{Chicken 3+ Ways!} No matter how you slice it!

... it'll be good, right!? Well, that's what they say anyway.

Chicken is a staple animal protein in our home. But we are also big fans of fatty fish like salmon and plant protein too! I was able to an organic whole chicken and though she was small, it was a good decision to purchase it because I have been wanting to make several recipes using one for awhile. (I am keeping my eyes peeled for a pasture raised chicken. Hard to come by in my area.) One recipe that I had been eyeing was by Organic Kitchen here. I didn't have some of the ingredients her recipe asked for so I found another recipe based on the ingredients I did have on hand by the little kitchen. 

Crock Pot Chicken 

I even attempted to broil the whole chicken but I slow cooked it too long (which was a really good thing, but not so much for presentation) to crisp the skin. The chicken was so tender it was falling off the bones! YUM!!

Taco Soup GF with DF options

I wanted to share a quick recipe to my taco soup I made recently though after it was done, it was more of a chili because it was thick. 

Note: I'm not a trained chef. I just cook from the heart, so my measurements are not spot on. I just 'eye' them and I always add where I need more flavor and I encourage you to do the same!

This one is made in the crock pot. 
I like my rice cooker for fail-safe perfect rice.

40 minutes prep (includes before and after prep time), 3-4 hours cook time

Ingredients:
1 - 15 oz of diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz of tomato sauce
1 medium yellow onion diced, cooked 'til translucent
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced green onions 
2 cups of vegetable stock (like here)
4-8 chicken breasts, diced and cooked
2 zucchini, diced and cooked
1 red bell pepper, diced and cooked
1 can of black beans, rinsed
2 cups of cooked rice (we like Jasmine)

Preparation:
1. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce in the crock pot on low heat. Add spices and give it a good stir.
2. While tomato products and spices are heating up, cook diced chicken breasts, onions and other vegetables for about 10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). 
3. While chicken and veggies are cooking, make your rice. This takes about 20 minutes. 
4. While chicken/veggies/rice is cooking, rinse your black beans and pour into the tomato products in the crock pot. 
5. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the crock pot. Add the 2 cups of vegetable stock. Stir.
6. Test the sauce for flavor. Add more seasonings as you deem fit. Top with diced green onions.
7. Allow the tomato products, chicken, seasonings, and vegetables to cook in the crock pot on high heat for about an hour. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent scorching of rice at the bottom.
8. Add the rice, stir and turn on low. Cook for up to three more hours. 
9. Turn off crock pot and prepare fixings. 

Fixings:
Crushed organic tortilla chips
Plain Greek Fage yogurt
Shredded cheese
Sliced avocado

What kinds of fixings could you add that would make this recipe dairy-free?

Other recipes you may like to make in your crock pot:
Slow cooker acorn squash chili
Slow cooker butternut squash stew

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

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