Southwestern Chicken Cheesy Rice
I recently made one of the best purchases of my adult life: a crockpot. My friends raved about it and said I should totally get one. How did I not discover this before? It has revolutionized dinner time, especially getting home from work at 4:30PM and having to feed a ravenous little boy by 6PM.
One of the first recipes I’ve tried in my new slow cooker is this delicious one. I found it on Pinterest, but I think the original recipe is from Betty Crocker. It’s an awesome dish for summertime and packs the perfect kick of spicy. As a bonus, you’ve got your major food groups covered: veggies, grains and protein! I’ve made a few modifications, which I’ve included in the recipe.
Prep time: 20-25 minutes
Cook time: 2.5-2.75 hours in slow cooker
Serving: 8
What you will need:
- 1 package (0.85 oz) taco seasoning mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
- My additional ingredients: lemon & pepper seasoning, lemon juice, minced garlic and a pinch of Lawry’s seasoned salt (all added to taste)
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 can (14.5 oz) roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 cup fresh or frozen whole kernel sweet corn
- 8 oz Kraft™ Velveeta™ cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
- 4 cups cooked white rice (I used long grain basmati rice)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- In small bowl, mix taco seasoning mix, cumin, salt and red pepper. Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with seasoning mixture; arrange in slow cooker.
- **I added lemon & pepper seasoning, lemon juice, minced garlic and a pinch of Lawry’s seasoned salt. I seasoned the chicken the night before and let it marinade in a ziplock bag overnight. In the morning, I added these and the ingredients below to the slow cooker.
- Pour tomatoes, beans and corn over chicken in slow cooker. Cover; cook on High heat setting 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).
- Remove chicken and, using two forks, shred into bite-size pieces.
- Add Velveeta™ and Cheddar cheeses to slow cooker. Cover; cook 15 minutes.
- Beat with whisk until cheeses have melted into sauce.
- Add rice and shredded chicken; stir to combine. Cover; cook about 10 minutes or until hot. Garnish with cilantro. Serve while hot.
