Creamy green chile chicken

Thaw the thighs from the freezer bags in the fridge the night before. Don’t start them frozen in the slow cooker.

Gluten-free as written. Herdez salsa verde is GF, so Raquel can have it. Use plain chili powder, not a seasoning mix that has wheat.

• Lay the 3 lb thighs in the slow cooker.
• Pour the whole jar of salsa verde over the top. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and chili powder.

• Cover and cook on low 6 hr or high 3½ hr, until the thighs shred easily with a fork.

No need to stir or peek. Every time the lid comes off, it adds cooking time.

• Shred the chicken with two forks right in the pot.
• Ladle out about half the liquid so it isn’t soupy. Save it in a jar for reheating leftovers.

Don’t skip the ladle step. Thighs release a lot of juice, and with all of it left in, the sauce comes out thin.

• Scatter the cubed cream cheese over the chicken. Cover and let it melt 10–15 min.
• Stir until creamy and the sauce clings to the chicken. Finish with lime juice and cilantro.

Want it richer? Use the whole 8 oz block and ladle out a little more liquid first.

• Spoon it over rice, into tortillas, or into lettuce wraps. Corn tortillas keep it gluten-free for Raquel.

Fridge up to 4 days. Pack it with rice as lunch bowls for the week. Reheat with a splash of the saved liquid.