Crock Pot Lemon Chicken and Carrots

Here's a great weeknight set it and forget it crockpot recipe for chicken ( I like to make it on the weekends when I golf all day and don't want to cook). It's a variation of the old campbells soup chicken recipe that everyone has made at least once in their life. Even though the recipe uses white meat, the chicken stays very moist. The secret ingredient is of course, the lemon juice, which brightens the sauce. I've made this recipe before by coating the chicken in egg and flour, frying it for a couple of minutes, and then putting in crockpot- much more fattening that way.....

2 Cans fat free condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 small bag of baby carrots
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix first five ingredients in slow cooker. Add carrots and chicken mix to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

If you want to thicken the sauce, add a little cornstarch mixed in water 1/2 hour before serving.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Chicken- Latin style with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

This is an interesting one pot Chicken dish made in the slow cooker. The secret ingredient is sweet potatoes. They absorb the spices and are a nice contrast to the chicken and beans. The picture on the right is one of my favorite Dancing with the Stars past contestants Apolo Ohno. Could he do a mean Salsa !

3 lbs of bone -in chicken thighs, with skin removed
2 Teaspoons cumin
1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 Cup chicken broth
1/2 Cup Salsa
1 heaping tablespoon bottled minced garlic
2 Cans ( 15 to 19 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 jar roasted red pepper cut into strips ( 1 cup)
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves- chopped

Sprinkle chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Brown chicken in a large skillet on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Remove skillet from heat.
In same skillet, combine paprika, allspice, remaining cumin, broth, salsa, garlic.
In slow cooker, combine beans and sweet potatoes. Place chicken on top. Pour broth mixture over chicken.
Cover and cook, about 8 hours on low, 4 hours on high.
Stir in roasted red pepper strips.
When serving, sprinkle cilantro on top. Serve with lime wedges.

Chicken, Rice and Vegetables A la Morroco

I had some vegetables to use up so I put together this dish last night. The secret ingredient of Carmadon really brings out a bright flavor in the apricots and tomatoes. Once again, a one pot meal that makes for easy clean up. I used my trusty Caphalon 8.5 qt dutch oven-braising the concoction so all of the flavors really come out. I love the Caphalon dutch oven because it is big enough to hold a good size meal for four, it goes from stove top to oven easily, and it cleans up very easily. It's also wide enough that you don't layer your food as much so everything cooks more evenly. Definitely a pot worth investing in ( or ask for on your gift list).

I used chicken thighs, but if you are white meat person you could definitely replace- just watch the chicken that it doesn't over cook and get too dry. Also, when I made this, I put all the vegetables in at once- however, my butternut squash and broccoli was a little mushy, so I would suggest putting them in a little later in the cooking process.

Ingredients

-6-8 chicken thighs, bones in, skin removed

-1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

-1 small onion chopped

-1/2 of a butternut squash, cubed to about 3/4 inch pieces ( not too small)

-1 red pepper, sliced

-1 package of pre-cut mushrooms

-1/2 bag of baby carrots

-1/2 head of broccoli florets, most of stem removed.

( you can add any vegetables you want to use up )

-1 28 can of plum tomatoes, cut up, or diced tomatoes, no salt added, with juice

-1 1/2 teaspoons of Cumin

-1 heaping teaspoon of chopped bottle garlic

-4 whole cloves

-heaping 1/2 teaspoon of Carmadon

-I Can of low sodium chicken broth

-1 Cup of uncooked rice

-1 Cup of cut up apricots

Pre heat oven to 350

1- on stove top, fry chicken in olive oil for a minute or so on each side to sear in juices.

2- turn off heat. Pour uncooked rice into bottom of pan.

3- add carrots, onions, mushrooms, red pepper and apricots

4- in a bowl, mix tomatoes with juice, garlic, Cumin, Carmadon, Cloves, chicken broth. Pour over chicken and hard vegetables.

5- Cover and place in oven. Cook for about 20 minutes. Remove, add remaining softer vegetables ( broccoli, squash, pea pods, etc) . Stir and recover-

6- cook for about 40 -50 more minutes, until chicken is done, vegetables are soft, and rice is cooked. You might need a little water the last few minutes if the rice has absorbed too much liquid.

Oven Fried Lemonade Chicken Recipe

Ok, this is definitely not "light" "lo-cal". But it's better for you than real deep fried chicken ( I hope :)).I found this recipe in First Magazine a couple of years ago. The secret ingredient is LEMONADE ! I love lemons- so I really like the flavor the lemonade gives to the dish. This is a pretty easy recipe, you can of course double it if you want more for a crowd.

1 12 oz cans of frozen lemonade
1 Tbs salt ( divided)
1 1/2 cups Italian -seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 Cup of olive oil
1 tsp of minced bottled garlic
1 Tbs of chopped fresh rosemary ( 1 tsp if you are using dry herbs)
1 Tbs of grated lemon zest
1 tsp of cracked pepper
8-10 peices of cut up chicken, bones in.

