Taco Tuesday: Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos

Hello Tuesday. I can't say that I'm glad to see you, as that means the long weekend is over, and it's back to the office for me. But at least we are on day closer to Friday, and another weekend! I've been doing really well with portion control lately, which has resulted in some weight loss, and a smaller appetite.

I was worried that the weekend would cause a setback in my weight loss journey, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite what I was eating, I still managed to succeed with my portion control. Go me! I usually have a hard time with tacos. As in, I want to eat 3 or 4 at a time. However, with these tacos, despite how delicious they were, I was able to eat 2 and feel full! That is definitely an achievement.

The flavors were fanstasic...the refried beans, spiced chicken, and cool sour cream and avocado to offset the spices. Roll all that up in a tortilla, and you have one heavenly taco! And, I used my crockpot for the first time in ages. I usually can't do that because I'm gone too long during the day to just leave it. So, instead, I put it on after work one day so that it was finished before I went to bed....and then I didn't have to cook the next night, just re-heat! Ah, I love it when I think ahead!

Crockpot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos

Slightly Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup beer
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 small can refried beans
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese 
• flour tortillas
• sour cream
• avocado
• cilantro
• hot sauce

Preparation

1. Mix chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk the beer into the seasoning mixture, until well combined.
2. Put the chicken in the crockpot and pour the beer mixture over it. Cook for 7-8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
3. About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, place the refried beans in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Stir over medium heat until warmed through.  
4. Shred the chicken with two forks, or pour contents of the crockpot into a stand mixer to shred. There will still be some liquid in the crockpot, keep that with the chicken when you shred it. Cook for an additional 15 minutes in the crockpot and then turn it off.  Add the cheese and stir to combine, then remove to another bowl.
5. Warm tortillas, spread refried beans down the center and top with chicken, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, hot sauce and shredded cheese.