Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken

**originally posted on WGLR.com on 12-1-14**

This week's recipe is so so sooooooo simple! And so so sooooooo delicious! I served it with mashed potatoes and gravy, but it is so versatile that it could be served in many different ways, like with pasta, veggies, tacos, gyros or even on a salad. It is Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken, and you probably have all the ingredients needed already in your kitchen. I did! It smells delicious while cooking too :)

CROCK POT BALSAMIC CHICKEN

• 2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, bone-in or out, your choice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp dried minced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 pinch fresh chopped parsley (if desired)

Combine the garlic powder, basil, salt, pepper & minced onion in a bowl. Spread it over the chicken pieces, on both sides.  pour olive oil and the garlic on the bottom of your crock pot, and add chicken on top. Pour the balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Bacon Tater Tot Casserole

Oh boy, do I have a tasty recipe for you this week. I mean, just the NAME of the recipe is enough to get your mouth watering...Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Casserole! I mean, how can something called that taste anything but awesome? Low calorie? NO. Delicious? YES! And it's so easy to throw together, and cooks fast, too.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tator Tot Casserole

• 1 (32oz) bag tator tots (I used onion tots)
• 3 oz crumbled bacon pieces (NOT the artificial "bacon" bits!)
• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts (don't use frozen in this recipe, it will create too much liquid)
• 3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt & pepper

Spray crock pot with cooking spray, and then start the layering process...start with 1/2 the bag of tots, then half the bacon pieces, then 1/3 of the cheese. Add the chicken on top of the cheese and sprinkle with salt & pepper, then add another 1/3 of the cheese on top of the chicken. Next, add the rest of the bacon, then the rest of the tots, and top with the last 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the milk over the whole thing. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 2-10-14**

This week’s recipe is easy to throw together, you may have all the ingredients on-hand already. I am a fan of ranch flavored anything, so I was pretty sure I would like this recipe before making it, and I was right! It’s Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken!

SLOW COOKER RANCH CHICKEN

• 1-1/2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces (I used red potatoes)
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp)
• 1/4 cup milk
• parsley to put on top when serving (optional)

You may want to spray your crock before adding ingredients. Place carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker, then lay chicken on top.  In a separate bowl, mix together soup, ranch mix, and milk. Pour over chicken in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Use the sauce as gravy on chicken and potatoes when serving.

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 1-6-14**

This week, I have a guest "Crocker", my husband! Mr.Jacobs spent a few weeks over the holidays home with our kiddos while I was working, so I took advantage of it, and asked him to crock something! he was excited to be a "guest crocker" on Julie's Crock of the Week, and I have to say, he did well! This week's recipe is Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki! He even went the distance and tried something else I have always wanted to...cooking brown rice in a crock pot! It did get overcooked, but it worked, we will just have to adjust cooking time next time, as every crock is different. But I recommend it, as brown rice takes a long time to make the old fashioned way.  But the chicken over the rice was really delicious and very flavorful. AND, a public shout out to my husband, Scott, who has lost 110 lbs in the last year, in large part due to the healthy recipes I made in my wonderful slow cooker :) So proud of you, honey!

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

• 3 to 4 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs (we used chicken breasts)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
• Cooked rice (Your choice, we used brown rice)

Put chicken in crock pot.  In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  pour over the chicken.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork.  Remove chicken from the slow cooker, and pour the liquid into a saucepan (if you use chicken thighs, you may want to skim the fat off the top of the liquid) and bring to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth, then gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened. If you use chicken breasts like we did, you will have to use more cornstarch to thicken it up, since there isn't as much fat.

Serve over rice. You can either shred the chicken up and put everything back in the crock, or put chicken on the rice then top with the sauce, whichever you prefer. The flavor was great! Leftovers were delicious as well. This would freeze wonderfully, too.

Slow Cooker Sauced Chicken

This week’s recipe is mainly for the sauce. I got the recipe from a friend, and she says they use the sauce on many things, but it is especially good on chicken and ribs. I made it with chicken breasts, because that is what I had on-hand, but you can use any cut of chicken you like, bone-in or out, fresh or frozen. It just seems to be a good sauce for many different meats. Plus it is easy to make! I had everything in my pantry for it, I love recipes with basic ingredients that are so versatile and easy to whip up! I served the chicken with sauce over white rice, and it was delicious.  If you try it on ribs, let me know how it is!

