Recipe Review: Crockpot Fiesta Stew

The pinspiration for this meal came from this photo and the fact that I had all of the ingredients on-hand and I could whip it up for a busy-day-meal.

{Melissa Genovese}

Melissa's recipe (which I named, Fiesta Stew and EDITED) is simple:

Stew Ingredients

1 can of rotel

1 can of corn, (not drained)

1 can of black beans (drained & rinsed)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

2-4 cups chicken broth (Depending on the size of your chicken breasts and how "soupy" you want your stew to turn out, use more or less broth. You can always add more at the end.)

2 frozen chicken breasts

Garnishes

Cilantro

Green onions

Avocado

Directions

In a large bowl, combine all the stew ingredients (except the chicken).

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts in the bottom.

Pour the mixture over the chicken.

Cook 6-8 hours. 

Shred chicken, and enjoy!

If your family is sensitive to spiciness,
substitute "MILD" Rotel

 This actually my second attempt at the original recipe. The first time, I followed the instructions to the letter and the result was less of a soup and more like a taco or enchilada filling. Rather than having a broth (as pictured at the top of this post), the dish was mostly wet meat. That sounds gross--it wasn't! It was very tasty but not the right consistency.

Because it tasted so good, I decided to tweak the recipe to try and make more of a soup of it (hence the RED adjustments listed in the recipe section). 

Post-cooking, Post-shredding.
I added MORE broth after this point.

 Plated and garnished:

Don't skip the fresh garnishes! 

For and even brighter flavor next time, I think I'll add fresh lime juice to the list of garnishes (just a squeeze!). 

We will definitely have this again as a stew (or minus the extra liquids, as a taco filling).

!Ole'!