No Hassle Crock Pot Salsa Veggie Chicken

I absolutely love Pinterest. Ok... maybe I'm going a little overboard with the "love", but I sure can't help but be thankful for the invention of the website that gives me idea upon idea for new meals/foods to make for my family and friends! Before Pinterest it took me hours to plan my meals for the week by searching for recipes that fit my dietary needs with search engines, my bookshelf full of cookbooks, and through word of mouth. It still takes some time and I do use my cookbooks and search engines occasionally, but the amount of time it takes is definitely less and the number of recipes I have sitting around waiting for me to make has greatly increased! Now I am even more excited to get into the kitchen and try out all of these delicious looking recipes.

Yesterday I made one of those "Thank You Lord for such a great and easy recipe" pins. I was so pleased with the outcome. It was delightful to the taste buds and took me no more than 10 minutes to prepare. The original recipe has only 3 ingredients, but I enjoy vegetables WAY too much to stop there. The addition of mushrooms, corn, onions, and tomatoes was needed. This made the meal even more healthy and refreshing. Vegetables always make me feel more full and satisfied without being weighed down. I got the "okay" from the original chef to post my version of her recipe. You can find the original recipe here and also on my Pinterest page.

While this was cooking, I was doing more important things...like cuddling with my babies :)

Another thing that is great about this recipe is that it is never-ending. OK..so it will end eventually..maybe. We have had "this" meal twice already and will have it again for dinner tonight. There was so much sauce left but not many vegetables or meat, and you do not throw this tasty sauce away. I think I would cry. But seriously. Last night before we went to bed I added a different kind of meat, more vegetables, and a can of diced tomatoes and voila! Plug in the rice cooker an hour before lunch, and lunch was served at noon. While I was NOT cooking I was building a fort with my 2.5 year old, snuggling with my baby boy, and watching Veggie Tales (not in that order). My husband loved the lunch so much he asked if we could have it again tonight for dinner. HA! REALLY?? OK! :) So, I added more meat, different vegetables this time, and some homemade chicken broth. Turned on the crock pot and DONE. Tonight we will have a similar but almost like new dish that I once again will not be slaving over before dinner (leftover rice here we come!). You can also omit the meat, add more beans and vegetables, and create a vegetarian version of this dish.

The meat was so tender that it falls to pieces. Cut the chicken?
No thanks. It does it for you. :)

There are so many different ways that you can make this dish to suit your family's needs. Once you make the main portion of this meal in the crock pot, the options are limitless as to how you can eat it. I prefer to have a Salsa Chicken Salad. My husband likes rice with EVERYTHING. The good news is that not much extra work needs to be done once the meal is cooked. Make sure you have all your favorite taco type topping available so each person can make their own delicious finished masterpiece. I will give you some ideas, and why don't you see what amazing dishes you can come up with? Afterwards, please share with me a picture or description of how it turns out! I'd love to hear about it.

My favorite way to enjoy this meal is on a bed of spinach with Vegan sour cream on top. YUM!

No Hassle Crock Pot Salsa Veggie Chicken

(Can be gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, Vegan, Vegetarian, refined sugar free, low carb)

Makes several servings. Can feed at least 4 people.

Ingredients

• Chicken or Vegetable broth
• Fresh mushrooms, about 8-10 or 1 cup chopped*
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen chopped onions*
• 1 1/2-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, ground turkey, or omit for vegetarian**
• One 16 ounce jar of your favorite salsa (mild, medium, or hot)
• 2 cups frozen or canned corn (drain and rinse if canned)*
• One 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained*
• One can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• Taco fixings - tortillas, rice, tortilla chips, spinach or lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, etc.
• Spray oil

Directions

1. Spray crock pot with spray oil. I always do this to prevent any possible sticking or extra mess to clean.
2. Pour the broth of your choice to cover the bottom of the crock pot. I do this to prevent the chicken from becoming dried out if using chicken breasts and to make more tasty sauce.
3. Chop your mushrooms and onion if bought whole, and place them in the crock pot.
4. Put meat of choice on top of the vegetables. This will cause the vegetables to soak in all the juice and be full of flavor.
5. Pour beans, corn, and tomatoes on top to cover the chicken. 
6. Pour salsa over the whole meal. 
7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 
8. Do something fantastic with all your extra time.
9. Serve with your favorite fixings and enjoy!

This dish makes me happy.

This dish made my husband ask for more!

If you like this recipe, please feel free to CLICK one of the "Reactions" below above the comments and/or add this recipe to your Pinterest board and/or share on Facebook! Thanks :)

Notes:
*These are the vegetables I chose to use because I know my families enjoys them. You can choose to use these vegetables or add your own favorite taco style veggies. Fresh or frozen or canned will work great for this recipe. It all depends on how much work you want to put into the prep work. If using canned vegetables, make sure you rinse and drain them before adding to the crock pot. Omit corn and eat as a salad if you want a low carb meal.
**I used chicken breasts the first time I made this dish. The second time I used ground turkey 7% fat and chicken thighs. Both ways were absolutely delicious and filling. You can also omit the meat all together if you want a Vegan or Vegetarian meal and add more beans and vegetables. If you try tofu, let me know how it turns out as I have no tried that yet.

Nutrition Facts: 
Due to the variety of vegetables, meat, sauce, and well everything, I am unable to give you this information.