Friday, February 9, 2007

Pollo Colorado


I got this recipe from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. The book has some very interesting recipes that you wouldn't normally think of for a slow cooker. For the longest time I was afraid of using a slow cooker, fearing I would come home to a house burned to the ground. I'm over that fear now, thinking that slow cookers are better made today than they were when I was growing up. Not that I ever heard of a house burning down from using one, just one of my many strange quirks. Anyway, this is a simple, simple recipe. I used the finished product in soft tacos one night and nachos another. I also used a local jarred enchilada sauce, because my local grocer did not have the one listed in the recipe. There is actually a recipe in the book for Red Chili Sauce, but that would make the recipe not as simple. I only used one onion and one red pepper and that was plenty, 2 of each would be a little overkill in my opinion.

Pollo Colorado

2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled
2 medium-sized red bell peppers, seeded
3 large or 4 medium-size individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (do not thaw)
1 (28 oz) can Las Palmas red chile sauce, hot, medium or mild, as desired

1. If you are going to eat pollo colorado as a stew, chop the onions and peppers into 3/4" pieces. If you are going to use it as an enchilada, burrito or taco filling, slice the onions and peppers. Put the vegetables in the cooker, tossing to mix well. Arrange the frozen chicken on top of the vegetables and pour over the chile sauce. Cover and cook on LOW until the chicken is tender, 5 to 7 hours.
2. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Cut into chunks if you are making stew; slice or shred if you are filling tortillas. Return to cooker and stir to coat with sauce and mix with vegetables. It will keep, refrigerated, for about 4 days.

I just shredded the chicken with 2 forks right in the cooker, no need to mess up a cutting board!

1 comment:

Rachel Rubin said...

Thanks for posting this! I have had my eye on that cookbook and I'd love to try this sample recipe before I buy. Looks interesting.