Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Bowls for Full GAPS

These slow cooker chicken fajita bowls bring together shredded chicken, soft strips of red and green pepper, onions and tomato salsa. Garlic, cumin, lime and cider vinegar flavor the chicken, while the cooking juices keep the shredded meat moist when you serve it.

The preparation happens in two sessions. Coat the chicken and refrigerate it overnight, then layer the vegetables and chicken in the cooker the next morning. Optional toppings stay at the table so you can choose what fits the ingredients you already tolerate.

Plan the overnight rest and cooking time

This recipe uses four boneless, skinless chicken breasts and makes about four larger bowls or six smaller ones. At 2×, that becomes eight larger servings, or about twelve smaller portions.

Allow an overnight refrigerator marinade followed by 7 to 8 hours on low. The card uses an eight-hour planning allowance for the overnight rest, eight hours for cooking and ten minutes of preparation, giving a plan of about 16 hours and 10 minutes. If your overnight rest is longer, allow that extra time too. Thawing frozen chicken is separate from this plan.

Start with fresh or fully thawed chicken. If it is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator before making the marinade. Keep the covered chicken refrigerated during its overnight rest rather than leaving it on the counter.

Keep the two garlic measures separate

For the base marinade, measure ½ cup melted ghee, tallow or coconut oil, 2 tablespoons additive-free cider vinegar, the juice of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon pure garlic powder. Melt the chosen fat gently before measuring it, then let it cool until it is still fluid but not piping hot before mixing the marinade.

The vegetables are 2 yellow onions, 2 green bell peppers and 2 red bell peppers, all thinly sliced. They get their own 2 teaspoons garlic powder and 2 teaspoons ground cumin. Keep that vegetable seasoning separate from the garlic already in the chicken marinade. Use pure spices without a seasoning blend or other added ingredients.

Weigh 15½ ounces of finished homemade salsa. The mild fresh tomato salsa with cumin is prepared separately, then the finished portion is weighed for this dish. Do not replace that weight with a guessed cup measure. The salsa goes over the chicken before cooking.

The cooking fat can become firm around the chilled chicken. Keep it all. Scrape the baking dish thoroughly when you load the cooker so the measured fat and marinade go into the meal.

Marinate, layer and slow-cook

1. Coat and refrigerate the chicken. Put the thawed chicken breasts in a covered glass or ceramic baking dish. Whisk the measured melted cooking fat, cider vinegar, lime juice and marinade garlic powder together. Pour over the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Keep the chilled marinade. The next morning, the fat may have firmed. Leave it with the chicken. Keep the chicken refrigerated until you are ready to load the slow cooker.
3. Make the vegetable base. Put the thinly sliced onions and both colors of bell pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the separate vegetable garlic powder and ground cumin over them.
4. Add chicken, marinade and salsa. Place the chicken on the vegetables. Pour or scrape in all the marinade, including the firmed fat. Spread the measured finished salsa evenly over the chicken. Use a cooker large enough for the full batch within its fill limits, then fit the lid.
5. Cook on low and check doneness. Cook on low for about 7 to 8 hours. Check the thickest center of the chicken with a food thermometer for 165°F (74°C). The meat should also pull apart without firm resistance. Continue cooking as needed until both checks pass; the clock alone does not prove it is ready.
6. Shred into the cooking juices. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean dish and shred it with two forks. Spoon the softened peppers, onions, salsa and cooking juices over the shredded meat. Keep the cooked food away from utensils and dishes that held raw chicken.
7. Fill the bowls. Portion the chicken and vegetables into bowls. Add any optional cultured sour cream, chopped cilantro, avocado, lime wedges or qualifying cheddar that you already tolerate. Keep toppings separate from portions you plan to store.

The peppers and onions will be very soft, and the chicken should separate into shreds. Spoon in some of the cooking juices rather than serving the meat dry. Keep the lid on during cooking except when you need to check the food.

Cooking fat and Full GAPS choices

This is a Full GAPS recipe after the included ingredients have been introduced and tolerated. It is not an Introduction Diet recipe. The selected marinade uses a cooking fat suited to the long cook; cold-pressed olive oil belongs on ready-to-serve food rather than in this cooker.

Keep the full measured half cup of your chosen cooking fat in the base batch. Use plain ghee or tallow, or natural non-hydrogenated coconut oil. The choice does not change where the marinade, vegetables or salsa go in the method.

For a dairy-free serving, choose tallow or coconut oil and leave off both sour cream and cheddar. The selected tomato salsa has no dairy or whey. Ghee is dairy-derived, so it is not the choice for this dairy-free option.

If you use the optional dairy toppings, choose forms already introduced and tolerated. The finished kefir-cultured sour cream is a separate preparation. Use an additive-free block of raw or properly cultured cheddar that you already tolerate, and grate it at serving rather than adding a pre-shredded blend with other ingredients.

Serving and storing the bowls

The chicken and vegetables make a complete main dish without toppings or rice. If you want a side, prepare Mexican cauliflower rice separately. Its ingredients and cooking time are not included in this fajita recipe.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow, covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within three to four days. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or within one hour when the temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Keep the sour cream, cheese and fresh toppings separate.

Reheat a portion of chicken, vegetables and juices in a pan until it reaches 165°F (74°C) throughout, checking with a food thermometer. Use the slow cooker for the original cooking stage, not for slowly reheating cold leftovers. Add the toppings after reheating.

Questions before you start

What if the marinade fat turns solid?

That can happen in the refrigerator with these cooking fats. Scrape it into the cooker with the chicken and the rest of the marinade. Do not discard it or add another half cup to replace it.

Can I use a whole jar of salsa?

Use the listed weight of finished homemade salsa. Jar sizes and salsa textures vary, so weigh 15½ ounces for the base batch. At 2×, weigh 31 ounces.

Can I double the recipe in the same cooker?

Double the ingredients with the card’s controls, then check that your cooker can hold the larger batch within its fill limits. If not, make the base batch or use two suitable cookers rather than crowding one. Larger batches may take longer to heat, and every chicken portion still needs the same doneness check.

How long can the chicken stay in the marinade?

This recipe calls for an overnight refrigerator rest. Keep raw poultry and its marinade refrigerated, and cook within two days. Use fresh ingredients and keep the raw-chicken dish and utensils separate from those used for serving.

More slow-cooker planning

The planned Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Cookbook is listed in the WFLI Shop. Check its current release information there. For these bowls, have the finished salsa ready before the cooking morning and leave time for the overnight marinade first.