Crockpot Lemon Chicken

~Easy Lemon Chicken~ 

When the calendar turns the page to a new year, we begin to list our resolutions. At the top of our list is healthier eating. This recipe is a favorite of mine. 

The aroma in the house as it cooks is such a comfort on these winter days. Here's all you need to make this delicious recipe for dinner this week. 

1 fresh chicken of your choice, rinsed.

1 sliced yellow onion.

Lemon sliced.

Garlic or garlic paste.

Stick of butter.

 Salt and pepper.

Fresh rosemary.

Place a couple of slices of sliced lemon inside the chicken and put in your slow cooker. Spread a tablespoon of either garlic paste or garlic on top of the chicken. Place sliced lemons, sliced butter pats, rosemary, and onion on top of the chicken. Salt and pepper and pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. It's that easy!

 Enjoy with fresh vegetables and in our house, mashed potatoes. Tonight I'm using a short cut to save time and I bought mashed potatoes found in the refrigerated section of your favorite grocery store.  Spoon the potatoes into a casserole dish, dot with pepper, sprinkle lightly with pepper and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. I promise you will love them!

Peanut Sauce and Pasta

My husband Michael loves dishes made with peanut sauce.  I love meals I can make quick yet are full of heart and soul.  So I came up with this easy angel hair with chicken and peanut sauce dinner.  

Three Ingredients. Ten Minutes.  

Boil a package of angel hair pasta. Drain the pasta following directions on the box.  Heat store bought grilled chicken strips and add to the pasta. (I love Applegate organic grilled chicken strips). They are in the refrigerated section of your grocery.  Add bottled peanut sauce which can be found in the grocery condiments aisle.  I used a full bottle of House of Tsang Bangkok peanut sauce. This sauce has just the right combination of garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Toss and serve.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do💗

Slow Cooker Chicken with Lemon (Fabulous!)

Let's move on from holiday ham for a bit and make room for poultry this week.  This recipe is so easy and reminds me of chicken my Mom used to make.  Whole chicken fryers are really cost efficient too.  Here are the simple steps to making this dish for your dinner tonight.

You need:  1- 3 lb. whole or pieces

1 teaspoon dried oregano,  dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 garlic cloves mashed,  1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup lemon juice, sliced lemons, salt and pepper.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry, place in the crockpot and season generously with salt and pepper, place oregano, rosemary and garlic inside the chicken cavity.  Pour the chicken broth over the chicken. Place 1/2 stick cut up butter on top of the chicken, sprinkle lemon juice and place cut up lemon slices on top of the chicken.  Place a couple of lemon slices inside the chicken cavity too for extra flavor.  

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut the chicken.  Place on serving tray and enjoy with vegetable of your choice.  I love green beans or corn with this dish.  Bon appetit!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Noodles

My daughter forwarded a recipe recently she had made in her slow cooker and told me how easy and delicious it was.  Two words I love in my cooking vocabulary....Easy & delicious! I bought the ingredients on my peapod grocery delivery site and made it last week.  It was such a big hit it's now gone into my cooking rotation.  My husband and I both loved it!  It's a perfect comfort meal and makes your home smell amazing.  Here is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as we all do!  

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 cans or boxes of cream of chicken soup (no water), 2 tsp. dried, parsley, 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 sliced stick of butter, 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, bag of uncooked egg noodles.

Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Top with the soups (do not add water) and sprinkle with the spices.  Add the butter slices to the top and pour the chicken broth on top.  Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks.  Mine feel apart very easily and was very tender. Place the shredded chicken back in the slow cooker along with dry noodles and a bag of frozen peas.  (omit the peas if not your favorite) and stir.  Continue cooking until the noodles are tender. 

Chicken, soup, spices and broth on low for 6 hours.

Simplicity is adding dry noodles and not worrying about cooking them first. Big time saver!

