slow cooker

ADP’s Crockpot Saffron Rice Chicken

I’m always looking for easy crockpot things, because toddlers are tornadoes and never stop moving until they pass out from sheer exhaustion and spite.

This is a fantastic recipe from an Internet friend. It turned out awesome and the leftovers were so good!

ADP’s Crockpot Saffron Rice Chicken

– chicken thighs (4-6, bone-in or boneless)
– saffron rice (I used Mahatma brand Yellow Rice)
– can of cream of chicken soup
– soup can of chicken broth or stock
– 3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 1t each of garam masala, turmeric, and coriander
– frozen peas (optional)

Dump everything in the crockpot except the peas (if using). Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken and rice are cooked through. Fifteen minutes before serving, add the peas.

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Week 9: Crockpot Chili & ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My baby shower was this weekend so last week was kind of bonkers. But last week I made really good crockpot chili that lasted for a few meals! The original recipe called for chicken but we’re pretty sick of chicken so ground beef it was. It was delicious. 

Crockpot Chili 

Adapted from Skinnytaste

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, not drained
  • 1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 10 oz package frozen corn kernels
  • 2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (aka Rotel)
  • 4 oz can chopped green chili peppers
  • 1 batch taco seasoning
  • 1T cumin
  • 1T chili powder
  • 1lb. ground beef
  • Salt and pepper 
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Shredded cheese 
  • Sour cream
  • Hot sauce

Put everything through salt and pepper in the crockpot. I put the beef in raw; it didn’t get greasy at all. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with avocados, etc. 

Week 6: Chicken Parm and Honey-Baked Chicken 

So I kind of cheated this past week. I made two things I’ve made before, but in my defense, I hadn’t made them in a very long time.

Anyway, these are delicious. The Parm is probably not authentic, and since I’m from New Jersey I should care, I guess, but I’m too tired for that crap. Eat it. It’s good.

The honey-baked chicken is my mom’s recipe. When I was a kid, I had no idea it had curry in it. (Come on, Past Me, get it together.)

Chicken Parm

  • One recipe Crockpot Pasta Sauce, with or without leftover meatballs
  • 2-3 chicken breasts, butterflied or cut thinly
  • Breadcrumbs of choice (Progresso Italian worked well)
  • Olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Provolone, if you’re feeling zesty

Spoon a little sauce in a Pyrex baking pan. Dredge the chicken in breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and brown in olive oil in a big pan. Drain on paper towels and place in baking pan. 

Spoon more sauce over chicken, sprinkle with mozzarella, and top with slices of provolone. Cover with foil, taking care not to touch the cheese. Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the chicken. Remove foil and let cheese brown. Serve with pasta and more sauce. 

Honey-baked Chicken 

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4T butter
  • 1/2C honey
  • 1/4C mustard (brown, spicy, yellow; pretty much whatever you have)
  • 1t curry powder
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F. Melt butter in a baking dish (I used a Pyrex pie pan). Stir in honey, mustard, and curry powder. It’ll be a really pretty color. Add chicken, coating each piece in sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve with brown rice. Lick your plate. 

Week 5: Thai Chicken Curry & 3-Packet Pot Roast 

Both of these are from, you guessed it, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, by Stephanie O’Dea. The Thai curry needed a lot more salt and spice than called for, so I changed that here. 

I’d make both of these again, particularly the pot roast. Holy crap, that was good. 

Thai Chicken Curry 

  • 1 (14oz.) can coconut milk
  • 3T soy sauce
  • 1T brown sugar 
  • 3T Thai green curry paste 
  • 1T fish sauce 
  • Grated ginger, to taste 
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped 
  • 1/2 eggplant, chopped 
  • 10 mushrooms, chopped 
  • 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine sauce ingredients (through garlic) in crockpot. Taste and add more curry paste if you think it needs it. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat. Add veggies on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if you want. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with lime wedges and cilantro on cooked rice. 

3-Packet Pot Roast 

Note: normally I wouldn’t even call this a recipe, but it was so good that I had to share. 

  • 1 (3-4lb.) chuck roast, trimmed
  • 1 packet salad dressing mix (I used Good Seasons Balsamic Vinaigrette mix)
  • 1 packet Italian salad dressing mix (again, Good Seasons to the rescue)
  • 1 packet McCormick Grill Mates Peppercorn & Garlic (note: I couldn’t find this for the life of me, so I used 2T of McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb that comes in a little bottle)
  • 3C water

Place roast in crockpot. Combine seasonings and sprinkle on all sides of meat. Add 1C water. It won’t look like enough and you’ll think, “Well, shit, this isn’t right,” but stop that self-doubt and trust me. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. 

A half hour before you want to eat, add 2C warm water to the crock and raise temperature to high. The meat only needs 1C of water to cook, but you will die of sodium poisoning if you try to eat it like that. Adding two more cups of water makes a super tasty gravy that was perfectly salty. 

Serve over mashed potatoes. 

Week 3: Chicken Burrito Bowls and Laziness

I cooked on Tuesday last week and it lasted us… well, I’m having it for lunch tomorrow. Some recipes are like that. This is one of them. It’s a recipe I posted last summer, but I tweaked it a little and now it’s even better.  

Chicken Burrito Bowls

Adapted from myself

For chicken filling

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I put mine in the crockpot frozen)
  • 1 15oz. can black beans
  • 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 1T olive oil 
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 
  • 2 Anaheim chiles, seeded and diced (wear gloves!)
  • 1T taco seasoning (I use this recipe)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1C frozen corn

For burrito bowl

  • Hot cooked rice
  • Shredded Mexican cheese 
  • Chopped avocado
  • Sour cream
  • Hot sauce

Place the chicken breast in the crockpot. Dump in the black beans (with liquid) and tomatoes. Heat olive oil in a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Sauté red pepper until slightly soft and add to crockpot. Add Anaheim chiles to pan and cook until they have a bit of color. Add to crockpot. 

Sprinkle taco seasoning, salt, and pepper over everything in crockpot and kind of poke it with a spoon so it gets mixed into the peppers, tomatoes, and beans. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, add frozen corn and cover again. 

Shred chicken with two forks and serve over rice with burrito fixings. 

Week 1: Mediterranean Chicken & Sloppy Joes

2016 is off to a delicious start. I’ve made some tasty things and have many more meals already planned. I have six cookbooks out of the library right now. I have a problem. 

For my first week of new recipes, I decided to make two crockpot creations, both from Stephanie O’Dea’s book, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow. 

Mediterranean Chicken

Adapted from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

  • 4 frozen chicken breasts
  • 16oz. frozen artichoke hearts (that was a bag and a third for me)
  • 1C green olives, sliced in half
  • 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes 
  • Crumbled feta

Place chicken breasts in crockpot. Plop artichoke hearts, olives, and tomatoes over them. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with rice and sprinkle with feta. 

Verdict: I added the feta when we had leftovers and it was perfect. This is delicious. 

Sloppy Joes

From Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

  • 1lb. lean ground beef 
  • 1 recipe Sloppy Joe Mix
  • 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste 
  • 1C warm water

Sloppy Joe Mix

  • 1T dried onion flakes
  • 1T paprika
  • 2T brown sugar 
  • 1t cumin
  • 1t salt
  • 1t cornstarch
  • 1/2t garlic powder
  • 1/4t dry mustard
  • 1/4t celery seed 
  • 1/4t black pepper 

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve on buns. 

Verdict: I cooked this a little too long (closer to 7.5 hours) but it was still great. Next time I plan to double the recipe.