Taco Oops

[Frylock]

I was going to make chicken taco filling in my slow cooker today. The recipe I use just has you dump in frozen chicken, salsa and taco seasoning and let it go.

I pull out the salsa from my fridge, only to realize I screwed up. I bought enchilada sauce instead of salsa.

So what do you think? Use it anyway? Any chance it will still be usable as a taco filling?

I could switch gears and try for enchiladas instead but that would require an extra baking step with layering of cheese and adding more sauce over the things and so on, and I was trying to go for super easy tonight…

[Frylock]

Well, I just tasted it. This will not work for tacos in our household. Too bitter and spicy. I might have liked the result but no one else will.

Time to improvise.

[DCnDC]

Skip the salsa and the taco seasoning and just throw in with the chicken:

chili powder
crushed garlic
diced onion
diced tomato
crushed red pepper flakes (or a chopped pepper of your choice)
oregano
paprika
ground cumin
salt
black pepper

and a little chicken broth.

It’s a bit more work, but it’ll taste much better than powdered seasoning.

[Frylock]

@DCnDC

Skip the salsa and the taco seasoning and just throw in with the chicken:

chili powder
crushed garlic
diced onion
diced tomato
crushed red pepper flakes (or a chopped pepper of your choice)
oregano
paprika
ground cumin
salt
black pepper

and a little chicken broth.

It’s a bit more work, but it’ll taste much better than powdered seasoning.

The above is pretty obvious. I am not interested in cooking today. (I assumed this was clear.)

[purplehorseshoe]

@Frylock

Well, I just tasted it. This will not work for tacos in our household. Too bitter and spicy. I might have liked the result but no one else will.

Time to improvise.

Add something sweet to round out the flavor? Tomato paste, or maybe a fruity jam since it’s chicken… ?

Not sure what, exactly, is in jarred enchilada sauce, though. What are the main ingredients?

[Missy2U]

Frylock - do you have a bottle of BBQ sauce? You could do BBQ Chicken.

Or a bottle of spaghetti sauce? You could do chicken whatsitcalled (can’t remember) - chicken and sauce over pasta.

[DiosaBellissima]

@Frylock

The above is pretty obvious. I am not interested in cooking today. (I assumed this was clear.)

But what was just listed can also go in the slow cooker? When I make taco chicken in the slow cooker, I huck in the meat, throw in a cup of chick stock, and throw in some heaping tablespoons of taco seasoning. If I’m feeling fancy, I may dice up an onion and huck it in there, too.

That’s virtually as easy as what you’re trying to do-- you’re just swapping salsa out for some chick stock.

[Frylock]

I found a can of petite diced tomatoes, so I’ve thrown that in with the chicken and the enchilada sauce. We’ll see how it goes.

The enchilada sauce in question, it turns out, is just red chile puree, sunflower oil, and garlic.

[Frylock]

@DiosaBellissima

But what was just listed can also go in the slow cooker? When I make taco chicken in the slow cooker, I huck in the meat, throw in a cup of chick stock, and throw in some heaping tablespoons of taco seasoning. If I’m feeling fancy, I may dice up an onion and huck it in there, too.

That’s virtually as easy as what you’re trying to do-- you’re just swapping salsa out for some chick stock.

That could have worked. My deal today is that I’m one person in charge of two infants and two small children. Chopping of any kind is not likely to happen today.

[DiosaBellissima]

@Frylock

That could have worked. My deal today is that I’m one person in charge of two infants and two small children. Chopping of any kind is not likely to happen today.

It’s just me and even I only dice an onion to add in maybe once every third time. No judgments here

[KneadToKnow]

I read the thread title as “Taco Ops” and thought maybe Tom Clancy had another new series out.

It might be time for me to get glasses.

[CBEscapee]

How can anyone complicate a taco?

[zweisamkeit]

@Frylock

That could have worked. My deal today is that I’m one person in charge of two infants and two small children. Chopping of any kind is not likely to happen today.

I guess I’m because the only thing that requires chopping in his list was onion (fresh garlic is best, obviously, but times like this were why JARlic was invented). You could even just leave that out and put some onion powder in.

I guess I don’t get how “opening spice jars” == “cooking”.

[Frylock]

@zweisamkeit

I guess I’m because the only thing that requires chopping in his list was onion (fresh garlic is best, obviously, but times like this were why JARlic was invented). You could even just leave that out and put some onion powder in.

I guess I don’t get how “opening spice jars” == “cooking”.

Actually you’re right. I saw two instances of the word “diced” and jumped to conclusions without reading the rest.

But, fidgeting with all the individual spices is still quite a bit more difficult while holding a baby than opening a single packet and dumping it in. But my “cooking” comment was based on a misunderstanding, so to the taco oops I add a reading oops.