Everyone is busy, and it seems that they have less and less time to spend in the kitchen. Almost everyone, however, still wants to make tasty meals that everyone likes. Slow cookers are perfect for good summer meals, since they don’t heat up the kitchen like an oven, and food cooking in them doesn’t need watching. The following Slow Cooker Green Chile Chicken has minimum ingredients and is sure to become a favorite. It’s great served with rice and a salad, for an easy meal.

You can vary the heat in this dish by adjusting the amount of jalapeño peppers. Most jalapeño peppers from the grocery store, especially the larger ones, are fairly mild, so you can use a large amount of them. You can add chopped Anaheim or Poblano peppers for a milder version. If it’s more convenient, you can also use canned chili peppers. Neufchatel cheese is similar to cream cheese, but is lower in fat; you can substitute cream cheese, if Neufchatel isn’t available.

8 Servings

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped jalapeno pepper, (can substitute part mild peppers to taste)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed and cut into eight serving-size pieces
Fajita seasoning

1 cup salsa verde (tomatillo salsa)
1 8 oz. package Neufchatel cheese, or cream cheese, softened
2 cups Mexican blend cheese

1. Place the chopped onion and jalapeno peppers on the bottom of a 2-3 quart slow cooker.
2. Top with the chicken breasts and sprinkle the chicken breasts with fajita seasoning; if the seasoning has salt, sprinkle with ground black pepper; if the fajita seasoning is salt-free, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the salsa verde and Neufchatel cheese; spread over the chicken and sprinkle with the Mexican blend cheese.
4. Cover the slow cooker, set the temperature to low, and let cook 2-4 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 386 Calories from Fat 208
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 54% Protein 39% Carb. 7%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 23 g
Saturated Fat 12 g
Cholesterol 128 mg
Sodium 666 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 38 g

Vitamin A 54% Vitamin C 78% Calcium 0% Iron 8%