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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Ravioli with Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms

One of my new favorite food blogs is Alida's Kitchen. On Valentine's Day, she posted WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE PANCAKES. And yes, that deserved all caps. The girls and I had them for brunch and they were the highlight of the day.

I've spent a significant amount of time browsing her site since then. I love it. It's so bright and cheery and I've bookmarked so many recipes.

Her roasted zucchini ravioli caught my attention right away. I love both roasted veggies and ravioli, what a great combination. I also realized my girls have never had ravioli. How had I gone so wrong as a parent?

I had to add mushrooms to the roasting pan, and they were a delicious addition.

The ravioli is great with just the roasted zucchini and mushrooms. However, there are some people in this house who require sauce. If you are a sauce person as well, come back tomorrow for a post on my best red sauce.

Ravioli with Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms
Adapted from Alida's Kitchen

4 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
3 TB grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 pound cheese or spinach ravioli

Top with:
1 TB grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix olive oil and crushed red pepper.

Add zucchini, mushrooms, garlic and 3 tablespoons cheese to oil mixture and toss until thoroughly coated.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and spread zucchini and mushrooms in a single layer.

Bake for about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden brown.

While the veggies are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook ravioli as directed on the package (usually 3-5 minutes).

Drain ravioli and toss with roasted zucchini and mushrooms.

Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Ravioli may be served with or without sauce.

Click to print recipe

Linked at Amee's Savory Dish Fit and Fabulous Fridays

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.

Click to print recipe

Linked at Fit and Fabulous Fridays and Weekend Potluck

Slow Cooker Spicy Roast

There are Sundays when I love nothing more than to spend half the day in the kitchen, preparing a labor intensive Sunday dinner. My girls play with Daddy, and I enjoy uninterrupted cooking time.

But there are always slow cooker Sundays. Today the weather was unseasonably beautiful for early March in Indianapolis, so we spent a good part of the morning flying kites. I was glad I had planned on a throw-it-in-the-slow-cooker-and-walk-away roast.

The hardest part of this roast is mixing together several spices. I've cut down on even that step by making several batches of the dry rub at a time and storing each 'serving' in a small re-sealable snack bag.

The paprika, chili powder and cayenne make this a tad on the spicy side, but not overly so. My kids will eat it without complaint, and they're generally not spicy eaters.

Slow Cooker Spicy Roast

Mix the following spices:
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp each: fresh ground pepper, chili powder, seasoned salt, onion powder, kosher salt
1/4 tsp each: cayenne, garlic powder

Rub the dry rub over the surface of a 2 or 3 lb. roast.

Add to the slow coker:
1 1/2 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes (or 3 tsp beef base)
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
roast with dry rub

Cook on high for about 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.

Serve with veggies (I usually go for mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus) and the juice from the slow cooker.

Click to print recipe

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.

Click to print recipe

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.

Click to print recipe

Black Bean and Cheese Tacos

Here it is. The yummy, quick, vegetarian base for the chipotle salsa and sour cream. Because you know the chipotle part is the star.

I think next time I might try making an extra batch of the beans and freezing them for an even faster meal.

A less than attractive picture, but I'm working on it.

Black Bean and Cheese Tacos
From Everyday Food

EVOO
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cans (3 cups) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
salt and pepper
10 small tortillas, warmed or slightly toasted**
2 cups shredded cheese
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup packed shredded romaine
chipotle salsa
chipotle sour cream

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pan.

Add onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes.

Add cumin and cook about 30 seconds.

Add beans and water and simmer about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, avocado, lettuce, salsa and sour cream.

**To toast the tortillas, heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Lightly spray one side of the tortilla with cooking spray and place oiled side down in the hot skillet. The tortilla will puff up as it toasts. After about 30 seconds (depending on how hot your skillet is), spray the unoiled side of your tortilla, flip it and toast the other side. Keep the tortillas wrapped in a towel until you serve them.

Click to print recipe