Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

I am OBSESSED with my crock pot. It's absolutely perfect for winter months and busy people that have to work 9 hour days (or, 11 in my case!).  The last thing I want to do is cook a meal for an hour after returning home.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can come home, throw in a couple remaining ingredients and then unwind with something you want to do while waiting for your meal to cook itself.

You can throw in anything and it always comes out tasting amazing! Recently, I have been following the Crockin' Girls on Facebook. They have loads and loads of super easy crock pot recipes. I kept seeing a few for chicken and dumplings pop up. There are so many ways to make this dish, but I found my creation to be delicious—in my mind, at least!

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

1 pound white and dark meat boneless, skinless chicken (or turkey) chunks

1 can low-sodium cream of chicken condensed soup

1 can low-sodium cream of celery condensed soup

1 can low-sodium clear chicken broth

1 cup water

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspon sea salt

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

2 bay leaves

1 ½ cups diced carrots

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 can peas, drained and rinsed

1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits, 8 count

Place turkey/chicken, carrot, onion, bay leaves, and celery in bottom of crock pot. Whisk both condensed soups, chicken broth, water, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl. Pour on top of ingredients in the crock pot. Mix thoroughly. Cook on low for at least 8 hours. One hour before cooking in done, tear biscuit dough into pieces. Add dough and peas into the crock pot. Mix thoroughly again, but carefully so you don't “mush” the veggies. Let cook one hour longer or until dumplings are done.

Enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

David and I are in love with this dish!!  It's simple, healthy, and delicious.  Plus, you can make a HUGE batch to have for lunches all week!

Garlic Chicken Stir Fry


2 large chicken breasts (roughly a pound), cut into 1 inch chunks
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 medium red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium orange pepper (yellow is great too!), cut into strips
1/2 cup carrots, cut into slices
1 medium onion,  cut into slices
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (roughly 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce, divided
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or however hot you like it)
1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with equal parts of water
olive oil for frying

Combine all cut vegetables and rinse.  Set aside.

In a very large skillet (or even pot), heat up oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until completely white.  Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon teriyaki, and 1/2 cup chicken stock.  Stir, cover pot with lid, and let simmer on medium for 5-10 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, remove chicken.  Set aside.

Add vegetables to liquid mixture in pan along with the remaining minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, 5 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons teriyaki,  1/2 cup chicken stock, worcestershire, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Coat vegetables in sauce, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until tender, 10 minutes.

Add chicken back to pot, combine and cook another 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Mix cornstarch with equal parts water (1 tablespoon of each for thin sauce; 2 tablespoons of each for thick sauce).  Once liquid in pan is boiling, add cornstarch/water mixture and stir constantly until it thickens.  Let cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Serve with rice.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Chicken Divan

I made this recipe for dinner the other night. David loved it a LOT. I have to share it, of course!



Chicken Divan

1 large head of broccoli- tips cut off and large stems discarded
3-4 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Swiss cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
dash paprika

Cook broccoli (either steamed or boiled) until just tender. About 5 minutes. Be careful not to over cook, or broccoli will become mushy. Drain and place in the bottom of a 12"x8" baking dish.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder over chicken breasts. Fry in a large pan over high heat to sear breasts and lock in moisture. About 3 minutes each side. Place breasts in baking dish on top of broccoli.

To make sauce:
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and nutmeg. Whisk into butter, forming a paste-like consistency. Add milk and chicken broth all at once. Whisk until smooth and no lumps are visible. Increase temperature to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil 1-2 minutes, take off heat and stir in Swiss cheese.

Pour cheese sauce over the chicken breasts and broccoli. Sprinkle the Parmesan and paprika on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Swiss Sandwich Pockets

This is a recipe I accidentally stumbled upon. The taste of this sandwich pocket is UNBELIEVABLE! They pair perfectly with a bowl of warm soup (I prefer tomato) and they freeze great too. It's a very easy recipe and you make 6 sandwiches... but, you might want to consider doubling it. They go down so easily!




Chicken and Swiss Sandwich Pockets
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chicken, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
1 small (around 1/2 cup) red bell pepper- roasted, peeled, and chopped (how-to below)
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
6 slices of deli swiss cheese, each slice cut into 4 squares
12 frozen dinner rolls, thawed
2 tablespoons of butter, melted.

Turn on oven broiler. Wash red pepper. Coat in vegetable oil (don't use olive oil- it "smokes" when heated). Place in metal or foil baking dish. I used an old foil pie plate. Put pepper on the top rack, closest to the heat. Turn pepper every 5-10 minutes or until each side is black/charred. The pepper will be very soft when you try to turn it. Once pepper is completely darkened (this takes about a half hour), remove from oven and let cool. After cooled, peel of skin using your fingers and a knife. If the pepper has been properly roasted, you won't need to use a knife. The skin should come off easily and in large pieces. Dice up red pepper flesh, discard pepper skin.

In a large skillet, melt 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter. Saute chicken and onions until chicken is cooked and onions are soft. Add minced garlic and saute another few minutes. Add roasted pepper, mustard, and all seasonings. Cook until heated through.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. With your fingers, stretch out dough rolls until they form a 5 inch round. Place flattened and stretched roll on greased sheet. Put 2 squares of cheese in the center of the dough. Top with 1/4 cup of chicken mixture and the remaining 2 squares of cheese. Stretch another dough roll and put on top, forming the pocket. Use a fork to seal the 2 rolls together. Repeat until you have 6 pockets formed. Brush tops with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

ENJOY!

Cajun Slow Roasted Pork

I made this a couple weeks ago and was incredibly pleased with the outcome. My husband said it was the best pork roast I have ever made. I went off a recipe I found in a magazine. But, you all know me... I have to add my own stuff to it! Don't be fooled by the list of the ingredients- this dish is NOT spicy.

Another quick note-
This recipe is GREAT for a busy schedule! You can saute the veggies the night before you serve it and throw it all in the crock before you head out the door in the morning. Or, if you are an early riser (unlike me!), you can do it all in about 30 minutes the morning of.



Cajun Slow Roasted Pork
1 small onion
1 celery rib
1 small green pepper (half of large)
3 tablespoons of butter (I used half butter/half olive oil)
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 4 lbs)

The night before-
Finely chop veggies. In a large skillet, heat butter/oil. Saute veggies until tender. Add garlic and cook for a couple minutes longer. Stir in all seasonings and pepper sauce. Let cool and refrigerate in an air tight container over night.

On the day of serving-
Place roast in crock pot. Cut several deep slits in roast. Heat up veggie mixture in the microwave until warm. Using your fingers and a spoon, open slits and stuff with veggie mixture. Dump remaining mixture on top of the roast, trying to cover any bare areas on the top and sides. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Transfer roast to a serving plate and keep warm. Pour roast juices from the crock to a small sauce pan.

Combine:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Whisk with fork until smooth. Stir into sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes longer until thickened.

For me, my roast didn't produce that much juice. Maybe 1/2 a cup at the most. So, I ended up adding about 1/2 a cup of chicken stock to the sauce pan. You could also use water. If you just want to use the pork juices, I would reduce the water/corn starch mixture by half or it will be very very thick.

Serve with Roast.

Enjoy!