I recently ate at Costa Vida for the first time and fell in love with their Sweet Pork Salad. Then my sister-in-law told me about Cafe Rio and how good their food is. I came across this recipe from my BBF (Best Blogger Friend-yes it’s such a thing, or it is now!) Holly’s blog and it’s so good! We ate it taco style, but you could do it as a salad as well. The most wonderful part is that it’s cooked in a slow cooker. Those recipes always make me happy.
Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breasts
1 C. Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 packet ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)*
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on High 5-6 hours OR on Low 8 hours.
- Shred with fork and serve in salads, burritos, tacos…etc. You can also double or triple this to make extras for freezing. Then simply thaw and reheat for a lickity split meal.
*Or you could use 3 Tbsp. of the bulk Ranch dressing mix from Costco or Sam’s Club.
Yum! We haven't visited Utah in a few years and I've been craving some Cafe Rio!
I am in-love with this chicken! The flavor is sooo great! I made it again a couple of weeks ago and we used it for tacos too. That's my favorite way to eat it! YUM : )
Sounds great. I may not have to make the 10 hour drive to DC now :). If only I can get the dressing now… creamy tomillitio?? Have you got it??
Sounds wonderful. I can't wait to try this.
Looks great! I awarded you the Stylish Blogger Award…I know you already have one but I couldn't resist! Love your blog. 😉
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So what is a "small" bottle of dressing? And what size packet? I used 8 oz of dressing (smallest bottle in my store was 16 oz), and a .4 oz packet of ranch dressing mix (my store had 3 sizes, .4, .75 and 1 oz), and it was too zesty tasting and wasn't the color of yours (it looked like dressing, not ranch).
Amy- use 1 c. dressing like you did and then use 3 Tbsp. of the ranch dressing mix. I can't remember which one I used and I have none in my house! So measure out 3 Tbsp and that should work. I hope this helps!
How many people does this serve?
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! We ate it burrito style with salsa, sour cream, cheese and guacamole. I will definitely make this again, thank you!
I just made this today, and I will be serving it as the meat to my nachos! The house smells delicious, and as I was shredding it, I took a little taste, and now my mouth is watering, waiting for my family to come home and have some nachos!
Any ideas on how to make this stove top or in the oven? My crockpot is in Hawaii (in the process of moving) but I won't get to it for another 5 months… ? Thanks
Here is a link that should help you out. Too bad you're crock pot is so far away! http://www.stacymakescents.com/converting-crock-pot-recipes-to-the-stove-top-and-oven
I used to work at rio. There chicken was cooked with chicken base mixed with water , (garlic,Rosemary, onions,carrots, cilantro, Serrano peppers) in a cheese cloth and then boiled till the chicken reached 165-190 degrees. Then once cooked it was shredded and put in a prep bag with the broth a tablespoon of chicken base and a tablespoon of all purpose.
Then reheated with 1/4 cup of butter on the stove.
Nothing to crazy.