Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ok, so I got this great recipe off of Pinterest last year at some point.  It is SO easy, only 3 ingredients!  Plus, it's a dump and go recipe!  Those are some of my favorites.  We have made these several times.  I got the original recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 16oz jar Salsa (we usually use pace picante, I have used both medium and mild)

Directions:

1.  Place chicken in crock pot, sprinkle packet of taco seasoning over the chicken, dump the salsa on top.

2.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

3.  Remove chicken from crock pot and shred. (At this point you can serve it if you want to, but I like to put it back in the pot)

4.  Stir and cook a few minutes longer, so the chicken can absorb some of the sauce.

5.  Serve and enjoy.

You can add whatever you want to your tacos.  We used sour cream, onions (hubby), black olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

I've always been a boneless skinless chicken kinda person, but with a family of 6, that's a lot of chicken!  I recently decided to buy some whole chickens, that I got a great price on.  I love my slow cooker, and what better way to cook a whole chicken then in the slow cooker?  Just dump everything in and let it cook while you go about your day.  I spent less then $4 on the whole chicken and we even have left overs.  Yesterday was a pretty busy day with Voting, grocery shopping and taking my daughter to Ballet, so it was the perfect day to use the slow cooker.  I had taken my chicken out of the freezer Monday morning knowing I wanted to cook it on Tuesday.


Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken 
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1 small onion*
• 3-4 carrots*
• 3-4 medium russet potatoes*

*you can add or subtract the amounts of the veggies, these are just rough guidelines.  I just kind of eyeball it and stop when I think it's enough for all of us.

Directions:

After removing the neck and giblets from the chicken place it breast side up in your crock pot.

Next add the chicken broth and the spices.

Cut up the Onions, carrots and potatoes and add them to the crock pot. (the onions are hidden and there are more carrots under the potatoes, I decided to add extra carrots)

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  

Mine cooked for 5 hours and when I went to take it out of the crock pot the legs, thighs and wings all fell off in the pot and had to be removed separately.

Serve and Enjoy ~

Chicken Stew (crockpot)

We had Chicken Stew made in the slow cooker last night.  It was my 2nd time making this recipe that I found on Pinterest.  I wanted a really good stew, so I went looking for one.  I found this one, and then I tweaked it to fit what I wanted.  Austin claimed to 'not like it' last night when he sat down to eat....yet when offered with the prospect of having the 1 and only chocolate yogurt, he was able to down it without any issues.

Here is the original recipe that I got found on Pinterest....http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=7854  But I am going to post my ingredients and how I cooked it here in my blog.  The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but even tho I am a mushroom lover, I left it out of this recipe because I just don't see mushrooms as part of a stew.

The really great thing about this recipe is this is a dump and go!  Just dump it all in the crockpot, then let it cook, no extra steps.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken (skinless and boneless) 
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 4 cups potatoes, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped **
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Cut up the chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion and dump it in the crock pot.

** I didn't have any celery in the house, so I left it out this time.

2.  Sprinkle on all the spices.

Spicy!

3.  Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, and cream of chicken soup.

4.  Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low all day.

5.  I use some cornstarch to thicken the sauce up a bit, this is really optional, but I prefer the sauce a bit thicker in a stew.  I just do it a little bit before serving, so it has time to thicken up, then I serve it.

Enjoy ~

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches (Crockpot)

I found this recipe on Pinterest, I loved the fact that it was only 3 ingredients, and it was made in the slow cooker, bonus was being able to throw the chicken in frozen (because hey, sometimes I forget to defrost it over night!)

Every time I talk about having it for dinner, people ask about it and I type out the recipe.  I know it's a quick and easy recipe, but I figured I would share it here (and then I can just post the link!)

I didn't get any pictures last night when I made it, since I am still looking for the battery charger for my phone.

Here is the original post that I got it from on Pinterest (my pin linked back to this) http://myfindsonline.com/2012/03/20/crockpot-buffalo-chicken/

If you follow me on Pinterest I have this pinned on both my 'slow cooker' board and my 'pinned it tried it' board.  If you are not a follower, then click 'Follow me on Pinterest' in the top right of my blog!  What are you waiting for?

