Chicken Parmesan

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical of this one but honestly, it was AMAZING. The smell in the house all day was incredible. I literally could NOT wait until the husband came home to sample some. The chicken was SO tender that it fell apart when I tried to "stab" it with a fork.

The only change I would make would be to use panko bread crumbs next time & use some garlic and a little salt.

The Ingredients:

--2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

--1/2 cup bread crumbs

--1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

--1/2 t Italian Seasoning

--1/4 t black pepper

--1/4 t kosher salt

--1 T olive oil

--1 beaten egg

--sliced mozzarella cheese (i used shredded bc that's what I had)

--favorite jarred marinara sauce

The Directions:

--spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert

--whip the egg with a fork in a separate bowl

--mix the bread crumbs with the seasonings and the parmesan cheese in another separate dish

--dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumbs, cheese and seasonings

--place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock

--layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top

--cover with entire jar of marinara sauce

--close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer.

Margarita Chicken

I am with out a doubt beyond addicted to the blog a year of slow cooking. In fact, I begged my brother to buy me her cookbook for Christmas--and he did. (Now I just need to go buy the 2nd edition.) 90% of her recipes are using ingredients I commonly have around my house, so I don't need to make a special trip to the store to make a healthy and well balanced dinner for my family.

This chicken recipe I have made SEVERAL times and I'm SO in love. I've used both boneless skinless breasts and thighs. Both work well.

Even Bryson enjoyed this chicken.

The Ingredients

--4-5 frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs

--1/4 cup Dijon mustard

--1/4 cup honey

--1 T soy sauce

--2 minced garlic cloves

--3 T margarita mix

The Directions.

--mix your sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl

--plop the frozen chicken in the bottom of your crockpot

--cover with the sauce (I usually double the sauce recipe so the chicken is pretty submerged in it while cooking)

--cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-5. I normally flip the chicken over half way through cooking so the other side gets nice and caramelized.

Cream Cheese Chicken

Big surprise, right? Another slowcooker dish. This one is a spin off of my favorite chicken dish--Angel chicken--although, it's MUCH healthier this way!!

The baby loved it, the husband inhaled it, and I had seconds :-)

Ingredients
--2 cans of cream of chicken/mushroom soup (I used one of each b/c that's what I had)

--frozen chicken--enough to feed four adults

--2 T Italian seasoning

--1/2 t celery seed

--1 T onion powder

--1 T sugar (weird, I know.)

--1/4 t black pepper

--1 t kosher salt

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

or you can make it with:

--1 can cream-of-something soup

--1/2 cup chicken broth

--frozen chicken pieces

--packet of Italian salad dressing mix

--2 cloves minced garlic

--block of cream cheese (to add later)

The Directions.

Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.

Serve over pasta

Brown Sugar Chicken

Yes, I know...slacker...I won't give excuses...

Tonight I made brown sugar chicken (click the title of the post for the link of the OP) and it was AMAZING!!! And fast :-)
Ever since we had our son, I'm all about uncomplicated, fewer ingredients, and no prep work recipes...& if I can throw it in the slow cookers, I'm all over it.

This was absolutely incredible. I served it with Orzo & steamed veggies. Even the baby inhaled it!

Brown Sugar Chicken

ingredients:
--12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crock pot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crock pot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

Tortilla Soup Slow Cooker Style

This is another recipe from my favorite cookbook--Fix It Quick: Slow Cooker. It was extremely delicious after spending a day baking with mom. Hubby ate a HUGE bowl of it before work and said it kept him nice and full.

Ingredients:
28oz Chicken broth
14.5oz Rotel--undrained
2 cups chopped carrots
2cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
8oz tomato sauce
1t chili powder (I added like 2T)
1t ground cumin
1/4t garlic powder
2cups chopped cooked chicken breast.

Directions:
Combin broth, Rotel with juices, carrots, corn, onion, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

Before serving, mix in chopped chicken

**I cooked my chicken ahead of time and added it with the other ingredients at the beginning**

Rotisserie Crockpot Chicken

This is a recipe I printed off over the weekend at work from(http://aboutabitofeverything.blogspot.com). It sounded amazing and I really needed to use up the whole chicken I had in my freezer. We're supposed to be getting a terrible snow storm today, so I thought a nice chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and veggies would be nice!

Here's the recipe....

4-5lb chicken
2t kosher salt
1t paprika
1t onion powder (i used garlic powder)
1/2t thyme
1t italian seasoning
1/2t cayenne pepper (i used 1t)
/2t black pepper
a pinch of chili powder
4 cloves of garlic, cracked (for stuffing)
1 yellow onion quartered (for stuffing)

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Clean your bird and dry with a paper towel. Then stuff with the garlic and onions. Then rub your spice over the whole bird. Place in your crockpot on 4 balls of foil (so your chicken isn't sitting in fat and the skin gets nice and crispy). Cook on low for 8 hours.

Honey Lime Chicken Wings

I am a HUGE fan of chicken wings and will usually eat them coated in anything. BUT, I didn't particually care for them although hubby thought they were amazing. I think next time I'll bake them instead of fry them--they might taste better that way!


