Taco Chicken Bowls

I found an interesting, money-saving meals website through Pinterest called Budget Bytes. It looks to have some fairly easy, inexpensive and family-pleasing dinners listed. I haven't done a whole lot of exploring on the site yet, but I am sure planning on delving a little deeper into it after this tasty dinner. As promised, these Taco Chicken Bowls were a hit with my brood and made with a lot of ingredients I stock on a normal basis. This was a hearty meal we polished off quite quickly.

Taco Chicken Bowls
Adapted From: Budget Bytes via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. chicken breasts (I used 1 1/2 large, chicken breasts)
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dry rice (I used brown rice)
8 oz. shredded cheddar
5 green onions, diced for garnish
1/2 bunch cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

ALTERNATE METHOD:
Combine all ingredients except rice, cheese, and cilantro to a glass casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Cover chicken breasts in mixture and bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken to a cutting board when cook time is up and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to casserole dish and combine with other cooked ingredients. Serve by spooning cooked rice into a bowl and topping with chicken mixture. Garnish with shredded cheese, green onions and cilantro.



The Result:
I didn't have time to go the slow cooker route with this recipe, so I made up the "alternate method" instead. Our chicken bowls were still delicious, so really I think it worked out great. Either way, this recipe is a winner!