Meal-Prep 101: Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken
THIS CLASS WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 20, 2017 at Quest Community Church (Westerville, Ohio) in the back kitchen area at 6:30 PM Quest Meal-Prep Class
The following recipe is for our class on 04/20/2017 at Quest Church. This versatile recipe is is great to have as a go to in the freezer. It can be used as a main dish served over rice, as burrito filling, soft taco filling, added to a casserole or soup, pretty much anything you can imagine. Even if you can’t join us in person, I hope you enjoy this recipe.
INGREDIENTS (for each meal bag):
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (or thighs)
- 4 tablespoons of lime juice
- 1 fresh bunch of cilantro, chopped with the stems
- 1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen corn
- 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 can of jalapeno and tomatoes diced.
- 1 can of green peppers or 2 jalapeno peppers diced (optional)
- 1 tsp of cumin.
Other items you will need:
- Cutting boards (two, 1 for produce, 1 for the chicken)
- Latex gloves (2 pair, 1 pr for the chicken 1 pr for the jalapeno peppers if you are chopping)
- Knives (1 for chicken, 1 for produce)
- Can opener
- teaspoons and tablespoons
- garlic press or a use your produce knife
- 1 large gallon freezer bag
- 1 quart freezer bag
- marker to label your bag.
DIRECTIONS:
- Before we get started, Write on your Gallon freezer bag, Cilantro Lime chicken, thaw over night. Crockpot cook for 6-8 hrs low.
- Prepare your chicken on your chicken cutting board, put on your latex gloves.
- Cut your chicken in half then in half again and then in quarters.
Place the chicken in your quart freezer bag.
- Remove your “chicken gloves” & discard.
- Add in two tablespoons of lime juice in with your chicken.
- Remove the air from your “chicken bag” and seal, place to the side. Now, clean off your chicken cutting board with hot soapy water and keep away from your produce.
- On your produce cutting board, chop your fresh cilantro. make sure you use the stems, this is where most of your flavor comes from!
- Place in your gallon freezer bag.
- Dice your onion and place in your gallon freezer bag.
- Add in your frozen corn and rinsed black beans to your gallon freezer bag.
- Add in your small can of jalapeno/diced tomatoes.
- IF YOU WANT FRESH DICED JALAPENO PEPPERS, PUT ON YOUR LATEX GLOVES FOR PRODUCE. You WILL thank me later.
- When you cut fresh peppers, keep in mind the heat is in the seeds, more heat, leave the seeds, less heat, makes sure you leave out the seeds.
- Add your Peppers to the gallon bag. (removing your gloves after working with your peppers.)
- Add in your cumin.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
- Gently roll and place your chicken bag on the top of your produce.
- Push out the extra air and seal the gallon bag. (I like to double bag my items.)
- Flatten bag and freeze.
Day be before preparing instructions:
- Set upright in the refrigerator (in a bowl in case it leaks) to thaw.
Cooking day instructions:
- Open bag carefully and pull out your chicken bag.
- Put the chicken in your crock-pot first.
- Dump in the remaining ingredients from the gallon bag on top of the chicken.
- Set crock-pot on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
- Before serving, shred with a fork the chicken and stir into the cooked ingredients.
- Serve over rice, with corn tortillas as soft tacos, in large flour tortillas as burritos, over corn chips as nachos anything your heart desires.
- The shredded left overs are also great to freeze and have on hand for soups!
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
Mrs. Kay L. Rice
