I love burritos

And I always have. They’re quick and delicious, though maybe not the healthiest thing in the world. Years ago I came across a recipe which has become a staple of my diet for about a decade now. Combine this with a rice cooker and you have a very hands-off way to cook up a big meal.

This recipe makes about 2.5 pounds of shredded chicken, which is great for adding to burritos, tacos and other items. I believe I got this recipe from the old Ars Technica Bachelor Chow pdf that was sent around their forums a long time ago, though I could be mistaken there (I’ve since lost the pdf).

Chicken filling Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 2 ½ pound bag of frozen chicken breasts (you can get these at most grocery stores).
  • defrost the chicken breasts overnight for best results
• 1 24 oz jar of salsa (I prefer a medium strength one)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning

Equipment

• 1 slow cooker (I’ve used 4 and 6.5 quart ones; think the 4 qt one works better, though 6.5 works quite well)

Directions

• put the defrosted chicken, taco seasoning and salsa in the slow cooker
• cook for 8-10 hours on low
• shred the chicken
• integrate some of the leftover salsa into the shredded chicken for best taste

Notes

• I’ve used 16 oz jars of salsa in the past (more common than 24 oz jars). Personally I find 16 oz is not enough to cover the chicken, or add enough flavor. They work better in 4 qt slow cookers if you want to use this size though
• According to this site cooked chicken will last 3-4 days before going bad, so use it up before then
• I usually put a small amount (couple of forkfulls) in a container when reheating, and reheat for 1m30s
• I live at high altitude (5430 feet); supposedly I should be adjusting my slow cooking for this
• If you don’t defrost the chicken ahead of time, a lot of the chicken juice will end up in the slow cooker, watering down the salsa