Chicken Chili Verde (no beans)

A couple of weeks ago, I was in need of some inspiration.

I just couldn't.  Could not.  Come up with a menu plan for the week.

Have you been there?  Nothing sounded good.  Except tacos.  And Hubby frowns upon us having tacos for 7 nights in a row.

What's a girl to do?  I took it to Facebook.  I listed the meats and veggies I had in the house, along with the fact that we had a whole fresh pineapple that needed to be eaten soon, and within hours I had several great suggestions, some of which we tried that week.

My favorite of those suggestions was from my fraternity sister, Bert, who suggested Chicken Chili Verde from LowCarbGal.  I was skeptical.  My kids don't eat beans (a tragedy, I know), and it says "chili" right there in the title.

But!  According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of chili is:

1 a :  a hot pepper of any of a group of cultivars (Capsicum annuum annuum group longum) noted for their pungency —called also chili pepper

 b usually chilli plural chillies also chil·lis chiefly British :  a pepper whether hot or sweet

2 a :  a thick sauce of meat and chilies

 b :  chili con carne

No mention of beans what-so-ever.  And there are also no beans in this perfectly spiced shredded chicken, which is made in the slow cooker.  The chicken can then be eaten plain or used with your favorite toppings for tacos, nachos, tostadas, or even for soup.  Everyone liked it, and everyone ate it in a slightly different way.

Thank you to LowCarbGal for the recipe!

Chicken Chili Verde

{Source}

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup bottled salsa verde (a 12 oz jar)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin (I really like cumin, so i use a bit more than recipe calls for)

1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves, crushed

1 to 2 tbsp jarred, sliced jalapenos (less or more, depending on how spicy you like it)

2 tsp chicken bouillon granules (low sodium is best)

1. Place the chicken breasts into your slow cooker.
2. Add the onion, bay leaf, pepper, cumin, garlic, jalapenos, chicken bouillon (use low sodium) and salsa verde on top.
3. Cover, set it to low and let cook for 9 – 10 hours.
4. When time is up, take a fork and shred the chicken right in the slow cooker.
5. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped cilantro on top.

Makes 5 servings.

Enjoy!