Martha Stewart's Slow-cooker Tex-Mex Chicken Chili Is Perfect for Winter Weeknight Meals

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When you start work before the sun’s up, and get done after it’s already dark, it can be hard to motivate yourself to cook some elaborate meal for dinner. That’s just how winter is, with short, cold days that leave us craving a bowl of something cozy and homecooked, even when we don’t actually want to make anything. That’s why we love slow cooker recipes. If you work from home, you can just dump a bunch of ingredients in your slow cooker in the morning and let them cook all day, or you can meal prep a hands-off recipe on the weekend while you’re home, to reheat and eat throughout the week. Even Martha Stewart, admittedly a little high maintenance, understands the value of a slow cooker recipe. She just shared a Tex-Mex chicken chili from her book Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker, and it’s one recipe we have a feeling we’ll be making on repeat unitl spring.

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Courtesy of Clarkson Potter.

Martha Stewart’s slow cooker Tex-Mex chicken and beans only takes 15 minutes to come together, then it simmers away all day. But since the ingredients list is fairly short, it’s important to focus on quality ingredients, from the chicken (boneless skinless chicken thighs, which will stay moist instead of drying out like chicken breasts) to the salsa (Stewart says you should use a high-quality jarred salsa). We also like using chipotle in adobo that comes in a jar rather than a can, so it’s easier to save the leftovers in the fridge.

Courtesy of Louisiana Pepper Exchange.

Another way to make Stewart’s meal easier is to skip the step of soaking your pinto beans over night. You can do a quick soak instead, letting the beans sit in boiling water for 30 minutes to an hour; swap them for black beans, which don’t need to be soaked at all; or even use canned beans instead, though the end results will be mushier.

Courtesy of Crockpot.

You should also have plenty of toppings on hand to jazz up these cozy bowls of comfort. Sour cream, cheese, green onions, tortilla chips — these add-ons bring texture and flavor to each bite.

Try it once, and we have a feeling you’ll put Martha Stewart’s slow cooker Tex-Mex chicken pinto chili on repeat.

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