Skinny Slow Cooker Spicy Barbecue Chicken from Skinny Ms.

Skinny Slow Cooker Spicy Barbecue Chicken!  (Photo from Skinny Ms.)

I promised I'd be sharing recipes for Slow Cooker Summer Dinners, and I think this Skinny Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken from Skinny Ms. looks like a delicious summer dinner with nothing more than a side of coleslaw.  You'll need to use the stove for just a little to simmer the delicious-sounding homemade barbecue sauce, but I'd do that early in the morning while the house is still cool.  You could also double or triple the barbecue sauce recipe so you have some in the freezer for later in the summer.  The chicken can be cooked on low or high, just time it depending on how your day is going.

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork from Real Mom Kitchen

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork made into tacos!  (Photo from Real Mom Kitchen.)

(For Friday Favorites we spotlight past recipes that you may have missed, and I think Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork sounds great wrapped in a tortilla.  This recipe is one that I've added to the new category for Slow Cooker Summer Dinners; no matter how hot it's getting where you are, you can cook this in the slow cooker without heating up your house!)

Can you tell I've been in kind of a Mexican-food mood lately?  I think tacos are such a great slow cooker dish for days when it's hot outside, because they have plenty of cooling ingredients to go with the hot meat, and I thought this Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork from Real Mom Kitchen looked like it would make fantastic tacos or burritos.  You could also use it to make a Taco Salad.

Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos from Kalyn's Kitchen

Even on a hot summer day, you can make these Spicy Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos in the slow cooker without heating up the house!

It's only May and in Utah we've already had record-breaking high temperatures.  One of my goals for this summer is to spotlight using the slow cooker for summer dinners without heating up the house.  I think Slow Cooker Summer Dinners are one of the undiscovered joys of slow cooking, and I love this idea so much that I'm adding a new label to this site to spotlight dishes to make in the slow cooker when it's hot outside.  (Be patient for a week or two while I go back and tag past recipes that are good summer choices.)   Meanwhile, let's get the party started with these absolutely delish Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Avocado Salsa from Kalyn's Kitchen.  (If you're not a fan of the lettuce wrap idea, the recipe also includes instructions for tostadas.)