Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

You know what’s as good as going to see my grand baby?

When she comes to see me!

Which she did last week.

It was wonderful!

And honestly – this Nana didn’t want to do anything but be with her! And I do mean anything – including cooking. But for some reason, everybody still thought they needed to eat! Go figure?!

So I decided to let the crock pot cook for me and got creative with what I had on hand.

Crock Pot Mexican chicken was the result.

Nothing fancy, but it sure tasted good and was really easy to make.

So here it is – just in case you have a super busy week and need a fast and tasty meal!

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

3-4 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, I used bone-in

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 can Rotel tomato and peppers

2 (or more – depending on how hot you wish to make) Chilpotle peppers in adobe sauce*

Place the chicken in the crock pot. Sprinkle with the spices. Add the Rotel and as many Chilpotle peppers as you wish.

Put the lid on and let it cook on high for 5 hours. (Add more time if the chicken is frozen.)

Pull the chicken off the bone and serve it on tortillas or chips with all your favorite Mexican toppings.

*For those of you unfamiliar with Chilpotle peppers, they can be found in the Ethnic food section of the grocery store. They are a little hot but add a yummy smoky flavor to dishes. This recipe uses two peppers from the jar – not 2 jars of peppers. The remaining peppers keep very well in the fridge!

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

We had never really tried sweet and sour chicken as a family until we attended a family business conference a few years back.

Every day during the 3 day conference we would walk across the parking lot from the conference room to the food court of a nearby mall to eat our lunch.

Every day – without fail – the two rival Chinese stands would be hawking free samples of sweet and sour chicken.

We would know we were near the food court when we heard the Oriental girls calling out, “Sweet and sour chick -en”

Of course we never pass up a free sample – and one bite had us hooked!

It has become a family favorite and even now, we can’t say the name without using an Oriental accent!

“Sweet and Sour Chick- en”

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 can pineapple chunks, drained (save the juice)
1 green pepper, sliced (optional)
1 onion, sliced (optional)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup water

Mix egg white, salt, and corn starch. Coat the chicken with the mixture and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients for the Sweet and Sour Sauce in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture boils and thickens. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Fry chicken until brown. Add pineapple chunks and other vegetables if desired.

Pour Sweet and Sour Sauce over all and heat through.

Eat over rice.

Chopsticks are optional!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

Have you ever felt like you were in a rut in the kitchen?

Me, too.

It was time for something new and different.

Something that would raise eyebrows at the dinner table.

Something like these chicken rolls. 🙂

Although they were a little more involved than my usual recipes – they went together pretty fast and had a definite “wow” factor!

Dagmar made the rolls on Saturday and refrigerated them overnight. On Sunday morning I rolled them in the seasoned flour, browned them, and put them in the crock pot with the soup mixture before we left for church.

By lunch they were perfectly done and delicious!

I had planned for one roll per person – but they were so filling that we had enough left-overs for another meal.

Although I cooked them in the crock pot – you could also bake them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Crock Pot Chicken Rolls

(original recipe from Taste of Home Slow Cooker Favorites)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 slices fully cooked ham
6 slice Swiss cheese (we used mozzarella chese)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken broth

Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness. Place 1 slice of ham and cheese on each breast. Roll up and tuck in the ends; secure with a toothpick. (We needed multiple toothpicks to make them stay!)

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (I refrigerated them over night – and I think that at this point you could freeze them.)

Combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, sage, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken rolls on all sides.

Brown the bundles in the oil in a hot skillet. Transfer them to a 5 quart slow cooker. Combine the soup and the broth and pour over everything.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Remove the toothpicks and serve with the gravy.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing

You know I love potlucks!

But the one thing about a potluck that can get interesting is trying to jockey a position for your casserole in the oven.

We’ve had ’em stacked 2 high on both racks in an oven on a potluck Sunday!

Which is just one more reason to love my crock pot!

But I was feeling like I was in a rut and in need of a new recipe – something different – but easy. Something like Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing.

Hey – I love stuffing. I mean really love it.

I crave it year round.

It was the perfect dish to bring to my friend Cinnamon’s potluck and baby shower.

I had everything prepped the day before so that it assembled quickly in the morning. It cooked through the church service and was hot and ready at noon.

I guess other people really like stuffing too – cause there wasn’t much left! I’m just glad I had Angel Girl snap a picture of it in it’s raw state before we left home!

Poor Jan was looking forward to some in his lunch the next day – but Dagmar and I finished it off that night – it was that good!

Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

1 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, drained (4 ounces)
3 Tablespoons dried parsley
1-1/2 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
12 cups dried bread cubes
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10-3/4 ounce)
5-6 cups cooked, chopped chicken

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Saute until tender.

Combine the eggs and soup. Stir in the broth. Add the sauteed mixture.

Pour over the bread cubes and mix well.

Put half of the stuffing mix in a greased 5 quart crock pot liner. Cover with half of the chicken. Repeat layers.

Cook on low for 4-1/2 to 5 hours.

Serves about 14-16.

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at At the Well, Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Tuesday’s at the Table at All the Small Stuff.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

I love using my crock pot.

I love it so much – I don’t have just one – I have 4 – all different sizes.

I have yet to use all 4 of them in one meal – but I’m working on it! 🙂

I love being able to just throw my ingredients in, turn it on and walk away.

This is one of those kind of recipes.

It’s been one of my favorite go-to crock pot recipes for years. I’ve had it so long that I don’t even remember where I got it.

I’ve used everything from chicken legs and thighs to chicken breasts to whole chickens; I have doubled and even tripled it and have never had it fail me.

Just cook up some rice, toss a salad and you have a warm and satisfying meal.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

2 – 1/2 pounds of chicken
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water or chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Place your chicken in the crock pot. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

It’s that easy!

Just before serving, remove the meat from the crock pot and take it off the bone. I like to serve the meat in a bowl with the juice poured over it.

It’s delicious over rice or noodles!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed With Grace, and Tuesdays at the Table over at All the Small Stuff.