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.

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!