1- In large sealable bag, combine undiluted lemondae concentrate and 1 Teaspoon of salt. Add chicken, seal, turn to coat, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2- Preheat oven to 400. In flat bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Remove chicken from bag. Discard marinade.

3- Coat chicken in bread crumb mixture.
4- Line deep roasting pan with foil, and put rack or cookie cooler rack inside. Place chicken on rack, bake until no longer pink at bone- about 45 minutes. If you use more than one pan, make sure to switch the pans/racks about halfway through.

This can be served warm, or cooled and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Baked Apricot Chicken and Vegtables Recipe

I like making this dish in my big Caphalon 8.5 Qt Dutch Oven, one of my favorite pans I own. This is a great make it all in one pot meal- such easy clean up. The secret ingredient to this recipe is the French Dressing- it gives a creamy flavor to the dish and a pretty color too ! This is also a recipe that I love to throw Cranberries into. I live on Cape Cod, and everything tastes better with Cranberries. I usually have five or six bags in the freezer which I buy during the holidays, ready to use all year long. I also use dried cranberries in a pinch.

8 Chicken Thighs, bone in, but no skin
1 Cup of uncooked rice

1 Cup of Sugar Free Apricot Preserves
1 Cup of Light French dressing
1 Can of Chicken Broth, low sodium
1/2 Package of dry onion soup mix
1/2 tsp of Cummin
1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground ginger

baby carrots
broccoli crowns, cut up into small easy to eat size
handful of dried apricots - cut into small pieces
whole fresh, frozen or dried cranberries

preheat oven to 350

wash chicken and place in bottom of dutch oven, or other heavy oven ready pan.
Add uncooked rice and spread over chicken and pan.
Mix next seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour over chicken and rice.

Add carrots, broccoli crowns, dried apricots and cranberries. Stir slightly so veggies are in sauce.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 30-45 minutes until chicken is cooked and vegetables can easily be pierced with fork.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

I'm not a big white chicken fan, I tend to think it is flavorless and usually too dry. but this is one recipe that I love with chicken breasts. The secret to this recipe is the bread crumb coating- it keeps the chicken moist and juicy.

This is a great "manly" meal- I call on Jim to pound the breasts with a hammer so they are nice and thin. He wraps them between two pieces of waxed paper and does a great job of flattening them to a nice shape that will roll easily. PS- not the time to buy a cheap brand of chicken- you want whole pieces that will pound out flat to roll. Cheaper brands sometimes are in two pieces and don't work as well.

This recipe is from Myrecipe.com



2 Tablespoons butter ( 2/3 stick) - melted in a small sauce pan
1/2 C of chicken broth
Garlic Powder ( about 1 Teaspoon)
2/3 C of italian flavored bread crumbs
1/4 C of grated parmesan and/or Reggiano Cheese
1 teaspoon of paprika
1package of dry low sodium chicken broth
Dried oregano in shaker
3 boneless chicken breasts skin removed
3 slices of nice baked ham
3 slices of swiss cheese


heat oven to 350. spray 8x8 or 5x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

1- Place chicken between two pieces of wax paper and pound to about 1/4 thickeness, being careful to keep a rectangle shape as much as possible.

2- melt butter in small sauce pan. remove from heat. add chicken broth and shake in garlic powder. Stir to mix.

2- in a flat bowl, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and paprika.

3- lay first chicken breast flat. sprinkle with dry chicken broth and oregano. lay down slice of ham on top, followed by slice of cheese. Bend ends of ham over cheese (so the cheese wont melt out the sides), then roll the up the chicken with the ham/cheese jelly roll style.

4- dip roll into butter broth, then roll in bread crumbs and place seam side down in pan. continue with remaining chicken.

5- pat any remaining bread crumbs onto top of rolls or sides and pour remaining butter mixture over top.

Bake about 30 minutes until juices run clear ( watch that you don't over cook).

Oriental Chicken , Rice and Vegtables Recipe

It's been rainy and dreary out the past couple of days, so I'm into eating a stew or hot casserole tonight. One of my favorites is this chicken dish. It's a one pot meal ( once again, I pull out my trusty Caphalon 8.5 qt dutch oven) so it's easy clean up. The secret ingredient to this recipe is definitely the Chinese five spice powder. If you've never cooked with this spice, you are really missing out. It's used alot in Chinese cooking- and it hits all of your flavor buds- sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, and salty. I guess you can make your own- it's a combination of peppercorns, cinnamon, anise, cloves, and fennel, but I get it in the spice section of Stop and Shop.... so much easier.

