Healthy Crock Pot Chicken…Mexican Style!
It was really cold in Los Angeles yesterday (hey, it was in the low 50s and raining…we don’t get that a lot here!) and I was in the mood for some comfort food, as I often am when its grey out, and decided it was time to pull out the crock pot. I love the crock pot because it makes whatever I cook in it (chicken, usually) very tender and flavorful and the whole apartment smells like whatever I am cooking. I tend to use the same go-to crock pot chicken recipe. I buy a kosher organic whole roaster chicken, rub it in some spices, put a few garlic cloves in it and stick it in the crock pot with some chicken broth and some sliced up sweet potatoes, carrots and onions. While this comes out great, I really wanted to try something different.
When I was home visiting my parents in Novato this past month, my dad and I went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch in Healdsburg. This was a very innovative, haute cuisine type place called Mateo’s Cocina Latina. One of the menu items my dad ordered as an appetizer was called sikil p’ak. At first I was a little miffed because I was hoping for the traditional and beloved chips and guacamole, but out came this creamy rich dip made of ground raw pumpkin seeds, tomatoes and spices and I was hooked.
You are probably wondering why I am bringing up that moment at lunch with my dad…well, I decided to try to re-create this “pumpkin seed salsa” as a dressing for my crock pot chicken. It turned out pretty great. I don’t recommend making this dip unless you have a food processor or a really great blender, because it is best that those pumpkin seeds are finely ground for the sauce, or else it will be too clumpy.
FUN FACT- Pumpkin seeds. They are super high in fiber (if you eat them whole, of course), protein (9 grams per ounce), iron and are also a great source of magnesium, which is a key player in energy metabolism and goes hand in hand with our friend calcium. 1/2 a cup of pumpkin seeds will provide you with around 48% of your daily magnesium needs.
Once your dish is cooked you can add anything you like to top it off. I used a cilantro based salsa and slivered green onions. You could also do pico de gallo or sliced avocado, but I like the tang the salsa gives in contrast with the more rich, nutty pumpkin seed flavor.
One other thing is that I made a fairly large batch of this recipe, because I will eat the chicken for lunch all week with either black beans or red quinoa (I also made a large batch of that and stored it in tupperware). Feel free to halve it if its just for you, or just for two people for one meal.
Healthy Crock Pot Chicken, Mexican Style!
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seasoning
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Juice of two freshly squeezed lemons
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
6 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts
Finely chopped green onion, for garnish
Salsa, optional
Directions
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds until they are popping. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind. Add the cumin seasoning and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, peppercorns, oregano, salt, cinnamon, and cilantro. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer contents of the pan to a food processor or high powered blender. Add the lemon zest and juice, chicken stock, and reserved pumpkin and cumin mixture. Process until smooth.
Arrange the chicken evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork. When ready to serve, garnish with any extra cilantro, green onion, lemon zest, and salsa, if you wish.
ENJOY!