18 whole chicken wings, split
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying


1. In a large bowl, mix together the honey, lime juice, lime peel, garlic, salt and ground black pepper.
2. Place the flour in a plastic bag and shake the chicken wings in the flour to coat.
3. In a large skillet, fry the chicken wings in hot, 1 inch deep oil until cooked through. Place the cooked wings in the honey/lime mixture and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes to make! It's quick and easy and everyone loves them!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (28 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
DIRECTIONS:
1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4.To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I usually do half beef and half chicken--Double all the ingredients except the meats! YUM!

Honey Curried Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

This recipe is also from allrecipes.com. Not one of our favorites though, and I'm not sure if we'll even make it again. It was spicy and moist but just not a flavor we enjoyed.

INGREDIENTS
1 (3 pound) whole chicken
4 medium red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
12 whole fresh mushrooms
2 apples, cored and quartered (optional)

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Place the chicken breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan, and roast 1 hour in the preheated oven.Place the potatoes and carrots in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 20 minutes, or until tender.In a saucepan, mix the honey, mustard, butter, onion, curry powder, salt, cayenne pepper, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and set aside.Drain the drippings from the roasting pan. Arrange the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and apples around the chicken. Drizzle the chicken and vegetables with the honey mixture. Continue roasting 20 minutes, or until the glaze has browned. The chicken meat should reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

This is another favorite from allrecipes.com. We were looking for something quick and easy one night for dinner and this is what we stumbled upon! They were sooo good! Even at 3am as a snack while working :-)
INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into finger-sized pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon water
melted butter

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Coat a baking sheet with a nonstick spray.In a bag, mix together flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. On a plate, mix the bread crumbs with the rest of the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.Shake the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour. Beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon water, and place egg mixture in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip seasoned chicken in egg mixture, then roll in the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.Bake for about 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Use tongs to turn pieces over. Pour melted butter over chicken fingers and continue baking. Bake 8 minutes longer, or until chicken juices run clear.

Beer Butt Chicken

This is a recipe that my husband has been asking me to make since sometime last year. With Tyson whole chickens being on sale so frequently, I decided to try it just for him over the weekend! WOW was it amazing! There are a few things I would do differently for next time (those changes will be in red) but it was really easy and very yummy!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer (I used Coors Light b/c that's hubby's favorite)
1 (4lb) whole chicken

DIRECTIONS
Preheat an outdoor grill for low heat. (I cooked this in my oven at 350 for an hour and 10 minutes)
In a small skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter. Mix in 1 tablespoon garlic salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, salt, and pepper.
Discard 1/2 the beer, leaving the remainder in the can. Add remaining butter, garlic salt, paprika, and desired amount of salt and pepper to beer can. Place can on a disposable baking sheet. Set chicken on can, inserting can into the cavity of the chicken. Baste chicken with the melted, seasoned butter.
Place baking sheet with beer and chicken on the prepared grill. Cook over low heat for about 3 hours, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

Next time, I think I will use some softened butter and mix some spices together and loosen the chicken skin and rub the mixture up under the skin for some extra flavor in the chicken. I also tented my chicken with a piece of foil while in the oven so it didnt get tooo dark on top--and it was perfect. The skin was nice and crispy and had an amazing flavor!

Chicken Ritz

Yum...This is a childhood favorite of mine! My mom used to make this at least 4 times a month for me growing up and it never got old! We always used to fight over the left overs too! (It makes a great breakfast let me tell you!)

I'm not sure where this recipe came from-it might even be something my mom whipped up-who knows.



Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts--fat trimmed

1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers crunched up

1 stick of melted butter

Italian Seasoning *

Parmesan Cheese *

Garlic Salt *



** I do these by putting some in, seeing how the mixture looks and going from there. Adjust them to your taste!



Pre-heat oven to 350.

Melt butter in a bowl large enough to place your chicken breasts in.

Combine crunched up Ritz crackers, spices, parmesan cheese and garlic salt on a plate.

Dip each chicken breast in the melted butter, then coat with the Ritz cracker mixture. Place in a casserole dish. Once finished dipping all your chicken, pour some (or all haha) of the remaining butter over top of the chicken. I also sprinkle some extra cheese over top. Bake in preheated oven uncovered for approximately 40 minutes. (Cook time will vary based on how large your chicken breasts are!)



I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! YUM

Chicken Divan is Divine

Tonight I made chicken divan for my husband and I. This is a dish I first had in 4th grade at my best friend's house and I haven't had it since! I remember it being this creamy, cheesey, yummy chicken "thing" and tonight when I took my first bite, all those memories came flooding back to me!
This is also a great recipe for stretching a buck--the most "expensive" part is the chicken and most people have this already in their freezer. You can make as much or as little as you like!

Ingredients:
4 pieces of cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cans of creamed soup (can be mushroom, chicken, or broccoli)
10oz package of frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup of mayonaise or milk (I used milk since hubby won't touch mayo!)
1/4 cup of lemon juice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (to taste) divided
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Boil chicken in salted water. Cool and cut into chunks.
Break up broccoli on the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover with chicken chunks. In a separate bowl, combine soup, milk, lemon juice, and 1/2 of your cheddar cheese. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Top with buttered bread crumbs and the rest of the shredded cheddar.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbley and gooey!
I served this over egg noodles but it's also really good with rice!