Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

We love Indian food and it really is easier to make than one would think. This slow cooker recipe makes it even easier and it tastes fantastic.--Mark

Ingredients  

1 cup basmati rice 

½ cup chicken stock 

1 6-ounce can tomato paste 

2 teaspoons yellow curry powder 

1 teaspoon garam masala 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks

½ sweet onion, diced 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 

½ cup heavy cream 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 

1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar

Directions

In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock, tomato paste, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and pepper. 

Place chicken, onion, garlic and ginger into a 4-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock mixture. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours. 

Stir in heavy cream, lime juice and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Serve immediately with rice.

Super Simple Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

A friend made this for a chilly gaming night. It hit the spot and was perfect for a fall evening.  --Mark

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast

2 C chicken broth

"seasonings" (such as Mrs. Dash, etc.)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can of ready-made biscuits

Instructions

Place chicken, broth, and seasonings in a crockpot and cook on low.

About 90 minutes before you are ready to eat, shred the chicken in the pot, add the cream soup and a little more seasonings, and stir.

Pop open a can of biscuits and place them one by one on top of the chicken so that the chicken is covered and you have a layer of biscuits. Turn the crockpot up to high.

After about an hour, start checking to see if biscuits are cooked all the way through. Once they are stir them into the chicken. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes:

We normally double the recipe and have leftovers.

Cheryl's Cheesy Chicken Casserole

This one takes us back to our days of the dinner co-op. Ah! Yes. Blissful days of food showing up at the door for a simple investment of one meal per week. How I long for those days again . . .  --Mark

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast (about 3-4 chicken breasts)

1 Good Seasons Italian dry packet

1/2 C water

8 oz cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

Pasta

Instructions

Cut chicken into cubes. Brown in a skillet. Mix with Italian seasoning and water and cook until done. Add cream soup and cream cheese and heat through.
Serve over pasta.

Notes:

This meal can be cooked in a crock pot, too. Brown the chicken in a skillet and mix with the seasonings and water. Then add to the crock pot with the cream cheese and soup. Cook on high for about 3 hours.

Creamy Fiesta Chicken

We found this recipe online recently. It was a huge hit, so easy, so creamily delicious . . . a definite keeper! You can improvise as you please with it (which I love). A quick, easy, delicious Mexican meal! --Stacy

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
6 oz. black olives, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 15-oz jar medium salsa
1-2 T taco seasoning
1 8-oz package cream cheese
Shredded Cheddar cheese
sour cream

Instructions:

Add all ingredients (except cream cheese) to crockpot (you can cook chicken from frozen). Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours. Add package of cream cheese to top during last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve over cooked rice and top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Yum!

Notes:

We use low-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel cheese). And we pretty much throw in whatever we want (green chiles, beans, etc.) in whatever quantities we feel like. We pretty much put it all in, throw a cube of cream cheese on top, and set it on low or high, depending on what's going on. We also like to serve it with salad on the side. And we like to make Mexican style rice for it, too, though plain white is fine as well.

Crockpot Stew (Beef or Chicken)

This is a recipe from my old college roommate Melissa. You can make it as a beef stew or a chicken stew. The choice is yours! -- Stacy

Ingredients:

Stew Beef (or chicken chunks)
3 Potatoes
Carrots
3 stalks celery, cut
1/2 cup beef broth (or chicken broth)
Salt
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Instructions:

Place all in crockpot on low for 8 hours.

Notes:

This recipe can either be a chicken or beef recipe. Use chicken or beef broth accordingly. Serve with homemade rolls.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is a recipe I got from a coworker at a temp job in college. This was one of Sandra Bond's recipes and it's simple and yummy. -- Stacy

Ingredients:

Chicken
2/3 cup Soy Sauce
1 T Sugar
Dash of Garlic Powder
Dash of Onion Powder

Instructions:

Let chicken marinate in sauce for at least 1 hour before cooking. Grill or cook in crockpot.

Notes:

You can also skewer it for teriyaki chicken kebabs.

Portuguese Marinated Pork Meat (Molho de Figado)

This is a great meal, and is one of our favorite Portuguese meals to serve guests. When it's done right, the meat is incredibly tender and flavorful. The title says it uses liver, but we've never made it that way. --Mark

Ingredients:

Pork roast, cut into large chunks
Red cooking wine
Crushed red pepper
Paprika
Crushed garlic
Salt
Olive oil
Liver (optional)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix meat, crushed red pepper, salt, and garlic. For a standard sized roast, about 1 -2 T of garlic, and a small spoonful of red pepper will work. Coat the meat heavily with paprika. Add enough red wine to wet all of the meat, but at the same time create a paste. You can add paprika as necessary to get the “pasty consistency.” Let the meat marinate for a few hours, overnight if possible. Lightly oil the bottom of a roasting pan. Cook the meat at 350˚F for an hour or so until done.

Notes:

Traditionally this dish includes liver with the pork meat. We’ve never used it and it always turns out great. Go heavy on the spices and light on the wine. We’ve marinated the meat for as long as 2 or 3 days for a really tender, flavorful meal. Serve with some sort of green (like spinach) and rice or mashed potatoes for a fabulous meal. Warning: your home will smell AWESOME while you are cooking. You can also cook this in a crockpot, which will give you a less roasted flavor, but it is still delicious.