Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken and Rice

I bet you thought I'd forgotten my slow cooker this week, didn't you? On the contrary, my slow cooker saved my hiney this past weekend when my husband and I were involved in our church choir's Christmas. Well, my slow cooker and one night eating out...and eggnog spiked with rum, whiskey and creme de cacao (no, not all in the same night; I can show some measure of restraint when necessary, people!) Anyway, at one point I think I had two slow cookers going at once. That's some serious slow cooker love, my friends. It was so nice to come home after our Saturday performance, spoon the adobo into bowls and sit down to a warm, filling dinner (then put the kids to bed, move to the couch for a cocktail and watch Pioneer Woman's Cowboy Christmas. Yee-haw!)  

If you've never had adobo chicken and rice let me fill you in. Adobo originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization (hence the Spanish name) as a way to slow cook meat in vinegar and salt for preservation purposes. The Chinese later introduced soy sauce to the mix to replace the salt although some purists continue to use salt, not soy sauce. Traditionally, adobo is chicken or pork slow cooked in vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns and soy sauce. The acidic factor in this version of adobo is freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of the vinegar, which I love in this application. And even though I usually LOVE vinegar, when cooked too long it can have a very strong, overpowering flavor. The method here is super simple; throw it all in the crock pot, stir and walk away. You could even put the chicken breasts in whole, then take them out and shred them when it's time to eat. I cut mine into bite sized pieces because I was a little late getting dinner started and I wanted the dish to cook in time. Enjoy this twist on an ethnic dish and grab some eggnog while you're at the store too. Cheers!

Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken and Rice (adapted from skinnyms.com)

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 c. uncooked long grain brown rice (not instant)
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 c. low sodium chicken broth
1/4 t. black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

Place all ingredients in a 4 qt. slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt if you feel it's necessary. I would refrain from adding salt before cooking since the soy sauce is pretty salty already.

5 servings (440 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com