January. Why aren’t you over yet? Winter blues are setting in. December vacations are over, the holidays are in the rear view mirror, and now the most exciting part of my day is generally figuring out how I’m going to covertly incorporate some sort of lululemon into an office-appropriate outfit. So far, Wunder Unders with a sweater dress and Vinyasa scarves have successfully made their way into the mix. Also loving how the Everyday Pant is a great fakeout for actual skinny jeans. Business casual. Emphasis on the CASUAL.

Maybe I can blame it all on the fact that I daringly went to the store without a grocery list over the weekend, and forgot to restock on frozen fruit. I’ve been lost without my Black Raspberry Smoothie at breakfast all week. It only took until Wednesday night to finally make a pit stop and get the freezer appropriately stocked again.

ANYHOO… It’s common knowledge among my friends if the word “chipotle” appears in front of any menu item’s description I must order it by default. It’s also common knowledge that as much as I like to cook, I despise sinks full of dishes. That’s why slow cookers are so amazing. You do one afternoon of work, then you eat for a week. Huzzah! After making a repeat batch of Cabernet Beef Stew a few weeks ago, it was time to make something new. This time… my penchant for southwestern food kicked in.

Chipotle Chicken Enchilada Stew

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours

1 1/2 – 2lbs Chicken Breast
1 White Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
3 Jalapeño Peppers
4oz can Green Chile Peppers
14oz can Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Chicken Stock
4 Slices Bacon w/Grease, pre-cooked
3-4 Cloves Diced Garlic
1 tsbp Cumin
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Oregano
1 tbsp Flavorgod Chipotle Seasoning
1-2 tsp Chipotle Pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste

You could approach layering the ingredients into the crock pot one of two ways. I mixed all the veggies, spices and bacon grease together at once, then somehow finagled the chicken underneath the mixture before pouring the chicken stock in.

OR… Another option is to combine all the spices into a rub, and then season the chicken generously before burying it in veggies and chicken stock.

Note: It’s best to cook the bacon in a skillet while chopping the vegetables and measuring out the spices. Once the bacon is done, slice it into smaller pieces and pour the hot grease directly into the crock pot.

Whichever way you choose, once it’s all together and the chicken is on the bottom, cook on Low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork before serving.

My place smelled like a Mexican restaurant when I got home on Monday night. In a good way.