Slow-Cooker Chicken Tacos

The virus has a name now: COVID-19. And it is not staying in China. Italy is in crisis. Cases are appearing in the US — Washington state, New York, California. The fire department has moved from briefings to preparations: PPE inventory checks, N95 fit testing, protocol updates for respiratory calls. At Station 19, I have briefed my crew on modified response procedures: masks on all medical calls, enhanced decontamination, symptom screening. The guys listened with the focused attention that comes when the threat shifts from theoretical to approaching.

Travis asked me, "Captain, is this going to be bad?" I said, "I do not know. But we prepare as if it will be." That is the job. You do not know the size of the fire until you arrive. You prepare for the worst and adapt when you get there.

The cooking demonstration at the farmers market BBQ event — the one scheduled for March — has been moved to "tentatively March" with a caveat that it may be postponed. The organizer sounded uncertain. Everyone sounds uncertain. The news cycles between panic and reassurance, and the truth is somewhere in the noise, waiting to reveal itself.

At home, I am doing what I always do when the world gets heavy: I cook. This week I made three meals for the freezer — green chile stew, arroz con pollo, and a big batch of my chile-lime chicken — because some instinct is telling me to stock up, to prepare, to fill the freezer the way I fill my crew's stomachs: with intention and abundance. Jessica noticed the freezer filling and said, "You are worried." I said, "I am a firefighter who cooks. This is just cooking." She said, "You only batch-cook when you are worried." She knows me too well.

Sofia's soccer league is still on for March. She practices every day, rain or shine (though in Phoenix, it is almost always shine). She is getting good — not just kid-good, genuinely good. Her footwork is precise, her kicks are powerful for a six-year-old, and she plays with an intensity that reminds me of myself on the football field in high school. The coach (not me — a real soccer coach, a former college player named Maria) told me after the last practice, "Sofia has natural talent. Do not let her quit." I said, "Riveras do not quit." It is the most Roberto thing I have ever said.

The green chile stew and arroz con pollo were already in the freezer when I started thinking about what else could anchor the week—something that could go from frozen to the table fast, on a night when nobody has the bandwidth for anything complicated. Slow-cooker chicken tacos are exactly that: you load the pot in the morning, and by the time Sofia is home from practice and Jessica is done with whatever the day threw at her, the work is already done. That’s the whole point of batch cooking—you make the decisions when you’re calm, so future-you doesn’t have to.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 6–8 hrs (low) | Total Time: 6 hrs 10 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
1/2 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 small flour or corn tortillas, for serving
Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sliced avocado, pickled jalapeños

Instructions

Layer the base. Place diced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Lay chicken breasts on top in a single layer.
Season and add liquid. Sprinkle taco seasoning, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper evenly over the chicken. Pour the diced tomatoes with green chiles and chicken broth over the top.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours, or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.
Shred the chicken. Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, then return it to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the cooking juices. Let it rest in the liquid on WARM for 10 minutes before serving.
Freeze for later (optional). Let the shredded chicken cool completely. Divide into zip-top freezer bags or airtight containers in 1–2 cup portions. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
Serve. Warm tortillas and fill with shredded chicken. Top as desired with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tacos — The Batch Cook That Gave Me Something to Control