Crock Pot Whole Chicken

I got the idea for this in Our Best Bites Cookbook.  Their blog is on my sidebar, love them!  This is how you make delicious rotisserie chicken at home.  It is waaaaay better, and the meat just falls off the bone, so you don't even have to carve it.  You can season this however you like, this is what I usually have around, so these are the ingredients I have used.  Get creative!  Enjoy.

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs.)
Seasoning salt
pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
Italian seasoning mix (basil, oregano, thyme)

Make 3 medium balls of aluminum foil and place in a triangle in  your crock pot.  The chicken will sit on the aluminum balls to help circulate the heat. 

Prepare the garlic and onion. 

Rinse the chicken, clear out the inner cavity, and pat dry.  Place chicken on plate with the breasts up, legs down.  Loosen the skin, and put the garlic cloves under the skin.  Put the onion halves inside the cavity of the chicken.  Rub the seasoning salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning mix onto the chicken.

Place chicken on the foil balls.  Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours until meat thermometer inserted into the breast reads 160 degrees.

Coconut Pineapple Chicken with Black Beans

First of all, sorry about the bad picture. I just wanted you to have some idea of what this looks like. This actually is a picture of a picture. This picture has mango which I changed to pineapple, and I added brown rice which was delicious with the sauce. Also, I changed 4 ingredients in the recipe, so now I can claim this as my own and change the name to pineapple. This recipe has a unique twist with the mint flavor. I really loved it! Very fresh tasting, but rich as well. Enjoy.

Coconut Pineapple Chicken with Black Beans

2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, but into strips

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 can pineapple chunks (or fresh is great!)

Salt and pepper

2 cans of black beans, rinsed (I only used one can for my family)

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2-3 Tablespoons of chopped mint

1-2 cups of cooked rice

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning one, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bit; cook through and transfer to a plate.

2. Add the coconut milk to the skillet, increase the heat and boil to reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in pineapple and chicken and cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, simmer the black beans over low heat. Stir in the lime juice and about 2 Tablespoons of mint.

4. Serve Chicken and Beans with rice and top with remaining mint if desired.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Now that the kids are back in school I feel the need to be back on a schedule again, and that includes making dinner each night. I have been having some trouble getting back into this routine after basically abandoning cooking this summer. If you are having the same problem here is the easiest recipe on the planet. Seriously.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Put your chicken pieces in the crock pot. Pour any jar of salsa over chicken. Cook in crock pot.

That's it. Fabulous! The best part is you can choose really yummy salsas to put on this and change it up. Serve over some rice and it is the perfect meal. Enjoy.

Chicken with Tomato Saute

Have you been wondering what to do with all of those cherry or grape tomatoes from your garden? Well, here is the perfect recipe for you. This is a one pot meal from Real Simple magazine. It was really delicious. Enjoy.

1 1/2 lbs. small chicken cutlets. (8-12)

Kosher salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup dry white wine (I used cooking wine, I won't get into that debate!)

4 scallions (green onions)

2 Tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (I used 2 teaspoons dried tarragon)

Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to plates.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to burst, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions and tarragon and add chicken back into the pan. Serve.

Chicken BLT Wraps

I love a good BLT. This is a fun, summer take on the original. Nothing too complicated, but the lime juice mayo is really good.  Enjoy.

Chicken BLT Wraps

8 slices of bacon
1/4 cup mayo with lime juice
Corn tortillas, warmed to make them soft
3/4 pound smoked boneless chicken breast, skinned and shredded (about 2 cups)
1 large tomato, cut into 8 slices
8 lettuce leaves
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Cook bacon according to package directions; drain on paper towels and set aside.

Spread mayo over tortillas. top each with 2 slices of bacon, one quarter of chicken, 2 slices of tomato, 2 slices of leaves, and one quarter of red onion.

Fold in tortilla sides; roll up and cut in half.

Lemon Chicken with Rice

My friend gave this recipe to me along with others as a wedding present. It has been a regular for us through the years. I just love eating chicken and rice with a delicious sauce. You can use different kinds of cream soups too. I just use whatever is in my pantry usually. This is just one of those super easy weeknight dinners with leftovers for lunch the next day. Enjoy.

Lemon Chicken

In Large Frying Pan:

Brown skinless/boneless cicken with a little oil.
Salt, perpper, and garlic chicken to taste.

Combine in Bowl:

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 can of milk (sometimes I use evaporated milk)
3 Bay leaves (optional)

Add soup mixture to chicken and simmer for 30-60 minutes.

Add Lemon juice about half way through, 1-3 tablespoons

Serve with Rice

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

Giada De Laurentiis is my favorite chef to watch on the Food Network. I have gotten so many fabulous recipes from her. This is just a great dish. Enjoy.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

1 cup pastina pasta (any small pasta)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomoatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheeese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Creamy White Chili

I have to get this out there while it is still cold enough to enjoy a really good bowl of Chili. But forget the heartburn inducing red stuff, this is creamy and delicious!

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz. each) white chili beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Chicken Broth
2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 Cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

1. In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion & garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies & seasonings. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and heavy whipping cream.

Makes 7 servings