By Three. Three state championships at Eldorado Prep. We won 35-21 over Eastview. Diego had 211 yards and the game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter — a run that the local paper called "unconscious," which is the right word for the state a player is in when everything they've trained for activates simultaneously. He ran the ball in the fourth quarter like he was the only person on the field who knew where it was going.
I called Hector from the field with thirty seconds left on the clock. I knew we'd won. I held the phone up into the crowd noise so he could hear it. Then I said, "Three, Dad." He didn't say anything for a moment. I heard him breathing. Then: "Three." Just the word. Just the confirmation. Yes. Three.
This is the thing I keep turning over: Diego will be in college in two years. He will go on scholarship — there's no question about this now, the scholarship is a formality waiting to be formalized. He will play college football somewhere and he will be good at it. And I will still be here, at this school, on this field, coaching someone else's kid toward the same thing I coached him toward. That's the work. That's the whole work. You build players and you let them go and you build more.
Championship posole again. Thirty-five people again. Three trophies now on the kitchen island. The twins photographed all three trophies and sent the photo to their class group chat, which I found out about when their teacher texted me to congratulate us. The twins. Uncontainable. I wouldn't change them for anything.
Posole is the championship dish in this house — it has been since the first trophy — but ropa vieja is what I make when I need the slow cooker to do the heavy lifting while I’m still out on the field. Thirty-five people showed up this time, same as always, and I had the slow cooker going before we even left for the game. By the time Diego’s run sealed it and I called my dad from the sideline and said “Three,” this was already waiting for us. That’s the whole idea: you set it up before you know how the night ends, because you have to believe it’s going to end the right way.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Ropa Vieja
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 7 hours | Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving
- Cooked white rice or warm tortillas, for serving
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Thinly slice both bell peppers and the onion. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
- Layer the slow cooker. Place the chicken thighs in an even layer at the bottom of the slow cooker. Scatter the sliced peppers, onion, and garlic over the top.
- Mix the sauce. In a bowl, stir together the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until combined.
- Add sauce and bay leaf. Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables. Nestle the bay leaf into the liquid.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is completely tender and shreds easily.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce and peppers.
- Taste and serve. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt as needed. Serve over white rice or in warm tortillas, topped with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 215 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 510mg