After shredding the chicken, place back in the crockpot with frozen peas to cook an additional 60-70 minutes.  I served it with a warm loaf of ciabatta bread and honey butter. (slightly soften a stick of butter, add a tablespoon of honey, mix together with a spoon until smooth and serve). 

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

EASY Grilled Chicken Leftovers

When I grocery shop, I buy enough chicken breasts to cook for 2 meals.  This week I simply marinated chicken breasts in ziplock bags with Italian dressing in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight), and grilled them for about 25 minutes.   They were moist and delicious and served them with fresh corn on the cob. Perfect summer meal! I sliced the remaining chicken breasts and sealed them in ziplock bags to freeze.  After the weekend Farmer's Market I visit each Saturday morning, I like serving fresh green salads with lettuce, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, chopped walnuts, and sliced chicken I have frozen and thawed.  My dressing of choice is a raspberry vinaigrette, but balsamic dressing drizzled on this salad is great too. Easy and won't heat your house on these warm summer days.  Don't forget a basket of crusty rolls.

~Happy Grill Tuesday~

Southwest Grilled Chicken

Here's a dish you can prepare the night before or the morning of and stick it in the refrigerator to marinate until you come home or have time to fire up the grill for dinner.  We love it and you will too.  You can actually serve it up hot off the grill or chilled picnic style with your favorite salads.  I suggest measuring the marinade ingredients into small individual dishes first.  Makes prep time a lot quicker.  

You need 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. chicken quarters and drumsticks. Bone in always provides a juicier flavor.  

Marinade Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (can use dried) , 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper.

1.  Add the lemon juice to a small bowl.
2.  Whisk in spices until combined, whisk in melted butter
3.  Reserve 1/2 cup for basting (refrigerate)
4.  Place WASHED chicken in a large resealable bag and pour marinade over, seal and  massage the bag making sure the marinade covers the chicken.
5.  Place your bag(s) in pan (I love foil pans) and place in refrigerator for 8 or more hours.
6.  Preheat grill to 350-400 degrees (medium high heat)
7.  Remove chicken from marinade.  DISCARD MARINADE.
8.  Grill chicken covered with grill lid for 45-60 minutes.  If you are using a meat thermometer, until chicken reaches 145 degrees.  Baste with the reserved butter mixture (will need to be reheated before using after taken out of the refrigerator)

An easy grilled side, I love cut up red potatoes with the skins on in foil packets, pats of butter, sprinkled with dill, pinch of salt and pepper, seal and grill alongside the chicken, but set the packet off to the side of the grill to prevent burning.

The lemon, cilantro, cumin and oregano gives this dish it's kick.  Serve it up with a fresh Caesar Salad.  

What's your favorite side dish?  

** Next Tuesday is the return of Slow Cooker / Soup Tuesdays...

Awesome Pulled Chicken in your Slow Cooker Tonight

Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Apple Slaw (Serves 4)

It's Tuesday and we are just getting in to the week.  The slow cooker is your friend when you don't have hours to spend in the kitchen.

This dish is on the menu for our pumpkin patch weekend.  I'll set up the slow cooker in the morning and the house will smell amazing when we return.  

This sandwich is delicious when you side it with sweet potato fries.  Store bought or I like to make my own.  Simply wash and slice thinly sweet potatoes.  Place on a baking sheet gently sprayed with cooking spray, and drizzle olive oil over the sweet slices.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pop into the oven

at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until tender and golden brown.  Turn halfway through.  I can't wait! 

Place the following in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Serve on buns and top with Apple Slaw.  

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, 2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces, small sliced onion, 4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 1 cup BBQ sauce. 

~Apple Slaw~

Slaw - 2 apples, julienned, 2 cups cabbage finely shredded, 1 carrot, julienned, 2 green onions, sliced thin (optional)

~Creamy Maple Dijon Dressing~

3 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste (can add small clove minced garlic if desired)

Mix the apples, cabbage, carrot and green onion and toss in the mixture of the yogurt, cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

Happy Tuesday!  

Closetcooking