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Easy Chicken Santa Fe
Easy Chicken Santa Fe
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 3 hrs
It's a little embarrassing how easy this is. And your family will think you've gone all out for them. Delicious!
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 small bag frozen sweet corn (or 2 cans, rinsed & drained)
1 cup bottled chunky salsa
6 skinless chicken thighs (or 6 skinless chicken breasts- see tips below)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (low fat is fine), cut into chunks
1 cup shredded cheddarDirections:
1. In a slow cooker, mix beans, corn and 1/2 cup salsa. Top with chicken and pour remaining salsa over the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked throughout.
2. Remove chicken to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken to slow cooker along with cream cheese. Stir and let cream cheese melt into the mixture to create a creamy sauce.
3. For serving: You can serve the chicken & sauce over rice with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top. Or you can serve these as tacos with cheese and a couple of taco fixings such as lettuce and tomato.
Tips:
*For chicken, the thighs will turn out more moist and tender than the breasts in a slow cooker. I used bone-in thighs and removed the skin. After the 3 hours, I removed the thighs, cut off the chicken, discarded the bones and returned the chicken to the slow cooker. You can use breasts too, just be sure not to overcook them or you'll run the risk of drying them out.
*Alternately, you can use boneless, skinless thighs and you can prepare this in the oven- 350 degrees F. for about 70 minutes.
*If you're watching your weight, you can most certainly leave out the cream cheese. It makes an awfully yummy sauce, but the corn/beans/salsa/chicken mixture would also make for an excellent dinner over rice or inside tortillas. If you're preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, use GF corn tortillas for tacos!Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from "LindRusso" on CLBB)
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I'm Lori Lange, recipe developer, food writer and Mom. I'm sharing over 2,500 of my favorite recipes and theme menus with you. 
bridget {bake at 350} — November 30, 2009 @ 9:35 AM
This sounds delicious! Quick and easy, too…thank you!
Miss Rachel — November 30, 2009 @ 9:35 AM
Looks very good! I love rice and chicken together. Will be trying it soon.
Sonja @ ActiveFoodie — November 30, 2009 @ 10:10 AM
I am always looking for good crockpot recipes! This looks tasty and simple, I will have to try it out! Thanks!
Kevin — December 11, 2009 @ 7:17 PM
That looks nice and cheesy and good!
Holly — February 24, 2011 @ 11:41 AM
Tried this recipe with my family the other night with homemade tortillas! Amazing and very easy!
I really enjoy all these recipes!
Olga @ MangoTomato — June 6, 2011 @ 7:29 AM
This looks so good! This could use some cubed avocados and fresh herbs. Think it’d also be delicious over a baked potato.
Nourhan @ Miss Anthropist's Kitchen — June 6, 2011 @ 7:35 AM
Wow, I love how simple this recipe is! I can’t wait to try it
Jackie — June 8, 2011 @ 5:03 AM
I think my family will love this. I make something called Southwestern Strudel from puffpastry.com and both recipes have a lot of ingredients in common.
Tracy V — June 9, 2011 @ 12:03 PM
Mmmmmm – Just made this and it is so yummy! THanks for the great and easy recipe!
Tracy V
Jill Turner — July 5, 2011 @ 6:03 PM
Will be making this a second time tomorrow for my sister and family who are flying in from out of state. It’s delicious and so easy! Thanks!!!
Lori Lange replied: — July 6th, 2011 @ 9:29 AM
Excellent! Glad to hear!
Anneka — September 11, 2011 @ 5:52 PM
Found this recipe on Pinterest and I sure am glad I did! It was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Tracy W. — October 12, 2011 @ 9:26 AM
I’m making this as an anniversary dinner tonight. I can’t wait to try it!