What's for Dinner: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

by Chef Meg Galvin, SparkPeople.com Healthy Cooking Expert

This recipe is part of "The SparkPeople Cookbook"! Order your copy today! This is THE most popular recipe on SparkRecipes.com. We've added more vegetables and reduced the sodium drastically to make it even better.

Birdie, one of our most successful members to date, is a doctor and mother of five. Having lost 143 pounds on SparkPeople, she is always on the lookout for healthy recipe ideas, but they have to be quick and easy. "I'm not a good cook," she confesses, but this is one dish she serves regularly without worry. She's not the only member who's making this for dinner: the recipe has been rated more than 2,700 times!

Salsa Chicken is easy to make; just put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and let the machine do the work. There are infinite variations, and your family is guaranteed to like each one.
6-8 hours to prepare; 15 minutes of active cooking time

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 480

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 pounds (32 ounces) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 cup salsa, homemade or purchased
1 cup petite diced canned tomatoes (choose low-sodium)
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 cup onions, diced fine
1/2 cup celery diced fine
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
3 tablespoons sour cream, reduced fat

Directions


Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat then layer the vegetables and salsa on top. Pour a half cup water over the mixture, set on low and cook for 6-8 hours. The meat is cooked when it shreds or reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. When ready to serve, break up the chicken with two forks then stir in the sour cream.

Reprinted from The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose The Weight (c) 2011 by SparkPeople, Inc. Permission granted by Hay House, Inc., New York, NY 10033. Available wherever books are sold.

About the Author: Meg Galvin

SparkPeople Healthy Cooking Expert Meg Galvin is a World Master Chef, culinary instructor, and the author of "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight." A farmer's daughter and marathon runner, she lives in northern Kentucky with her husband and three teenage sons.