SLOW COOKER SAUCED CHICKEN

• 1 can tomato soup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1tsp chili powder
• 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken pieces of your choice

Place the chicken in your slow cooker. Mix all the other ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Salsa Chicken 2-for-1!

This week, I am giving you a bit of a 2-for-1 treat. I made this original recipe, Crock Pot Salsa Chicken, for the first time a few years ago and LOVED it. It comes from the great cookbook "A Year of Slow Cooking" by Stephanie O'Dea.  I recently came upon a variation of the original which made it into a soup, on her blog, which is the same name as her book (Google it, it's worth it!).  So I decided to try the soup version over the weekend and it was SO TASTY! My husband and I both agreed it is one of our favorite things I have ever made in the slow cooker. So not only am I giving you the soup recipe, but I'm also giving you the original salsa chicken recipe. Not only can you enjoy it as is, but it also works great as a filling in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, etc,  when you shred up the chicken.  It's also very low fat! YAY! Would be a nice dish for a taco bar at your Super Bowl party this weekend!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 cup chunky salsa (1.5 cups if you use breasts)
• 1 cup frozen corn

Pretty simple here...put the chicken in the crock (frozen is fine), and pour the other ingredients over the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

• 1 lb boneless chicken ( I used frozen breast tenderloins)
• 1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained & rinsed)
• 4 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1-16oz jar salsa
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end, I used light)

If you know you are going to make this the day before, I recommend using the dried beans, just soak them overnight for at least 8 hours. I really think they tasted great in this soup, and are less expensive than the canned. But the canned beans would work well too, I am sure.

Pour beans into the crock. Lay the chicken on top, and then pur the remaining ingredients over the chicken and beans. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you are using the dried beans, it will be closer to 8 hours, check the beans for tenderness. With an hour or two to go, shred up the chicken in the crock (or remove, shred, and put back in crock, which is a bit easier!).  When the soup is done, stir in the sour cream before serving.

When serving, you can top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc. 1 cup serving on it's own is only 200 calories!

Slow Cooker Savory Chicken

Holy cow, it’s COLD!!!! Definitely crock pottin’ weather!  This week’s recipe is a simple, basic crock pot recipe, but I know that when I was first on my own and started cooking for myself, I needed basic recipes to start to learn how to cook, without my mom around to ask So here ya go. Plus a serving of this (1 breast with a good scoop or two of the veggies) Savory Chicken is this week’s Crock of the Week.

Slow Cooker Savory Chicken

• 1.5 – 2lbs boneless chicken breasts (I used 4 large)
• 2-15oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chunked up
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme (or herb blend of your choice)
• salt & pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 4 cups broccoli florets

Put chicken on the bottom of the crock (Fresh or frozen works fine). Put all the ingredients in the crock EXCEPT the broccoli, and cook on low for 6-7 hours. A half hour before it is done, add the broccoli. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Simple but delicious! And good for you, too.
I used more than 1 cup of chicken broth, so you won’t have quite so much liquid as is in this photo when you make it, unless you are like me and like extra broth!

With this cold January upon us, I really enjoy soups & stews. Plus the leftovers I get to enjoy for lunch at work for days after is also a nice bonus! This week’s recipe is another pretty healthy meal for you and your family, White Chicken Chili! Even my 3-year old said “Mmmm, tasty!” when he tried it.  One serving (1 cup) is only 226 calories, and protein packed, so it fills you up and holds you until your next meal.

White Chicken Chili

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 (15.5) oz cans white kidney beans (cannellini), drained & rinsed
• 32 oz chicken broth, low sodium
• 2 cups corn, frozen
• 2 (4-oz) cans chopped green chilis
• 1 lime
• shredded colby-jack cheese, low fat

Put chicken breasts in the crock pot, and cook for about 4 hours. you can add a bit of water if you like, but it isn’t necessary. I use frozen breasts, too. When those are cooked enough to easily shred/chunk up, take them out of the crock to shred up on a plate with 2 forks, empty the cooking “junk” out of the crock.  Place shredded/chunked chicken back in the crock and add all other ingredients except for the lime and cheese.

