Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas: Sizzling, Satisfying, Simple

Slowly melting the flavors of moist chicken, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, green chilies, garlic powder, oregano, and taco seasoning into a feisty and flavorful mix for eight hours may sound time consuming, but it’s actually very simple. Your crock pot is doing all the work while you wait with drooling mouth, tortilla in hand, for your tender chicken fajitas.

Growing up in the North on the East Coast meant that most “Mexican” restaurants were Chilis or Chichi’s or Don Pablos, or more recently Chipotle and Moe’s. Not exactly what you’d call authentic Mexican. When I moved to Arizona, I was overwhelmed with the abundance of homemade tortillas and chips, real carne asada, and bright, chunky salsa that was well beyond any bottle I’d ever had. Pair this recipe with some chili’s drink specials and you will have a fantastic dinner to wow your guests. There were real Mexican food restaurants on almost every street offering up juicy meats with exceptional homemade sauces. What gives, North?! When I realized I could start imitating those true Mexican dishes in my crock pot, I jumped all over it.

Crock pot chicken fajitas may not seem like exactly the same thing you get in the restaurant, but it’s just as delicious. Normally the fajitas in restaurants I’ve been to come on a steaming plate that sizzles its way from the kitchen to your open mouth. There’s grilled chicken, warm tortillas, and lots of toppings; like a Mexican meat sundae.

If you’re longing for that grilled flavor in your crock pot chicken fajitas, you can add extra ingredients like McCormick’s Grill Mates Backyard Brick Oven, Barbecue, Chipotle and Roasted Garlic, Fiery 5 Pepper, or Mesquite seasonings. Each adds their own blend of spices to the mix and has a great grilled flavor to them. I am constantly on the lookout for new McCormick Grill Mate spices because of their complex flavors and a quick shake and you have seasoned your food perfectly. Experimenting with the Grill Mates collection has also become a favorite pastime of mine. If that’s not enough, you can add liquid smoke to get the chargrilled taste buds going. 

Now that’ you’ve seasoned your dish to your liking, you can get to cooking. The prep for this dish is essentially nothing. Just a light bit of chopping then throw everything into the crock pot. The freshly chopped veggies will add all of their flavor to the meat while they stew for about 7-8 hours and the meat will become tender and soft. Because of all the extra liquid that comes in the can of Rotel veggies, you don’t need to worry about this dish becoming tough or overcooked if you happen to come home from work late. The chicken will have enough moisture to cook perfectly and stay away from dryness. Shredding the chicken in the crock pot will not be a problem either. Just make sure to use soft cookware as to not scratch your crock pot.

The way that the crock pot chicken fajitas are cooked, low and slow, allows the veggies to become soft and infused with the spices. They are an awesome topping for the fajita chicken and their absorption of the spices makes the dish taste better in my opinion. It’s nice to have all the typical fajita ingredients tossed together on a grill or flat top, but they don’t all get the chance to fuse their flavors together in the same way that they do in the crock pot. The meat and the veggies kind of mix at the restaurant on the grill or flat top but they’re never as spicy or flavorful as when they get the chance to stew for hours.

On the first bite of these fajitas, you’ll swear that a professional chef prepared them. They’re cooked perfectly, all the chicken is well shredded, and the veggies aren’t soggy. If you choose to add sour cream or guacamole to your fajita, that will only enhance the flavors already present. You can also grill your tortillas if you so choose. I like to put my oven on broil and heat the tortillas for a few minutes on each side to get them warmed up and slightly toasted.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of Mexican food or fajitas, crock pot chicken fajitas will beg you to change your mind. Before I moved to Arizona, I wasn’t a huge Mexican food fan beyond quesadillas and chips and salsa. But after having real Mexican food and these slow cooked fajitas, I’m sold.

Gotta have more Mexican food? Try the Steak Tacos Recipe with Homemade Grilled Salsa! 

Crock Pot Fajitas

2014-05-04 03:44:34

Serves 2

Spicy and easy crock pot fajitas

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

8 hr

Total Time

8 hr 15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

8 hr

Total Time

8 hr 15 min

Ingredients

1. • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. • 1 medium-sized onion
3. • 1 large green bell pepper
4. • 1 large red bell pepper
5. • Salt and pepper to taste
6. • 1 packet of Chipotle Taco seasoning
7. • 1 TS (Teaspoon) garlic powder
8. • 1 TB (Tablespoon) oregano (If you have Mexican oregano, use that instead of traditional oregano.)
9. • 1, 10 oz can of Rotel with diced tomatoes and green chilies
10. • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
11. • 4 tortillas

Instructions

1. Trim chicken breasts of any excess fat or skin.
2. Chop the onion into 1/4-inch thick slices and cut bell peppers into strips about 1/4-inch thick.
3. Add the chicken to crock pot and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add taco seasoning to the chicken.
5. Add can of Rotel to crock pot.
6. Add onion and bell peppers.
7. Sprinkle garlic powder and oregano over entire mixture.
8. Cook on low for 7-8 hours until fully cooked.
9. Shred chicken in crock pot and mix all ingredients.
10. Warm the tortillas.
11. Cover warm tortillas in shredded cheese and other toppings.
12. Scoop some of the crock pot chicken fajita mixture onto tortilla.
13. Wrap up the chicken fajita and enjoy.

By Mandy Ellis

So Good Blog http://www.sogoodblog.com/

Recipe Cuisine: Mexican 

Slow Cook it:

• Cut off any excess fat or skin on the chicken breasts then cut them into 4 fat strips

• Chop the onion into ¼-inch thick slices and cut both bell peppers into ¼-inch thick strips

• Add the chicken to the crock pot and salt and pepper it to taste

• Add the packet of hot taco seasoning to the crock pot over the chicken

• Add the entire can of Rotel to the crock pot

• Add the onion and bell peppers to the crock pot

• Sprinkle the garlic powder and oregano over the entire mixture

• Cook this mixture on low for 7-8 hours or until the chicken is tender

• When the chicken is fully cooked, shred it inside the crock pot with a wooden or plastic spoon and mix all the ingredients together until fully incorporated
• Put the oven on broil and place the tortillas in the oven to warm them up
• When the tortillas are warm, remove them from the oven and use ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese on each tortilla (You should have 4 tortillas each with ¼ of a cup of shredded cheddar melted on them. This recipe makes 2 fajitas for each person.)
• Use a large spoon to remove ¼ of the chicken fajita mixture from the crock pot and place it on one of the tortillas. Repeat this step for the remaining 3 tortillas. 

• Add any other toppings you like, such as sour cream or guacamole, wrap up the fajitas, and scarf down this extremely delicious mixture of spicy, juicy chicken and chilies!

Summary

Recipe Name

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Published On

2014-05-16

Preparation Time

15M

Cook Time

8H

Total Time

8H15M

Average Rating

5 Based on 1 Review(s)