Frugal Foodie Friday - Chicken and Hominy Chili Bowls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I don't do a lot of slow-cooker or Mexican cooking, so my expectations for this recipe were low. To be truthful, it made the cut for Frugal Foodie Friday only because it was cheap and simple to make. While I thought it would be passably good, I didn't expect it to be delicious, so I was pleasantly surprised. The recipe comes from Family Circle magazine, which, by the way, is a terrific source for great family meals. I tend to shy away from slow-cooker recipes because I think they grossly overstate the amount of time it takes to make a dish. I like beef and pork that can be sliced rather than shredded, and chicken, at least in my scheme of things, should be fork tender but still cling tenuously to the bone. I have found 10 hours to be way too long to cook chicken and I adjust the time to my preference. My version of this dish was done to my liking in 6 hours. Save for timing, I made few other changes to the recipe. I did substitute masa for the cornmeal and I didn't add the bell pepper until the last hour of cooking. I've found that peppers become bitter if they are simmered for too long in a slow-cooker. As I've already inferred, I really enjoyed this dish. I wish I could nail the amount of time a slow-cooker recipes need to cook. I'm beginning to suspect that my slow-cooker cooks too high when set on low and I've been doing some research lately. It seems that this is not an uncommon problem, but the experts do not agree on which is the best brand to purchase. When I find it I will let you know. In the meantime, here is the recipe for a surprisingly great Frugal Foodie Friday meal that even the kids will love.

Slow-Cooker Chicken and Hominy Chili Bowl...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
6 large bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 6-oz each)
1 teaspoon salt, divided use
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided use
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided use
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano,divide use
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can white or yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Directions:
1) Spray slow-cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker and season with 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and cumin and 1/4 teaspoon each of the black pepper and oregano.
2) Scatter onion, garlic, jalapeno and green pepper over chicken. Pour broth over top. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours.
3) Stir in hominy, cornmeal and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and cumin and 1/4 teaspoon each black pepper and oregano. Cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
4. To serve, stir in cilantro. If desired, accompany with tortilla chips, sour cream and additional chopped cilantro. Yield: 6 servings.

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