in corn tortillas. Everyone loves it and super easy!

rUnladylike

Yum! I definitely do this kind of thing often. The salsa and extra seasonings make the chicken so delish, and you can do it with so many different variations. Thanks for sharing! Let me know what you think when you make it.

Lee @ tri*inspired*life

I can relate to your post! It is hard to fit in everything between work and training and then wanting to have great tasting, healthy meals in addition to all the activity! I, too, try to plan ahead and shop on the weekends to prepare for the busy week, I love trying new recipes and also have many in regular rotation. I recently posted a couple of recipes on my blog that I found on other sites that really turned out great when I made them. They included cashew chicken over brown rice and a veggie quinoa chili! You should check them out! Your recipe looks great and I will be adding it to the list to try next week!

rUnladylike

Thanks Lee! Thanks for stopping by runladylike.com! I can’t wait to check out the recipes on your blog. Thanks so much for sharing! Let me know what you think of this recipe when you try it 🙂

elizabeth

looks good!! Will have to add to the rotation 🙂

Kim

I think the crock pot is the number one kitchen appliance!! I usually take one when we go on trips for over a week!!!
This recipe looks delicious!!

Sarah @RunFarGirl

I use the slow cooker at least three days out of the week. My favorite I think is White Chicken Chili, spicy and delish!