Now, onto the recipe!!

Ingredients:

3-5lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet ranch dressing
1 12oz bottle franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce


Directions:

Place chicken on crockpot (can be frozen).  Pour bottle of Franks over the chicken.  Sprinkle ranch dressing packet over the top.  Place the lid on it and cook for 4-6 hours on low.

When it's done cooking, remove the chicken and shred it (I use 2 forks).  Caution, the chicken will be VERY tender and will fall apart on you when you try to remove it!  Once it is all shredded put back in the crockpot and mix it all together.  Let it cook a bit longer to soak up some of the yummy juices.

Serve on a bun or a roll.  We usually add Provolone or swiss cheese to it.  For a side we usually have chips, or a side salad.

See how quick and easy that was?!  And it tastes amazing too!!!

Enjoy~

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a great recipe I got from my dear friend Jaye. I had been looking online for a good recipe for it. Yet all the recipes I was finding only used chicken and salsa with some chicken broth and the cheese and chips. I had had this soup at restaurants before and it always had beans and or corn too. I wanted a recipe like that, I wanted a hearty filling soup. So I asked Jaye if she had a recipe for it, not only did she have one, it had all the things in it I wanted! I am sharing this recipe with Jaye's permission. This soup is "Nummy" as my 2 year old said when he was eating it lol.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced, less if it's too much

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth, or 2 chicken bullion cubes, which is what I use because I prefer the flavor

• 1 1/4 cups water

• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked

• 1 cup white hominy**

• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green Chile peppers if you want to add them

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, I actually like to use a half can of black and a half can of light red or pinto beans

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 to 3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces if you prefer the white meat, which for this soup its preferred

• crushed tortilla chips

• shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• chopped green onions, if you like

Directions

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.

Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Stir in corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and chopped green onion.

** That is Jaye's recipe as she gave it to me. I left out the hominy, because we're not fans of it. So instead I used 1 whole can of Black Beans and 1 whole can of Pinto beans, instead of a half can of each. We also didn't top with green onions, since my husband is the only fan of green onions...but he thinks they would be awesome on top 8)

Enjoy ~

Country Chicken and Peppers

This is a recipe I found in my favorite cookbook. The family loves it, even my picky kids.

Country Chicken and Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) chicken cut up (I use 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves)
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, cut in 1" pieces (I use mild)
• 4 med. potatoes, unpared, cut in bite-size pieces
• 4 red or green peppers, cut in bite-size pieces
• 4 med. onions, quartered
• 1 13 3/4 oz can College Inn Chicken Broth (I just make my own chicken broth)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar with garlic
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 3 Tbsp corn starch

Cut each chicken breast into 2 pieces (I cut mine into bite-size pieces). In large roasting pan, combine chicken, sausage, and potatoes. Bake at 425*F for 20 minutes; stir in peppers and onions. In small bowl, combine 1 cup chicken broth, vinegar and Italian seasoning; pour over meat and vegetables in pan. Cover; bake for 40 to 45 minutes more or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally.
Spoon meat and vegetables into serving dish. In 1 qt measuring cup, combine cornstarch with remaining broth until smooth; add enough pan liquid to equal 3 cups. Discard any remaining pan liquid. Return cornstarch mixture to roasting pan; cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Enjoy ~

Southwest White Chicken Chili

I found this recipe in my All You magazine. It's from the Campbell's Kitchen. It's super easy to make and everyone loved it! Well, except Jaidan who for some weird reason hates kidney beans (but she loves wax and green beans lol) The original recipe did not have pepper, but I added it to the recipe, it really needed it, even the kids added it the first time I made it, so now I make it with pepper.

Southwest White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (I use Olive Oil)
• 4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
• 4tsp Chili Powder (don't know why they didn't just say 1 Tbsp)
• 2tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Lg Onion Chopped
• 1 Med. Green Pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 10 3/4oz Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
• 3/4 cup Water
• 1 1/2 cups Frozen Whole Kernel Corn
• 2 cans (15oz each) White Kidney Beans (Cannellini) rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, onion and green pepper and cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, stirring often.
2. Stir soup, water, corn, beans, and pepper in saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy~