Family-Sized Dinners: Shredded Chicken Taco Filling

Here's what you need to know:

I originally got this recipe from @chavez_chic on Instagram. She advertised it as a quick and easy meal, which it is. It's also one of my favorites.

This meal will make at least 4 servings - that's what "family-sized" means. This particular meal is great as a chip dip, too, so you could use it for a large-crowd appetizer if you don't feel like scooping the leftovers out of your tupperware dish throughout the week. Or, I guess, if you don't have kids. That too.

This meal pairs well with a small crowd of people whom you're meant to be entertaining, who generally just look confused and a little apprehensive to touch the food you've made (can you blame them)? It should be served with tortillas, and/or chips, and an unhealthy dose of overexcitement. If you didn't know better, you'd think the phrase "you should get out more" was written in the condensation on top of the crockpot lid, because that's what this food screams. It's clear that you've been working too much to make something more elaborate, but maybe you wouldn't be if you had someone special to cook for.

It also pairs well with a margarita. See my recipe for a quick and cheap homemade margarita here.

You should probably use:

1.5lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

1 pack taco seasoning

2 blocks cream cheese (about 8 oz. each)

1 can Cambell's Chunky Chicken Tortilla Soup

Some tortillas or chips

my two cents on ingredients: You're waiting for me to tell you where I substituted for the cheap stuff, but come on - this recipe has four ingredients. You can't buy four things at the store? I will tell you that 1.5lb of chicken is about the same size as the bag of little individually-sealed Perdue chicken breasts you can get at Kroger. So just dump the whole thing in (without the plastic). As far as measurements go, this recipe is pretty forgiving. The taco seasoning and soup are the most important parts, so you can measure your meat and cheese with your heart.

Instructions:

1. Put everything in a crockpot, in this order:

   1. chicken

   2. half of the taco seasoning

   3. cream cheese

   4. soup

   5. the rest of the taco seasoning

2. Cook on high for 5-6 hours.

3. Take a knife and a fork and shred the chicken while it's still in the pot. Stir, then serve! Can be packed in a tortilla, mixed with something else, or as a chip dip.