Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: Chicken Soft Tacos & Chile Cheese Rice

I made this for lunch today and it was SO delicious.

Chicken Soft Tacos

1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons Williams-Sonoma Argentine Rub or fajita seasoning or a mixture of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Fajita-size flour tortillas, warmed

Cacique Crema Mexicana, creme fraiche or thinned sour cream

Shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack

In a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker, place the chicken breast in a single layer.  Rub both sides with Argentine Rub.  Pour the can of tomatoes over the chicken.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2-4 hours or until tender.  Shred with two forks.  Add cilantro.  Reduce the heat to LOW and cook for one more hour.

Spoon the chicken into the warmed tortillas and top with crema and cheese.  Sliced radishes and iceberg lettuce would also be wonderful additions.  

Marcela Valladolid's Chile Cheese Rice

Marcela is one of my favorite hosts on Food Network.  This rice dish of hers is fantastic!  Long-grain rice is cooked with onions, garlic and sweet corn and then tossed with roasted poblanos.  The mixture is then topped with crema and Monterey Jack and broiled until golden.  It's a little labor intensive but SO worth it!!!  It's creamy, cheesy, smoky, sweet, spicy and comforting.

I follow her recipe almost exactly.  I use broth instead of water to cook the rice and I add a little cumin, onion powder and garlic powder as well.

Also, I wear disposable gloves when I handle chiles.  I once managed to find a fiery poblano and chopped it up, sans gloves.  My fingers burned for days!  Lesson learned--the hard way.