FB Foodie Friday - Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas
Wait – Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas
Hi everyone, FB Hubby back with this week’s $15 dinner challenge. Shannon has been pretty busy this week not only with her own blog, but with requests from other blogs. She asked me to jump in and handle Foodie Friday, which I was glad to do, not only to, of course, help her out, but because I get another chance to show off my cooking. Since this week Shannon was focusing on the concept of “waiting” on making certain purchases, I thought that the perfect meal would be one that takes time to make, but has a great return on your efforts. Thus nothing says wait like a slow cooker meal. This week I am doing Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice with black beans, and a homemade Pico de Gallo.
I thought this was a $15 Dinner!
Well, it is! One of the great ways to keep the cost of a good meal low is to find recipes and sides that use many of the same ingredients. This can require a little more research time, but it is often well worth the effort. The great thing about this entire meal is chicken, rice, and pico all required some garlic, white onion, scallion, lime, jalapeño, and cilantro, and not really a lot of each. That meant that not only did I need a lot of extra ingredients, but I would end up using all of these ingredients and not finding them weeks later in my so called crisper. (I always refer to the crisper as “the rotter” as nothing ever found in there after some time was the least bit crispy.) Anyway, once you add the chicken thighs, tomatoes, orange, chicken broth, tortillas, black beans, and rice, I had a total of $14.60. Of course, the other great thing about this meal is that it is one that has a short prep time, and you can let it cook all day. Making the pico at the same time you are preparing the chicken allows it to be refrigerated all day. This will give the flavors plenty of time to come together. (This pico is similar to one served at one of my favorite restaurants in New York, Dos Caminos). Just don’t forget that you need to start the rice and beans about 25 minutes before you are ready to serve.
It was worth the wait!
When most people think of carnitas, they think of it with pork. However, this recipe with the chicken was every bit as good. Adding the pico to the mix and the black beans and rice made it a tasty and very filling meal. There was also plenty of leftover chicken, which will make for a great lunch option this weekend. Hope you enjoy it too!!Here is the link to the recipe.