Are you a taco or burrito fan? Growing up, I always thought that tacos were the hard shells that are sort of like a giant corn chip only round and folded and burritos were what you got when you wrapped a soft flour tortilla around delicious filling.
The arrival of a few Mexican restaurants lately has had me challenging my thoughts and now I'm not so sure. It seems a 'soft taco' is now on the scene which to me is just an un-rolled burrito isn't it? Oh the confusion!
I won't be confused in my house though. If it's wrapped in a soft flour tortilla it's a burrito and that is that. Give me a combination of Mexican food and Italian food and I could quite easily survive with nothing more. We eat quite a bit of the two cuisines here and beef burritos are a favourite but I thought it was time to mix it up a bit.
Combining chicken and kidney beans seemed a bit out there for me at first (I know so adventurous I am!) but to me they scream Mexican so I braved it and mixed the two.
Method-wise I love any meat when it's shredded so slow cooking sounded like the right way to go. The best part is throwing it all in and walking away. I based the spice mix on my beef burritos and mixed it up a bit and the result was muy delicioso!
For a Friday night lazy dinner I threw some corn chips in a baking dish, covered them with leftover chicken burrito filling and topped it with cheese then baked it until the cheese had melted - perfect quick nachos.
If you're wondering what the suspicious looking thing is in the plastic bag it's the kidney beans that I've vacuum-sealed and frozen. I buy them dry so cook up a big batch at a time and freeze them in smaller portions.
This is how easy it is. Pour the tomatoes, salsa, herbs, spices and garlic in and mix them all together.
Add the chicken and make sure it's in a single layer then pour the kidney beans over the top.
Smoosh it all around so that everything is covered by the tomato liquid. Pop the lid on, turn the slow cooker on to low and walk away for at least six hours.
After at least six hours, take the lid off and give the chicken a poke with a fork. If it's really tender it's shredding time. You can shred it right in the pot or take each fillet out onto a plate, shred it and put it back. If the chicken isn't quite tender, put the lit back on and turn it up to high for one hour.
Once you've shredded the meat, leave the lid off and let it cook on high for one hour until it thickens.
Divide the meat up between fresh soft flour tortillas and top with whatever you like. I spread mine with a bit of avocado first then topped with grated cheese. I'll let you in on a little secret, the lettuce was just for the photo. I may have picked it off before I ate my lunch (yes I'm pathetic but I'm just not a fan of lettuce). Enjoy!
What about you? What do you think of the taco v burrito debate? What's your idea of a taco?
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Check out 12 winter slow cooker favourites.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 1 tin crushed tomatoes
- 1 jar tomato salsa
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Chili powder to taste
- 1 tin kidney beans
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- tortillas grated cheese and other condiments to serve
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker.
- Turn it on to low and cook for 6-8 hours or until the chicken is tender.
- Take the lid off and use a fork to shred the chicken.
- Turn the heat up to high and cook with the lid off for another hour or until the sauce thickens.
Adam says
I've cooked this meal several times at home now and every time the family is happy, an excellent and easy to cook meal. Thanks for sharing it.
Claire says
You're welcome Adam. I'm glad your family likes it.
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
Lovely, wholesome meal! I was thinking of just eating it straight out of a bowl.. that way I could eat a lot more a whole lot faster, lol! Delicious!!
Claire says
Barbara I may have eaten a fair bit of it straight out of the slow cooker!
The Café Sucré Farine says
Claire, looks like you have a winner! Just one look at that first photo had me craving Mexican! It's amazing all the variations there are now days of tacos and burritos, some of them very gourmet like yours!
Claire says
They have come a long way from classic beef mince haven't they? Thanks Chris!
Sophie - thestickyandsweet says
I was just trying to convert American recipes for a really similar dish and was getting all confused with crockpots and pounds. You've saved me! :)
Claire says
Glad to be of service Sophie!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Great photos Claire! And I'm positive we only had those hard ones growing up too. I didn't really like them but a soft taco-yum! :D
Claire says
I'm not a fan of the hard shells either!
Glamorous Glutton says
Like you, I always thought tacos were those hard shell things. Where do fahjitas come in? Aren't they like barritos? Anyway, these look great and so good in the slow cooker. Perfect for our English autumn weather. GG
Claire says
Fajitas are wrapped like burritos but the filling is strips of meat rather than mince or shredded (at least I'm pretty sure!). Glad I'm not the only one who thinks tacos should be the hard-shelled variety.
Kristin says
I was worried from the photo that one day you might serve me lettuce on my soft taco... So glad to read on and see it was just for the photo! You and I are two peas in a pod when it comes to lettuce! In my mind it's a burrito when it's rolled, soft taco when not. But always yummy! x
Claire says
Haha don't worry I haven't crossed over to the other side! x
Hotly Spiced says
It's so cold in Sydney at the moment that this is a wonderfully warming kind of a meal that's perfect for this cold snap. I love burritos and chicken burritos are my favourite. I have to go out for dinner tonight and I'm leaving the kids at home. I think I'll cook up some of these for them and leave them to it! xx
Claire says
My mum is headed down there right now and was complaining about the weather report but it's actually turned cold and wet here today. I might have to defrost the rest of this for us too. Hope they enjoy it! x