Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 1-19-15**

One of the meats I cook with most in my crock pot is chicken. We love chicken in our house, and it’s so versatile with how you can cook it and what you can put it in, like soups. I came across this week’s recipe online as a healthy crock pot recipe. It is only 200 calories per serving, and this recipe makes 4 servings. It’s easy to throw together, and I had most ingredients in my house already actually. Now, I am generally not a fan of mustard, but this is delicious. The honey balances out the mustard nicely, along with the other spices and ingredients. The original recipe says to cut the chicken in strips, but I chose to shred it up and serve it over mashed baby red potatoes, SO GOOD! The sauce from this is pretty tasty, which is why I chose to serve it over potatoes, but you can just serve it on it’s own if you would like with a side of your choice.  I did thicken the sauce up to make it a bit more gravy-like (2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water, then added to the crock pot), and it was really delicious.

Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon country-style (coarse-grain) mustard
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Place chicken in the crock pot, and add sliced onions on top. In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients, and then pour over the chicken & onions in the crock. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Serve on it’s own or shred up to serve over potatoes or rice. If you want a thicker sauce, add in 2tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water at the end.

Crock Pot Kielbasa Bites

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 12-29-14**

I tested this week's recipe on my lovely co-workers here at QueenB Radio at our Holiday Potluck last week, and it was liked! So, thanks to their approval, I am sharing it with all of you! It's Crock Pot Kielbasa Bites! This is a great dish to take to any New Year celebrations or playoff footbal/Super Bowl parties! I doubled the recipe for the work potluck. Just make sure you don't overcook it though, and Hubs said that the leftovers the next day weren't all that fantastic. But they sure are delicious when eaten fresh right out of the crock! You may look at the ingredients and think I'm crazy, but for real, it's a wonderful flavor. I used a mix of kielbasa and smoked sausage when I made it. I imagine this would taste great on any kind of sausage you wanted to slice up and throw in! Even cocktail weinies!

 

 

CROCK POT KIELBASA BITES

• 1 lb. kielbasa (or smoked sausage)
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard

Slice up the kielbasa and put in the crock. In a bowl, mix together the apricot preserves and mustard until well combined. Pour into the crock and stir together to evenly coat all of the sausage. Cook on low for 2-3 hours or high for 1-2.