WC #3 Update - Santa Fe Chicken Review

Wednesday night we had Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken for supper. I served it with cilantro lime rice and guacamole. I realized this morning that we've had rice for 4 meals in a row. We typically don't eat rice that much, but that's the way it worked out. I know I'm getting a little tired of rice.

I tried to take a nice picture of it on the plate, but this is the best I could do with my phone. It doesn't look too appetizing in this picture, huh?


Review:

Ease: This recipe took me less than 10 minutes to put together in the crock pot. It was really a matter of opening a few cans and dumping it in the crock, adding spices, throwing the chicken in. I just put the frozen chicken breasts right into the crock in the morning. It cooked on low for about 8 1/2 hours. It took me all of about 3 minutes to shred up the chicken before I served it. Super easy.

Cost: Again, another relatively inexpensive meal. All of the ingredients are often in my pantry and freezer, so this would be an easy meal to throw together on the fly.

Taste: I had a little trouble deciding if I liked the flavor of this dish. At first, I thought it was a little bland. It smelled so good cooking and I was sure it would have a lot of bold flavor. I added some fresh cilantro and guacamole right before serving. When I mixed that in, I liked the flavor. It gave it a nice fresh taste. After a while, I started noticing the heat from the cayenne and green chilis. It might have also been good with a sprinkle of cheese or a small dollop of sour cream. It didn't taste bad at all, just not as bold as I was expecting.

Nutrition: I don't feel like this dish wasn't as healthy as the others this week, since it didn't have any fresh vegetables. However, it wasn't unhealthy by any means. I did use low sodium, fat free chicken broth. It didn't really have anything else with a lot of calorie content in it. It does have some vegetables with the corn and tomatoes and chilis. The black beans are also a good fiber source. It's also a good source of lean protein with the chicken and whole grains with the rice. The guacamole I added on top is somewhat high in fat and calories, but it's a good fat in moderation.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars - - With the additions of the fresh cilantro and guacamole, I really liked the flavor of this dish. In the future, I might try to add some more fresh ingredients right before serving....maybe some scallions, fresh pico de gallo, avocado slices, or even a lemon or lime wedge to squeeze over the top.