Thai Chicken Salad

Take a little help from the grocery in this recipe for Thai Chicken Salad. Our local store has Rotisserie Chicken on sale on Wednesdays. It's the deal of the week. They're usually a 2 for 1 price. A little help from the pre-bagged veggies in the produce department and a simple pantry dressing with the key ingredient of course being peanut butter, is all you need to make this filling recipe. Great as a simple supper or for lunch. Enjoy!

2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken)
1 cup julienne carrots
1 cup broccoli slaw mix
1 large green onion, chopped

Dressing
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper sauce
Fresh cilantro, if desired

In large bowl, toss salad ingredients.

In small bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk. Just before serving, drizzle dressing over salad; toss until evenly coated. Garnish with cilantro.

Chicken Millicent

Here is a delicious Crock dish that everyone will love. It's 5 ingredients and you can come home after finishing up that last minute shopping to a dinner that's warm, filling, and delicious.

Chicken Breasts or thighs
1 pkg dry spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

Put chicken in slow cooker. Combine spaghetti mix and wine, pour over chicken. Add mushrooms, then tomatoes. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.

Buffalo Chicken in the Crock

I'm not a big fan of restaurants. We hardly eat out...except for the occasional pizza pie. But there's a great little "Irish pub" just down the street that has a fabulous buffalo chicken sandwich. I love a mild buffalo sauce, so that sandwich suits me perfectly.

When I make my own I like being able to modify the "heat" based on the addition of sauce vs. butter ratio and I like cooking this in the crock because instead of fried chicken like traditional "buffalo" I can use boneless skinless chicken.

Try it for yourself. It's great for a football party! Invite your friends over for the game and serve this alongside potato salad or coleslaw. YUM!!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (17.5 oz.) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided
1/2 (1 oz) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
2 tablespoons butter
6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.
Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, and splash with the remaining buffalo wing sauce to serve.

Chicken Ricardo

I had started making Chicken Rrrricardo (emphasis on the R...roll it for the full effect). BUT, when I got home and finally settled down to check on it, I realized the crock pot had become unplugged. Can you say....frustrating??

So, I dumped an entire dinner in the trash, because let's face it....chicken that sat in a crock all day is just uncool.

My emergency substitution is Chili and cornbread. Eh, it'll do.

I still wanted to share it with you, even if it's not tonight's dinner!!
Chicken Ricardo
1 package of boneless Chicken Thighs (You can use breast meat or a mixture, whatever your family likes.)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of black beans (drained)
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 cup of sour cream

Place everything in crock pot except for the sour cream. Cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. This is a great filling for tortillas if you shred the chicken, you can serve it with Spanish rice and a salad for a great meal.

Enjoy!!

Easy Cheesy Chicken

You want a simple, winning dinner?

My crock pot was wiped clean before I could even get a picture...yes, it's that good.

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cheddar Cheese Soup
6-8 Chicken breasts

Place chicken in the crock pot, top with soups and heat on low for 6 hours.

Enjoy!

Mojito Fiesta Chicken

Imagine a hot summer day, lounging in the clear water of a pool on a Swimways float wearing a big straw hat, killer French pedicure, polkadot bikini, and a delicious Mojito.

Now, imagine that you don't even have to cook dinner, because simmering in the deliciousness of the crock pot is the most flavorful and fabulous chicken! And even if you're not into the bright flavors of mint or lime, you'll probably still love this easy and delicious recipe! It's perfect for those hot summer months and you don't have to put much heat in the kitchen.

Here's what you need:

1 pound of Chicken Breasts, Thighs, etc. (whatever your family prefers)

Juice of 2 limes

3 dashes of hot sauce (more if you like a bigger kick)

3 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbl oil (olive or veg.)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

Zest of 1 lime

Mint (3-4 leaves)

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbl minced garlic

½ small onion finely chopped

1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped)

Here's what you do:

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix all ingredients and pour over chicken. (If it seems too dry, add a little chicken stock or broth) Cook on low for 5-6 hours. I added a few slices of lime to the crock pot too and let the flavors develop.

My family loves this with rice and a fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad.

This low key salad is made with a can of black beans

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

1/2 chopped red onion

juice of a fresh squeezed lime

few dashes of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving. The frozen corn will continue to thaw and it keeps the salad nice and cold!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cantonese cooking is probably the most common of the chinese cuisine. It offers low key flavors, a contrast between textures and it's just simplistic!

Here's a common recipe that's been adapted just for slow cooking!

4 chicken breasts

8 oz. canned pineapple, reserve juice

½ c. orange juice

2 Tbl. Cornstarch

2 Tb. Brown Sugar

2 Tb. Vinegar

2 Tb. Soy Sauce

½ tsp. Ginger

2 tsp. Garlic or 2 cloves minced

chopped red, green peppers

½ small chopped onion

Chop peppers and onion.

In a medium bowl, mix orange juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

In crock pot, place chicken top with onion, peppers, pineapple and sauce. (if the sauce isn’t “juicy” enough, add some reserved pineapple juice) Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Wednesday--A tradition

I am addicted to my crock pot. It has become my best friend! Is that wrong?

It seems like I can always get a lot of things accomplished in one day each week. For me, this is Wednesday, For example, after picking up the kids from school, it's homework, maybe an appointment, and then soccer practice. Then the 3 boys arrive and are finishing homework while hanging out with dad, but they're growing kids so it's hungry time. Then, we get home from soccer and it's bathtime, girl's dinner, clean up and since not all of our kids eat at the same time, I like to have something healthy and tasty and ready to go whenever they decide to eat!

Well, my crock pot Wednesday tradition has become a favorite and friends are always begging me for the recipes I use. I am kind of a one pot, 5 ingredient kind of girl. Anything that can be served simply, but beautifully...I'm all about it.

So, I am preparing Tuscan Chicken in the pot...crock pot that is.

Tuscan Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
1 can/jar prepared spaghetti sauce (or homemade if that's your thing)
1 package of italian herbs (oregano, basil, pepper, etc.)
Fresh Garlic (I love Christopher Ranch organic minced garlic in olive oil...saves me some prep time)
Mozzarella Cheese
pasta (your pick)

I recommend the crock pot liners! start with your onion and pepper, then top with your chicken. Add your spaghetti sauce, herbs, and garlic.

Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken and serve with prepared pasta (per package directions), top with your chicken and cheese and voila! Dinner is ready and you're tongue vacations in Tuscany!