I’m going to let you in on little secret. Sometimes I just throw some chicken and a jar of salsa in the crockpot and call it tacos. Eek!

But you know me, I can’t just leave well enough alone so I had to dress it up a little. All of the additions are things I keep in my pantry so I don’t have to make an extra trip to the store or blow my budget. But seriously, if you don’t have those things don’t fret. Chicken and salsa is all you need to get dinner on the table!!

Question: do you serve any side dishes with tacos? Sometimes I’ll make rice or street corn but really just give me guacamole…

Salsa Chicken Tacos

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa or 1 (14.5) oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Pinch of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
Freshly cracked black pepper

To serve: tortillas, diced onion, cotija cheese, Mexican crema, cilantro, lime wedges

In the bowl of a slow cooker, add chicken. Sprinkle spices over chicken. Pour salsa over chicken, throw the bay leaves in. Season with pepper. (I usually omit adding extra salt, or add salt when everything is cooked, because the jarred salsa takes care of that.) Cook on low 6-8 hours. After 8 hours, shred chicken.

Serve street taco style on charred flour tortillas, top with onion, cheese, crema, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Source: Ruth’s Table, 2018.