Salsa Chicken & Lime Rice {Super Easy!!}

Aren’t you ready for a new back drop to my photos? Me too! Seriously! Who eats every single meal, dessert, snack, etc. outside on a picnic table? Hang in there, someday I’ll own a home again, and it will have a kitchen that is bigger than the table that’s supposed to go in the kitchen. And there will be light, natural light, and it will be awesome. For now though, thank you for bearing with my artificially lit photos from the kitchen and the monotonous background of the picnic table that sits outside our apartment. I’ll take one common background with natural light over lots of variety any day.

The good news is….dinner is done for tonight! Yay for you!! If you have some frozen chicken and a jar of salsa….you’re done! I grew up with this dish, my mom made it all the time. Now Anna and Eric eat it all the time, mostly because there are lots and lots of days where frozen chicken and salsa are the only foods in our cupboards. You’d think a stay at home mom could make it to the grocery store….but we have a pool at the apartment so everything else is kind of on the back burner. The even better news about this dish is how awesome it is as left overs….even better than eating it fresh. It’s my go to dish for taking dinner to people….so if you have a baby, are in the hospital, lose a loved one, or go through any other life event in which people bring you food….you now know what to expect from me.

Here goes folks….place some chicken in the crock pot. I use 3-4 large chicken breasts to feed Eric, Anna, and myself because we always plan for at least one night of leftovers. Take a jar of your favorite salsa and dump it on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low all day (6-8 hours).

When the chicken has cooked all day, it’s time to shred it. For years I have done this with two forks…until my beautiful and knowledgeable sister-in-law told me to shred it in my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. This blew my mind. It was amazing. I’m still in awe…..it does it perfectly. Perfectly. Never shred chicken by hand again.

Once your chicken is shredded, stick it back in the crock pot and let it sit in the salsa some more while you cook some rice. My favorite rice is basmati rice. It has zero nutritional value but I don’t care, it’s just so good. You’re probably thinking….”blah blah blah…I know all about basmati rice.” Good for you. Until a couple years ago, I didn’t and the first time I cooked it, it came out all mushy and clumpy. So here are a couple tips for those who have never cooked with basmati rice:

1. Always rinse basmati rice until the water runs clear

2. When you dump the rice into the water, give it one stir, cover it and leave it alone until it’s done cooking. No intermittent stirring.

When your rice has absorbed all the water (about 20 minutes) let it sit covered for about five minutes. Squirt a couple tablespoons of lime juice in there and fluff it with a fork.

There are no official rules for salsa chicken. We serve ours in the following order: Rice, chicken, shredded cheese. But by all means…live on the edge…mix it up….layer the chicken first and feel the rush of adrenaline. I LOVE lime, so my favorite is to serve this with lime tortilla chips on the side. The chicken also makes a great filling for burritos or enchiladas. It freezes well to. You’re welcome.

Salsa Chicken & Lime Rice

Recipe from my mamma

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts, frozen or fresh. Approximately 2 lbs. or 4 large chicken breasts.
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 cup white basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
• shredded cheese

Directions:

• For the chicken: Combine the chicken and salsa in a slow cooker or crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. When chicken is cooked and very tender, shred and return shredded chicken to the crock pot.
• For the rice: Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Rinse basmati rice in a fine strainer until the water runs clear, add to the boiling water, stir once and cover. Cook 20 minutes on a low simmer until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for five minutes. Add the lime juice and fluff with a fork.
• Serve the chicken over the rice and top with shredded cheese.