Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Burritos!

 Today was a snow day in my part of the country.  We have gotten right at about 10" so far and are getting another 1-2" before the night is over.  (at least that's what the local news is reporting)  I live here in the mid-west and yes, we are used to some snow.  However ... this much ... well, let's just say even the majority of the grocery stores closed today due to the weather.  That's when you know you've gotten a lot of snow.

My job allows me the flexibility to work from home - so today, (and maybe tomorrow depending on if I can make it out of my neighborhood) I was telecommuting.  My husband did a great store run for me last night to prepare for the next two days - so I knew I'd be home and wanted to cook something comforting today.  I didn't want chili ... didn't want stew ... didn't want pasta ... so I decided on shredded chicken burritos. 

Let me just tell you .... I knew I'd be using my crock pot for this meal and started it off at 8am ... all day long I was tortured with the delicious and salivating smell coming from my kitchen.  In all honesty ... it was hard to get any work done while smelling this delicious concoction. 

Watching the snow come down in large quantities, listening to my daughter giggle at the falling snow and having my house smell amazing made me very thankful for a day at home. 

So ... enough about my day - let's get down to business.  You are really here for one reason - the recipe so you can make this at home!  And let me tell you - you will LOVE it.  Another easy, quick and budget-friendly meal that is great any night of the week.  (or snow day)

What all do you need:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup of taco seasoning, (I make my own, however you can add 1 packet from the store)
• 1 can of low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 can of water
• Burrito size tortillas
• 3 cups of shredded cheese
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Doing this in my crock pot was so easy.  Have I mentioned before how much I'm in love with my crock?  I'll make sure to let everyone know when I need an intervention.  Maybe.

First of all we are going to get started.  As with anything in the crock pot you can cook it all throughout the day, and this was my plan today.  I put in the chicken stock and water and then added the chicken breasts whole.  Add your taco seasoning and a little salt and pepper.  Turn the crock on low and allow to cook for about 3 hours. 

I checked at the 3 hour mark, (couldn't resist) and then added the second set of ingredients.

I did a medium dice on the onion and then took the 3 cloves of garlic and minced with my knife.  I added that into my mixture.  You can kind of start to see at this point ... the chicken was starting to fall apart already.  My house was smelling divine.  I stirred it all up and allowed to cook for another 3 hours. 

I went back in ... about 2 in the afternoon and checked my chicken.  It was falling apart to the fact that I could take my large serving fork and just shred it there in the pot.  That is how tender and juicy the chicken was at this point.  YUM.

So you can see we are almost there at this point.  I wanted it to soak up more of the liquid so I placed the lid back on and allowed to cook for another 2 hours.  Then: perfection. 

This is the point where if you had thrown this in before leaving for work during the day you could come home to.  Now we are just going to assemble. 

I took my shredded cheese of choice, tortillas and then pulled my chicken out to a bowl so that I could create a quick assembly line for making the burritos.  This is easy. 

Take a tortilla, a spoonful of the chicken/onion mixture and then a small handful of cheese and place in the middle of the tortilla.  Fold in the sides and roll up.  Place them in a greased baking dish.  (You will also want to start pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees.

You should still have liquid left in your crock pot at this point.  And to be fair ... why throw away such delicious flavor that worked all day for you?! 

Once I had my burritos rolled up in the baking dish I took the liquid and poured over the top.

*insert drooling here*  Oh my .. it was just amazing at this point.  Amazing.  But, I had to continue on.  I then took the remaining cheese and sprinkled over the top.  Then, it was off to the oven.

Allow to cook at 425 degrees for about 10 - 15 min.  I turned the oven on broil for a quick 5 minutes just to get a little bubble in my cheese topping. 

Wow.  At this point I was fighting my husband off with a fork until I could serve them up.  You can see how easy this meal was really ... the crock pot did all the work for me all day.  Then, just putting together and popping in the oven for the final touches. 

Before my husband could take the plate away I was brave enough to snap one quick picture.  Of course I just topped with light sour cream, but any and all toppings would be perfect.  Guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, tomato, etc. 

Allow me to tease you with one final picture before it all disappeared ...

Yummy.  Gooey.  Juicy.  Cheesy.  A gift from above.  These were my Snowy Day Shredded Chicken Burritos.  Enjoy your weeknight cooking and your family will as well. 

~Cheers!
Jacqui