Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

By gpawilson

A wonderful smokey chipotle flavor enhances this dish!
For this memorable fix-and-forget chicken stew, use a high-quality salsa to save time without skimping on flavor; choose a jar with a short ingredient list.

Ingredients

• 1 1 1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 1 1/2 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 2 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 2 2 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 8) pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 1 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 240mins
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chilies, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.
Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)
Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

VARIATIONS
Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow step 1, using a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, substituting 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed, for dried beans, and increasing water to 2 cups. Cover pot and bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Transfer to oven, and cook until chicken is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Proceed with step 3.