Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

I'm always looking for quick recipes that make a delicious dish that doesn't look quick. This slow cooker dish is definitely that. I saw it at Creme de la Crumb and just made it for the first time. It's flavorful and pretty.

I cut some of the red peppers into hearts, although they didn't look as much like hearts after they cooked. I served it with vegetables and a rice and couscous side. 

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken

4 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts 
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 t. Italian seasoning
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 T.)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. Kalamata olives
1 c. roughly chopped roasted red peppers

2 T. capers
Fresh thyme, oregano, or basil for garnish, optional
 
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes on each side just until browned. Transfer to greased slow cooker.

Add onions, olives, red peppers, and 1 tablespoon capers to slow cooker around chicken, not on top. Whisk together remaining Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and garlic. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Add remaining capers and cover. Cook for 15 more minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs if using and serve.

This slow cooker recipe from The Recipe Critic is tasty with tender chicken. It isn't as quick to put together as Creamy Lemon Chicken since you have to bread and brown them before putting in the slow cooker, but it's worth the little bit of work. I even made it for some picky visitors who raved over it.

Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. flour
1 t. pepper
1/4 c. butter
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare your chicken by rinsing it and trimming the fat and cutting into pieces to resemble tenders.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and pepper. Coat the chicken in the flour.

Melt the butter in a saucepan on your stovetop over medium heat. Once melted, brown each side of the chicken, but not cooking it throughout because they will cook in the crockpot.

Spray crockpot with cooking spray and place the chicken into the crockpot. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning package top of the chicken.

Mix together the lemon juice and chicken broth. Pour over the chicken and seasonings. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

 

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

This recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything was dinner tonight . I used skim milk instead of half and half for less fat and followed the rest of the recipe. I made it with homemade rolls and really liked it! Packed full of veggies. 

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 (14-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 c. finely diced celery
1 c. finely diced carrots
1 c. finely diced onions
1 t. dried oregano or 1 T. fresh oregano
1/4 c. fresh basil
4 c. chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ c. flour
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
½ c. butter
2 c. half and half (or milk), warmed
1 t. salt
¼ t. black pepper

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. 

Blend the soup partially or completely, depending on how chunky you desire it. Return to slow cooker.

About 30 minutes before serving prepare the roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add the flour. Stir roux constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

We had this at an Enrichment meeting (church women's function) recently and it was a hit so we all got the recipe and I made it for my family. It's a slow cooker meal, so very easy, but also very flavorful. Love the lemon zest in it. But it is hard to take an appealing photo of something this color.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

2 lb. frozen chicken tenders
1 small onion, cut into small wedges
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. pepper
1 large can low-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-oz.) pkg. low fat cream cheese
Zest & juice from one lemon
2 c. fresh mushrooms

Place chicken, onion, seasonings and broth into crock pot on low for 6 hours.  In the 5^th hour, cube the cream cheese and add it into the crock pot with the lemon peel, juice and mushrooms to cook for the last hour. 

Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Samantha recently posted this on Cool Foodie Mama and I already made it tonight. I was so glad to find something easy that everyone liked. I left out the hot sauce because of my kids' preference. I cut the cucumbers matchbox-style and diced the onions. Besides that, I followed the recipe. I put lots of slaw on mine since I love veggies. I like the crunch and freshness of the slaw together with the tender meat. Elisa thanked me lots because I rarely cook pork and she loves it.

Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

4-5 pounds picnic pork, pork butt, pork shoulder (it's just about the same)

10 oz. low sodium soy sauce
1 c. brown sugar
6 garlic cloves
4 T. fresh grated ginger
6 T. rice vinegar
6 T. dark sesame oil
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. sriracha hot sauce
1 c. water

Slaw:

1 regular cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1/3 red onion also sliced thin
1/4 t. salt
4 T. rice vinegar
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Dump all ingredients for the pork in the crockpot and set on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. After the 6 or 8 hours, pull the pork out and shred. Pour the sauce into a saucepan on the stove at medium-high heat and reduce by half. Toss the pork back into the reduced sauce and keep warm.
 

For the slaw, toss the ingredients together into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to soften the veggies.

To serve, scoop up some pork into a soft, warm flour tortilla, top with plenty of cucumber slaw.

                          

 

Crockpot Carrots

Grandma Honey shared this recipe and I just had to try them. We ate 'em up! A touch of sweet and a unique twist of cinnamon and ginger with tender carrots. And it can't get any easier than this!

Crockpot Carrots

4-5 c. carrots

1/2 c. orange juice

2 T. honey

1 T. butter

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt and pepper each

1/4 t.  ginger

After it's all thrown in there and it's heated a little, stir it all up. Cook on high about 4 hours. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

We had this for dinner tonight and I'm glad to find another slow cooker recipe that we like. There is a little bit of prep work for it since you have to carmelize the onions and make the sauce, but I threw it together quickly. I don't think it is a particularly appetizing looking dish, but it has lots of flavor. I found this recipe at Smells Like Home.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
9 whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 T. ground coriander
1 T. ground cumin
1 t. Kosher salt
1 c. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 whole jalapeno pepper, stem removed, pepper pierced several times with a sharp knife

For the Sauce:

4 T. butter

1 whole large onion, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 T. Kosher salt
3 T. garam masala
1 piece fresh ginger, about 2-3 inches, peeled and grated or very finely minced
4 c. crushed tomatoes
1 T. sugar
2-3 T. heavy cream

For Serving:

4 c. cooked rice, hot
Cilantro for garnish

Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and put the jalapeno on top of the chicken.

To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges.

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

Pour heavy cream into the slow cooker and stir gently until the color is even. Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve over hot rice topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.