Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken & Beans

Now here’s a frugal dish:  chicken thighs and dried beans.  Sure, there’s jarred salsa, and I’d encourage you to buy a good brand because the flavor will take center stage, but really, this is a cheap and easy one today, folks.  And so tasty!  I served this on top of rice, but you could serve it with tortillas, or even over polenta for a twist.  Pair it up with a crisp side salad and you’ve got a filling meal with lots of warm-you-up spice.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken & Beans (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine - I got this off their iPhone app.!)

Place the beans in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Drain.  In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)

Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Serves 4.

**Wow! An edit** In the “who knew?” category of information, a gentle reader tipped me off to “red kidney bean poisoning” . . . . ?  Check out this link for more information.  What to do?  Boil your kidney beans for 10 minutes before you put ‘em in the slow-cooker . . . we had no issues after eating this (or the leftovers) but I’d hate to poison you good people!

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