Just because the temperature has crept above 70 doesn’t mean you have to tuck away the slow cooker. In fact, it’s all the more reason to bust it out! Who wants to be sweating over a hot stovetop — or letting their oven warm up the entire kitchen — when your handy little Crock-Pot could do all the work for you?
We’ve tested a few takes on shredded chicken, and this is one of our favorites (along with Bacon Ranch Chicken, of course). It’s awesome hot or cold, and you can serve it over quinoa, like we did, or on a bed of lettuce, cilantro-lime rice or as the filling in a dang quesadilla.
There’s no real ‘work’ involved, either: Just dump all of the ingredients (except the cream cheese) into a slow cooker, leave it on low for 8 hours, then shred the chicken and stir in the cream cheese. The heat from the slow cooker will instantly melt the cheese, giving you a hearty dose of creamy texture + cheesy flavor — no shredded Mexican blend or sour cream needed.
Creamy Shredded Mexican Chicken Recipe
- 1 can black beans (14 ounces)
- 1 can sweet corn (14 ounces)
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
- Drain the excess juice from the beans and corn.
- Dump the beans, corn, chicken, tomatoes, hot sauce and garlic powder into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours (a little longer is fine).
- Drain any excess juices from the chicken/corn/beans mixture, then use two forks to shred the chicken.
- Stir in the cream cheese, until it's fully incorporated. Serve over quinoa, as a filling in tacos or atop a salad.
Not sure what to serve with it? We have a few suggestions: