Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Crock pot...

I love cooking with my crock pot.  I love it even more now that I have a child.  There is just something about the end of the day that makes Colin need all of my attention.  I can usually keep him occupied with something while I cook, but on the days that I have a meal in the crock pot, I can easily get a meal on the table without someone hanging on my leg =)

I am always looking for new (easy) crock pot meals.  I have found a few blogs, and I have a few cookbooks, but I have found that I plan my meals more around what I have on hand rather than going shopping for all new ingredients.  So, sometimes it's hard to find a new meal with things I already have.  If you have any you'd like to share with me, please do =)

Here are a few of my favorites:

-BBQ Chicken:
6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
12 oz bottle bbq sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Place chicken in crock pot.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Cover.  Cook high 3-4 hours or low 6/8 hours.

-Chicken and Dumplings (I got this from my sister-in-law):
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 pkges biscuit dough (I use Pillsbury)

Place chicken, butter, soup and onion in crock pot, fill with enough water to cover (2 cans full).  Cover.  Cook on high 5-6 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving, place torn biscuit dough in slow cooker.  (don't stir!  I made this mistake before!)  Cook until dough is no longer raw in center.

- Chicken Parm (this is a favorite):
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 beaten egg
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1 26 oz jar marinara sauce
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles
Place olive oil in crock pot.  In small bowl, whisk egg.  In another small bowl mix bread crumbs, parm, seasoning, salt and pepper.  Dip chicken into egg then coat with bread crumb mixture, then place in crock pot.  Top with marinara.  Cook on low 6-7 hours, high 3-4 hours.  Just before dinner, prepare pasta and add cheese on top of chicken mixture.

-Southwestern Chicken:
2 cans whole corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz jar chunky salsa, divided
3-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine corn, beans, and 1/2 cup salsa in crock pot.  Top with chicken.  Pour remaining salsa over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours, high 3-4 hours.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and cook 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted. 
I serve this over rice, but you can eat it alone.

1 comment:

Eleanor said...

I just fill mine with canned chicken broth and lots of canned vegetables and fresh veggies and heat it up in the morning and keep it in the refrig overnight. Add something new each day and it changes.