Nurturing my inner... one way or another

Hello crock pot, we meet again.  Shall we spend some time together?  I think yes.  Surprise me today.

Chicken Thigh & Bean Tacos (or Chicken Thigh & Bean Stew)

6 boneless chicken thighs
1 can black beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 tsp chipotle adobo sauce
1 tbsp chili (or taco) seasoning
1/2 tsp salt2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dried split green peas
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1/2 cup cooked spinach2 heaping tbsps tomato paste
2 bay leaves

Don't let a wee check list scare you.  It all goes into one place at one time.

Brown the chicken thighs in a bit of olive oil.  Just to get a little color on them.  For this particular dish, I chose dark meat for the flavor.  In the crock pot, add the black and garbanzo beans, onion, garlic, chili seasoning, salt, enchilada and chipotle sauces.  On top of that, place the seared chicken thighs.

Base layers and then the meat.

Next went the chicken broth, peas, lentils and spinach.

So some canned and dried items. Both
offer different textures.

Make sure the dried peas and lentils are submerged in the liquid.  Final ingredients are the bay leaves and the tomato paste.  More stirring.

Lots of layers of flavor.

I turned on the crock pot for three and a half hours.  By that time, the beans thickened into a sauce and the chicken was fork tender and easily falling apart with little effort.

Consistency of a stew.

Though this may look like a stew or could even be eaten as a stew, I had other ideas.  I had a mind to make this into tacos.  (My diabolical plan from inception.)  I removed the chicken thighs to a plate and shredded them easily with a fork.  Onto a slightly warmed corn tortilla, I placed some of the chicken.  *Pause*

Now we're talkin'!

I whipped up a quick sauce, like a pesto, instead of using the herbs just diced as a garnish on top.  The olive oil made the flavor more rich.  And presented quite nicely.

Cilantro Sauce

Fresh cilantro
Olive Oil
Fresh lime juice

All into a food processor and give it a whirl.

Bright green and vibrant flavor.

*Unpause*  Back to building the taco.  I added scoops of the bean and lentil mixture, drained a little so it didn't leak all over the place, on top of the chicken.  A drizzle of the cilantro sauce, a sprinkle of colby jack cheese and a dollop of light sour cream and it was ready to roll up and eat.

Stew or taco, your choice. You can't go
wrong either way.

This easily could have been spooned into a bowl over tortilla chips and dressed the same.  Or over rice.  Even on top of a cheese biscuit.  Very versatile.  Much like you'd think of a chicken chili.  No matter which way you serve it up, you won't be disappointed.