Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and you look at someone’s page who’s dutifully meal prepped their entire week out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while you’re sitting at home in your pajamas at 5pm on a Sunday night wondering why you didn’t bother going grocery shopping? Maybe that’s just me then…
If you are like me and can’t seem to get your act together some weeks despite your best efforts, then maybe your crock pot is one of your favorite things too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those “make anything and everything that you can in a crockpot” kind of woman-there are some things that should really just be made on a stovetop or in an oven. But there’s also something to be said for having dinner ready to go with next to no effort involved and only one or two extra pans (that you can wash after you put everything into the crock pot!)
Since the wedding I’ve been making an effort to cook at home more instead of doing the 5pm “what do you want for dinner” tango which just involves us saying “I don’t know, what are you in the mood for?” three times until we just settle on takeout. I’ve been trying to make one slow cooker meal a week so that we have a couple of meals ready to go.
Regular chicken fajitas are great because they only take about 30-45 minutes to throw together, but the beauty of these slow cooker chicken fajitas is that you can just walk right in the door after work and dinner is pretty much ready to go! All you have to do is warm up your tortillas, get whatever toppings you want ready, and park yourself at the table to dig into these bad boys!
The prep takes about 10 minutes, maybe 30 if you’re taking pictures along the way, and the beautiful thing is you can dump everything right in the crock pot! You don’t need bowls, pans, or anything, just a cutting board and your slow cooker. I also love that these almost taste like the fajitas of my childhood (straight out of an Old El Paso or Ortega kit) but without the salt and additives that make you feel like a balloon the next day.
So give these a try for Taco Tuesday or Fajita Friday! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s what you’ll need (adapted from Cooking Classy):
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4 strips
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis – you can also just add a can of diced green chilies to diced tomatoes
3 bell peppers, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
3 medium yellow onions – sliced into 1/4 inch strips
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 limes, juiced
Combine the spices and set aside. Layer the onions in a thin layer on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Top with the peppers and garlic.
Add the sliced chicken and pour the spice mixture on top.
Pour the diced tomatoes on top.
Set your slow cooker to 4 hours on high or 8 on low and cook. If you decided not to slice the chicken breasts it will take longer for them to cook, so be sure to check their internal temperature before you serve the chicken! Once the chicken is tender and the sauce is nice and bubbly, scoop about a cup of the sauce out and set aside. Grab a tortilla and put the chicken and pepper mixture on top. Top the fajita with whatever you’d like and enjoy!
Combine the spices and set aside. Layer the onions in a thin layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the peppers and garlic. Add the sliced chicken and pour the spice mixture on top. Pour the diced tomatoes on top.
Set your slow cooker to 4 hours on high or 8 on low and cook. If you decided not to slice the chicken breasts it will take longer for them to cook, so be sure to check their internal temperature before you serve the chicken! Once the chicken is tender and the sauce is nice and bubbly, scoop about a cup of the sauce out and set aside. Grab a tortilla and put the chicken and pepper mixture on top. Top the fajita with whatever you’d like and enjoy!