Cook on high for an hour, then low for another 1-2 hours.

Just before serving, squeeze the juice from the lime into the chili, and top with 1 tablespoon of cheese per 1 cup serving once it’s in a bowl.

**TIP: I mashed up one of the cans of beans to give the stock a bit more texture.

Per 1 cup serving:
Calories:  226 Fat: 5.2g Carbs: 20 Dietary fiber: 5g Protein: 25g

The Crock is BACK!! Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches!

Julie's Crock of the Week on 97.7 WGLR is BACK by popular demand! The leaves are falling, the air is getting that chill in it, so that means it's time to pull out that crock pot! The first recipe for this season is one that can be enjoyed as a family meal, or as an awesome appetizer for your next football party! Serve it on large hamburger buns, or mini slider buns.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CAESAR SANDWICHES

-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing (I like the refrigerated kind near the salads in the grocery store)
-1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley
-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
-shredded romaine lettuce
-12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

Place chicken in slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker and shred it up with two forks. Remove any water left in the crock, and then put the shredded chicken back in the crock. Pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through an the cheese has melted.

Serve on buns with the romaine lettuce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! YUM!

Italian Chicken

Well folks, we are nearing the end of this weekly feature for the season. Spring is inching in, so I will shelve the Crock of the Week for now, and maybe bring it back in the Fall. Next week will be the last Crock of the Week. But don't cry, because here is another recipe to add to your collection, Italian Chicken. Super easy and tasty! My 2 year-old son gobbled this up like he was never going to get another meal in his life.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

4 to 6 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 envelope dry Zesty Italian Dressing mix

1 8oz brick cream cheese

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending on how much 'sauce' you want

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot (I used frozen, and it worked just fine). Sprinkle the Italian dressing mix over the chicken. In a saucepan, melt the cream cheese on low heat with the cream of chicken soup. Pour mixture over chicken in the crock, and cook on low for at least 4 hours (at least 5 if using frozen chicken), but you can leave it on all day if you need/want to.

When done, you can serve how you want. I shredded the chicken in the crock which made for a good chunky sauce. Serve over pasta or rice. We used rotini pasta this time.

Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Well, it is that time of year! Superbowl time! Even though my Green Bay Packers are not making a repeat appearance this year, we will still watch, of course. And that also means eating lots of food at a Superbowl party! So, if you are hosting or bringing a dish to a Superbowl get-together, I will help you out with this week's recipe, Shredded Buffalo Chicken! I posted a Buffalo Chicken Penne recipe a few months back that got a lot of good comments, so I am sure you will all enjoy this one too. The best part is that you can use it as a base for SO MANY dishes! My family enjoyed it this weekend in sandwich form, on toasted sourdough sub rolls. But it would also work great for tacos, nachos, on crackers, or even made into a buffalo chicken cheese dip, just throw it together with some velveeta! You can even freeze it to use later if you don't eat it all. Yum. Also, if you are like me and often forget to thaw the meat you intend to cook for dinner, this uses FROZEN chicken, so you don't even have to think too much in advance :) So, have fun with it, it will be a big hit at your Superbowl party, or any time of the year!

Shredded Buffalo Chicken

3 pounds FROZEN chicken breasts (I like tenderloins, but regular breasts will work well too)
1 large bottle Frank's Red Hot Buffalo WINGS sauce
1 envelope ranch dip dry mix

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock. Pour about 3/4 of the bottle of Frank's over the chicken (I used the whole bottle but it was a bit too juicy, you can always add more sauce at the end of you think the mixture is too dry). Sprinkle the envelope of ranch dip over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Take the breasts out of the crock onto a plate, and use 2 forks to shred the chicken (if it doesn't shred easily, the chicken isn't quite done, but after 6 hours that really shouldn't be an issue), and return the shredded chicken into the crock pot. Continue to cook on low for another hour, to let all of the shredded chicken soak up the sauce. Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Wow, Monday came fast this week! But, I was able to cook up this tasty meal over the weekend. My mom was visiting, and even she had two helpings, so that tells you a lot about how good this is, haha! On the surface, it may sound a bit bland, but the Zatarain's yellow rice really adds a nice spice blend to the dish. Make sure you add the rice already cooked! You can cook it the night before and put it in the fridge, or just prepare it when the chicken is almost done and throw it on in.