Once again, this is a braising recipe ( my preferred method of cooking) , cooking this in the oven really melds all the flavors together for a very tasty dish. You could probably make it in a crock pot if you're into them.

The only caution I have on this recipe is that you have to be careful not to overcook the veg tables or they get too mushy. So I like to cook the carrots, broccoli and red pepper longer, but let the more delicate vegetables cook less. You can also adjust your vegtable selection and quantity to your liking. Just remember that most vegtables give off alot of water which may make the sauce a bit watery.

6-8 chicken thighs, no skin, bones still in
olive oil for browning chicken

Sauce ingredients
-1 Cup of orange juice
-2 Cups of chicken broth ( i would get the big box, you might want to add more while cooking if you see the casserole getting dry)
-1/4 cup of brown sugar
-2 Tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce
-1/4 cup of ketchup ( or you can you a couple of tablespoons of left over tomato paste)
-1 Tablespoon of vinegar
-2 Teaspoons of minced garlic
-1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
-1/4 HEAPING teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder
-2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water mixed until dissolved into a paste

Remaining ingredients
1 cup of uncooked rice
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1 Red pepper cut into strips
a handful of broccoli heads, cut up into small bite size pieces
1/2 large sweet onion cut sliced
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 package of Chinese snow peas ( the flat ones)

1- heat the oven to 350
2- brown chicken in oil in the dutch oven for a few minutes until brown on all sides
3- while chicken is browning, mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl
4- once chicken is done, add rice, carrots, and red pepper to pan. Pour sauce over chicken and rice.
5- cover and bake in oven for about 45 minutes
6-Stir, add remaining vegtables and bake for another 30 or so minutes until the chicken is no longer pink and falling off the bones and the vegtables are done .

FYI- The Rice will absorb the liquid. If it looks like it is getting too dry, add some more chicken broth while it is cooking.
If the sauce looks too watery, take the cover off for the last 10 minutes or so to help reduce the liquid.

Braised Chicken and Sausage Cacciatore Recipe

This is one of my favorite meals to cook on the weekend - especially when we're going to settle down and watch some serious TV. the secret ingredient is Vermouth. It really changes the flavor of the sauce. You don't want to put it in the sauce until the end however, or else it will burn off and you will lose the flavor.

By the way, I am not a crock pot kinda girl. I find them to be small ( even though my new one is the bigger version) and hard to clean ( yes, i tried spraying it with cooking spray but it still is very cumbersome to clean in the sink afterwords.) So I have become a fan of braising. I think this technique brings out much more flavor in your dishes, but still keeps meat moist and juicy. I also like that you can control the time vegetables are in the pot so they don't get so mushy. Herbs do better in braising vs crock pot- they lose all their flavor if they are cooked too long. And of course, the cooking time is cut way back when you braise.

So for my Chicken C, I always use a dutch oven. A very handy pot in the kitchen. I have large 7 quart metal dutch oven that can go from stove pot to oven and I love it.


Braised Chicken and Sausage Cacciatore
Vegetable oil
6 to 8 chicken thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts with bones in, but no skin
1 package of sweet Italian sausages
flour for dredging
a package of dry chicken bullion
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (I like Cento the best- not tinny tasting)
1 can of low sodium tomato paste
2 stalks celery cut into small pieces
2 small or 1 very large sweet onion sliced
1 or 2 red peppers sliced ( You can use green peppers if you prefer)
1 package of sliced mushrooms
parsley- a couple of tablespoons of dry- if you use fresh- 1/4 cup chopped
2 bay leaves
Italian basil- a couple of teaspoons of dry- or a bit more if fresh
crushed or minced garlic- about two heaping teaspoons
2 to 3 whole cloves ( i don't use sugar in my sauce)
salt and pepper to taste ( if you use chicken bullion above, you may want to omit the salt)
1/3 cup of vermouth

1- you need to dredge the chicken and fry it in a little vegetable oil, or else you lose alot of flavor in the dish. I add a package of dry chicken bullion to the flour for a bit more flavor. Also, the flour helps to keep the sauce nice and thick- which can get a bit runny because of the vegetables. Fry the chicken right in the dutch oven for a couple of minutes until it is brown , but not too long. It's going to cook in the oven. Remove from pot and put aside. Add sausages. Fry in dutch oven for about 3 to 4 minutes so the outside skins are browned.

2- add tomato sauce, paste, cut up vegetables, spices. You'll see there is NO oregano. My mother says, Oregano is only for Pizza, not for tomato sauce.

3- cover dutch oven and put in a 300 degree oven - About a half hour later, stir, and add the vermouth, and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. If the sauce looks too watery, you can take the cover off for the last 15 minutes, but you need to watch it doesn't dry up.


I serve this over pasta with lots of grated Romano and Parmesan cheese. Look for a shaped pasta that holds sauce better- cork screws versus Penne shape.