Foodwizardry

Slow-cooker Mexican chicken stew

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I love Mexican food, especially the warm spices that turn a handful of everyday ingredients into a proper, comforting meal. I am also a committed slow-cooker enthusiast: it is simple, economical and wonderfully forgiving.

This creamy chicken stew is easy enough for a weekday but full of smoky heat, sweetcorn, kidney beans and peppers. It freezes well and makes a brilliant next-day lunch, too. Serve it simply with avocado, mature Cheddar and sour cream, or add rice, warm tortillas or crisp tortilla strips when you want something more substantial.

Serves

4 generously or 6 lighter lunches

Preparation

20 minutes

Slow cooking

2½ hours on high

Ingredients

For the stew

  • 500g skinless chicken breast, cut into 2–3cm pieces
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1–2 tsp chilli flakes, according to taste
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 × 400g tin kidney beans, about 240g drained and rinsed
  • 1 × 340g tin sweetcorn, about 285g drained
  • 1 green pepper, about 150g, chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 300ml low-salt chicken stock
  • 50g full-fat cream cheese
  • 1 tsp very hot chilli sauce, preferably a smoky Mexican or Naga-style sauce, plus more if wanted

To serve

  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 80g mature Cheddar, grated
  • 120g sour cream
  • Cooked rice or warm tortilla wraps, optional
  • 2 small flour tortillas and 1 tsp olive oil for crisp tortilla strips, optional
Mexican chicken stew ingredients in the slow cooker

Method

  1. Preheat the slow cooker. Set it to high about 15 minutes before adding the ingredients.
  2. Fill the pot. Add the chicken, cumin, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, sweetcorn, pepper, both onions, garlic and 300ml chicken stock. Add 1 teaspoon of the hot sauce and stir everything together well.
  3. Cook. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring after the first hour if convenient. The chicken pieces should be cooked through and tender; check that the largest piece has reached 75°C.
  4. Make it creamy. Add the cream cheese and stir until it has completely melted into the sauce. Taste carefully before adding more hot sauce.
  5. Thicken the stew. Leave the lid off and continue cooking on high for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to the consistency you like. Slow cookers vary, so give it a little longer if yours retains more liquid.
  6. Make the tortilla strips, if using. Brush the tortillas lightly with olive oil and cut them into fine strips. Spread them on a baking tray and grill for 2–4 minutes, turning once and watching constantly, until crisp and golden.
  7. Serve. Spoon the stew into warm bowls and top with avocado, grated Cheddar and sour cream. Add rice, warm wraps or the crisp tortilla strips if you fancy them.
Slow-cooker Mexican chicken stew served with avocado, cheese and sour cream

Catherine’s tip

Treat very hot sauces as an ingredient you can add but cannot take away. I discovered Naga Mexicana sauce at the Weymouth food festival and, despite having a high tolerance for heat, it nearly blew my head off. Start with one teaspoon, let it cook into the stew and only add more after the cream cheese has softened the heat. If freezing the stew, leave off the fresh toppings and add those after reheating.

For another smoky, spicy dinner, try my Mexican cheese-stuffed meatballs with homemade coleslaw.