Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

I'm becoming less and less enthralled with cooking/handling raw meat.  So anytime I can throw something in a slow cooker with minimal touching, it's a good day.  

This is a frequent Sunday night dinner.  Onion in the bottom, sprinkle spices on the chicken, in the slow cooker it goes, and walk away.  The flavor from the smoked paprika is spectacular.  Though if you want to make it even easier or don't have these spices on hand, you can just sprinkle on salt, pepper and some thyme or rosemary and be done.  Still delicious.

A five pound chicken feeds my family of four and gives me leftovers for another meal or two (stay tuned for white chicken chili).  And today I'm experimenting with making my own chicken broth with the chicken carcass in the slow cooker.  

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
From 100 Days of Real Food 

2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Coarsely chop the onion and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.


Combine the spices and rub over the chicken. 

Place chicken in the slow cooker and cook on high 4-5 hours.

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Grilled Honey Chipotle Chicken

Can I hear it for March weather that feels more like June?!

Not only did we fire up the grill last week for the first grill of the season...we ate outside. And we were not cold. It was an Indiana miracle!

I pulled out a recipe I haven't made in ages. And I don't know how this fell through the cracks. This is grilled chicken I could eat once a week. At least.

If you are cooking for young kids, beware of the spice factor. I threw an extra chicken thigh on the grill that was just salt and peppered for my girls. More spicy grilled chicken for me.

Grilled Honey Chipotle Chicken
From Annie's Eats

For the glaze:
1/4 cup honey
1 TB pureed canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

For the rub:
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1-2 tsp vegetable oil
Sesame seeds
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the grill (or a cast iron skillet to cook on stove top) to medium-high.

In a small bowl, whisk the honey, chipotle puree, mustard, chili powder, salt, and 1½ teaspoons oil. Divide the sauce in half. Use half to glaze chicken as it cooks and reserve the other half to drizzle over completely cooked chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together chili powder, cumin and paprika, dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Drizzle both sides of chicken thighs with vegetable oil. Sprinkle chicken with the paprika mixture.

Place the chicken on the heated grill and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Turn the chicken and brush the cooked side of the chicken with the honey-chipotle sauce.

Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, turn the chicken again and brush the second side with the glaze.

Cook for 1 minute, turn chicken again and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove from the grill and drizzle with the reserved honey-chipotle sauce.

Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

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Linked at Fit and Fabulous Fridays and Weekend Potluck

Garlic Chicken Salad

It's time. It's time for me to learn to like salads.

I started with a Carver's Salad from Apron Appeal. The honey cider dressing was delicious, and the fruit and nuts added to the salad made it even more appealing.

Then I struck out on my own. I cooked up some of my favorite garlic butter chicken and added it to romaine and tomatoes, and topped it off with the honey cider dressing. Not only did it make a beautiful salad, it was a salad I really loved.

So I have two delicious recipes I have to share with you today. Let's start with the garlic butter. This stuff is addictive AND multipurpose. I first made it to spread on artisan bread to go with some soup. The next day I drizzled it over cooked pasta. I used to to saute some zucchini, mushrooms and shrimp. And finally I had the presence of mind to slather it on some chicken breasts and cook it in a cast iron skillet. Chicken doesn't get any better! In this case, the garlic chicken adds just the right touch to the fresh veggies and cider dressing.

Garlic Butter
Adapted from AllRecipes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 TB grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

To make the garlic butter chicken:
Slather one side of uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs with garlic butter.

Place buttered side down in hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and butter the other side of the chicken.

Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until it's cooked through.

Let it rest for a few minutes, then chop into bite size pieces to add to a salad.

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Now for the dressing. It's the perfect in between dressing - it's not a vinaigrette, but it's also not a heavy all-mayo dressing.

Honey Cider Dressing
From Apron Appeal

3 TB cider vinegar
3 TB honey
6 TB mayonnaise (or lighten it up a bit and use 3 TB mayo and 3 TB plain yogurt)
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 1/2 TB finely minced onion
1 1/2 TB chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil)

In a small saucepan, combine the cider vinegar and honey and heat until the honey has dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whisk the mayo (and yogurt if using) and mustard until smooth.

Add the onion and parsley to the mayo mix, then stir in the honey mixture.

Pour the mix into a small mason jar or condiment bottle. Add the oil, put the lid on tightly and shake until oil is emulsified.

Store in the refrigerator. It's best if it sits for a few hours before serving.

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Chicken Tikka Masala

I give you the best dish I have ever made in my life.

But then I'm partial to Indian food.

It's another slow cooker recipe, although a little more involved than the chicken mole. But it is worth the work a hundred times over.

Serve it up with some coconut basmati rice and homemade naan and you'll have a restaurant quality meal.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Slow Cooker

From Eat, Live, Run

9 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 lbs)
1 TB dried parsley (or ground coriander)
1 TB cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup yogurt
4 TB Butter
1 whole jalapeno

4 TB Butter
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
1 TB kosher salt
3 TB garam masala
2-3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 TB white sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cream

To prepare the chicken:

Cut the chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Sprinkle the parsley, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Cover lightly and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Melt 1 TB of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Raise the heat to medium high and brown both sides of about 1/4 of the chicken (no need to cook it fully as it will finish cooking in the slow cooker).

Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker.

Melt another TB of butter and brown the next 1/4 of the chicken pieces. Repeat until all of the chicken has been browned and is in the slow-cooker.

Remove the stem from the jalapeno, pierce it several times with a knife and throw it in the slow cooker on top of the chicken.

To prepare the sauce:

Melt 4 TB of butter over medium high heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown.

Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

Increase the heat to high and add the crushed tomatoes and sugar.

Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Use a fork or whisk to stir the cornstarch into the heavy cream until smooth.

Pour into the slow-cooker and stir gently until the colour is even.

Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve over hot coconut basmati rice (recipe below).

Coconut Rice

Cook the rice in equal parts coconut milk and water (note: a can of coconut milk is a little less than 2 cups). Stir in some shredded coconut for the last few minutes of cooking.

Basmati rice is delicious, but I've used a combo of brown and white rice when that's all I had on hand.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Mole

I'm a hunt this month to find quick and easy slow cooker recipes.

And by quick and easy, I mean I want to dump stuff in, turn on the slow cooker, and walk away. For at least four hours.

I don't want to brown the meat first. I don't want to sauté anything beforehand. I don't want to come back after two hours and add something else.

Enter Everyday Food's Chicken Mole (MOH-lay). I blend up the special sauce, dump it over the chicken, and come back four hours later to an absolutely delicious meal.

And BONUS! My family doesn't eat all four pounds of chicken in one sitting, so I shred the leftovers a day or two later and make either chicken mole tacos or chicken mole salad.

This one's a keeper.

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole
From Everyday Food

4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
kosher salt
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1/2 medium yellow onion, quartered
1 TB chili powder
1 large chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 tsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Sprinkle chicken with salt and place in 6 quart slow cooker.

In a blender, puree all other ingredients until smooth.

Pour tomato mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook until chicken is tender: 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Or shred meat and use for tacos or to top a salad.

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