Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos (or Tostadas) with Avocado Salsa

Equipment:
I used my Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker to make the chicken in this recipe.  You will need a slow cooker that's close to this size.

Ingredients for Spicy Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise (about 2 lbs. boneless chicken)
1 cup mild or medium tomato salsa (homemade or from a jar)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 can ( 4 oz.) diced green chiles, not drained (Anaheim chiles)
1-2 T Cholula hot sauce, or other Mexican hot sauce of your choice
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Avocado Salsa Ingredients:
2 medium or large avocados, diced into small pieces
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

For Lettuce Wrap Tacos:
2 large heads iceberg lettuce, washed if needed 

For Tostadas:  
8 medium-sized organic corn tortillas 
chopped tomatoes (optional but good) 

Instructions:

Trim visible fat and other unwanted parts from chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise.  Spray the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray and arrange the chicken strips in the bottom.  Mix together the tomato salsa, onion powder, diced green chiles with juice, Cholula hot sauce and lime juice.  (Start with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and taste the mixture on your finger to see if you want more.)  Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and cook on low for about 5 hours, or until chicken is very tender.  (You can cook for a shorter time on high, but I thought cooking on low gave more tender chicken.)

When the chicken is done, remove each piece with a slotted spoon and lay it on a cutting board to cool.  Turn the slow cooker to high and leave the lid partly off so steam can evaporate.  When the chicken has cooled enough to handle it, use your clean hands to pull it apart into shredded chicken pieces.  Put the chicken back into the slow cooker, stir to combine with the sauce, and let it heat back up while you prepare other ingredients.   (If there seems to be a lot of sauce in the slow cooker, you can drain the chicken when you use it, but I just scooped chicken out with a slotted spoon.)

Peel and dice the avocados and toss with the lime juice (in a bowl that's big enough for all the salsa ingredients.)  Add the chopped cilantro and chopped red onion and stir to combine.

For tacos, cut iceberg lettuce heads in half and wash in salad spinner if needed.  Peel off two pieces of lettuce and fill with a scoop of chicken mixture and a scoop of avocado salsa.  Eat tacos with your hands.

For tostadas, toast corn tortillas 2-3 minutes in an oven or toaster oven preheated to 400F/200C, turning them over a few times.  Spread a layer of spicy shredded chicken on teach tortilla, followed by a layer of avocado salsa and chopped tomatoes if desired.  Pick up and eat with your fingers or eat with a knife and fork.

The spicy shredded chicken can also be used to make regular tacos, burritos, nachos, or enchiladas.