Cheesy Chicken and Rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
1 large onion, chopped
1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

A few minutes before serving, take 2 forks and shred the chicken up in the crock (it is so tender, this only takes a minute to do). Then add in COOKED rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

Double recipe fun this week! Chicken and Dumplings and more!

This week I am sharing another great comfort food...chicken and dumplings! This is an EASY recipe, which makes it even better! Not to mention how delicious it is. There is just something about tender chicken made in a crock pot, I love it. Feel free to make it your own by adding peas, carrots, mushrooms, whatever you would like!

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about a pound and a half)
2 Tbsp butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
4 refrigerated biscuits (I used the flaky layer type)
Place chicken in crock pot, and add the butter. Pour in the chicken soup and broth. Dice up the onion, and add to the pot, along with the parsley.

Cook on high 4-6 hours. When chicken is tender, break it up into pieces (I removed each breast and shredded it on a plate, then put it back in the crock). Now it is dumpling time! Cut each biscuit up into 9 pieces, and stir them into the pot. Cook for another half hour on high. You can also add additional chicken broth at this point to get the thickness you desire with this dish. Enjoy!




This week, we have a bonus recipe!!! Congratulations to Kevin Honahan, winner of Rural Route 1 Popcorn's Wild Game Recipe Contest! Way to go!

THAT'S A CROCK OF BUCK!

2 pounds of venison steak or roast

1 Can Golden Mushroom Soup

1 Small can of mushrooms

3 Carrots Sliced

1 Large Onion Chopped

1 Cup water

4 Small Potatoes Skinned and Quartered

¼ Teaspoon of Pepper

Put all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high 5 to 6 hours.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Penne

This week's recipe is not one of my tried and true recipes, this is a new one! I got it last week from a friend on Facebook, and thought that it sounded so delicious, that I simply had to try it ASAP. So I threw it in my pot this weekend, and it is so tasty. My husband LOVED it. It is a bit of an untraditional crock pot recipe, and it does have a bit of a kick to it. But there is enough "cooling" ingredients to bring the kick down a bit. And you can control the hotness of it by what wing sauce you choose to use. I used Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce. To cut some fat, I used light sour cream and light ranch dressing, worked fine. I also didn't put any salt in. My 2 year old gobbled it up, so if he can handle the heat, you know it isn't THAT bad! This one is great for football Sundays.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Penne

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb, thawed and chopped bite size)
1 medium onion (chopped finely)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Sour Cream
1/8 tsp of Salt
1/2 to 1 tsp of Black Pepper (to taste)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 lb. Penne Pasta (cooked)

Use a 5-quart slow cooker. I used my 7 quart, and I shouldn't have, things got a bit burned along the edges. Place in the chopped up chicken and diced onion. Mix together the cream of chicken soup, buffalo wing sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken and onion. Stir. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Once 7 hours is up... start to boil water for the pasta. At this point add the sour cream, cheese and ranch dressing to the slow cooker. Mix well. Continue to cook on low while the pasta cooks.

When the pasta is al dente. Drain. Mix into the buffalo chicken sauce. Let stand 5 minutes. Enjoy on it's own or with a few slices of garlic bread!

Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

So far, I have only done soup meals, so this week, I am changing it up a bit! I LOVE chicken breasts AND stuffing. This easy crock pot recipe combines 2 of those loves wonderfully! The chicken gets so tender, and the cream soup mixed with the chicken juices makes a bit of a gravy for the dish. The spices and herbs in the stuffing infuse into the chicken, so no need to add salt and pepper or anything, in my opinion! Delicous! I also did this once with turkey breast cutlets, and that was good too, the turkey didn't dry out at all.




Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (about 4), fresh or frozen (I use frozen usually)

1 can cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken soup, whichever you prefer

1/3 cup milk

1 box stuffing (I use Stove Top cornbread stuffing, but you can use any flavor you like)


Lay the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. Lay them as flat as you can, try not to stack (although that will still work, don't panic!). Mix the soup and milk together, and pour over the chicken. Prepare the stuffing per directions on the box (usually just adding water and melted butter), and then layer that on top of the chicken.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.