Crock Pot Chicken over Biscuits

OK this one is a hard one for me.  I am not eating biscuits or flour so I had to remove my serving before adding the bechamel sauce.  I do not recommend this recipe for low carb but for everyone else.... enjoy.   My favorite memory of chicken and biscuits is when my son was little he would ask for "Chicken Gumbo"  that name stuck at our house for years.  Even now that he is a dad himself, every great once is a while he will ask for Chicken Gumbo and it makes me smile.

Ingredients:
Chicken and Vegetables
2 large boneless chicken breasts (the ones I used weighed about 10 ounces each)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp dry thyme leaves
2 cups chicken broth
salt (about 1/2 tsp)
pepper (a dash or so)

Bechamel Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt

PREPARATION

• Place all the Chicken and Vegetable ingredients EXCEPT peas in your crock pot.. 
• Cook on high setting for 4 hours or low setting for 6-8 hours
• Add peas and break apart chicken
• After cooking time has elapsed
• Make Bechamel Sauce... Melt butter in skillet or sauce pan on low heat.. Add flour and stir until golden brown.  Add milk and salt.  Stir until sauce becomes thick and almost pasty.  (it will thin when you add it to your crock pot) 
• Stir Bechamel into your Chicken and Vegetables
• Serve over fresh baked biscuits

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Chicken, Tomato and Jalapeno Chilaquiles

This is a family favorite.  It is a warm and slightly spicy Mexican style soup.  I found it when searching for a chicken tortilla soup recipe.    The base recipe was in the Joy of Cooking.  I modified it a little to make chicken more of the star.   It's quick and easy to assemble and can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.  Soups just seems to taste better when they are cooked low and slow so the crock pot is the perfect tool.   You can top this soup with any of the condiments listed - make each bowl a unique taste!

Ingredients:

SOUP
3 Boneless Chicken Breasts (or 2 large ones)
1 small onion - sliced thin
1 Tbs Olive Oil
3 or 4 cloves roasted garlic
1 or 2 Jalapeno peppers (based on your heat preference)
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 Cups Chicken broth or stock
2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 to 1 tsp salt (if you use bouillon cubes use less salt)

CONDIMENTS
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Homemade style Tortilla chips (I just cut  tortillas into strips and deep fry - corn or flour) 
Sour Cream
Chopped green onion
Chopped Avocado
Fresh Chopped Cilantro
​
PREPARATION

• ​In a small dry skillet on low heat, roast garlic in peel and jalapeno peppers, turning often until tender  (about 10 minutes)- set aside to cool. (you can buy roasted garlic nowadays so you could skip this step if you have that on hand)
• In a separate skillet heat olive oil 
• Slice onion and saute in olive oil until translucent and tender (5-10 minutes)
• ​Place sauteed onion, chicken breasts, crushed tomatoes, salt and 3 Cups of stock and bouillon cubes into your Crock pot
• Peel the roasted garlic and remove seeds and stem from the jalapeno (if desired - leaving seeds will make it hotter)  
• Place the remaining 1 cup of Chicken stock, garlic and jalapeno in a mini food processor or blender.  Pulse just to chop the pepper and garlic - Pour into crock pot   NOTE: If you don't have a food processor or blender,  you can finely chop the jalapeno and garlic by hand and add with processing adding the entire 4 cups of stock with the other ingredients, Either method will work.  ​
• Simmer all day (6-8 hours) on low while you are at work, shopping or at the ball fields
• Break apart the chicken (if it hasn’t happened already)
• Add cilantro about 15 minutes before serving

ASSEMBLY
Ladle soup into bowls
Top with your favorite condiments

Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetable Caldo

Chicken & Vegetable Caldo

I love this recipe.  I was introduced to this recipe by my daughter's sister-in-law.  At  first I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but I am so very glad I tried it.  I love the rustic quality.  I can eat it for days in a row and never tire of it.  The absolute KEY to it's great taste is the addition of the salsa and lime juice when serving.  The Spanish rice is a great addition too, that is if you are eating carbs :) 

You don’t spend 30 minutes meticulously chopping your veggies - Just chunk them into pieces.  

LOW CARB VERSION: Leave out the potatoes, corn and rice. It’s still Great!

Ingredients:

SOUP
3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
3 Potatoes – washed & halved - No peeling
2 Carrots – grated or any other style of cutting that is quick for you and suits your taste
2 stalks celery - sliced
1 Zucchini squash – sliced
1 or 2 yellow squash sliced -(depending on size)
½ small head green cabbage – cut the half in half (2 quarters of a head)
2 ears fresh corn – husk removed (break in half)
1-2 Cup(s) spinach leaves- packed
½ bunch of fresh cilantro – just chunk it in no chopping needed
1 medium yellow onion – peeled
2 whole jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic – peeled
2 tsp salt

CONDIMENTS
Salsa
Limes for squeezing
Prepared Spanish/Mexican rice – Use one of the microwave varieties or make your own

PREPARATION
Place all the Soup ingredients in your crock pot and cover with water until your crock pot is full.
Simmer all day (6-8 hours) on low while you are at work, shopping or at the ball fields.
Remove the onion, jalapenos and garlic (note: you may not find the garlic if so, just leave it in)
Break apart the chicken (if it hasn’t happened already)

ASSEMBLY

1. Place a scoop (about 1/3 cup) Rice into a large soup bowl
2. Ladle Soup over the Rice
3. Add 2 TBS of your favorite salsa  
4. Squeeze ½ lime over the top

Crock Pot Cacciatore

Traditional recipes call for bone-in chicken but in the crock pot it falls apart and you wind up with little bones, cartilage, and so forth mixed in and I am not a fan of that.  Whenever I use any chicken whether bone-in or boneless I always remove the "unsightly" sections that I wouldn't want to eat.  I'll let your imagination go to work with that. 


Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless chicken thighs and breasts (use both or either, I like both)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. fresh mushrooms – quartered
1 roasted bell pepper – jarred (or roast remove skin) - chopped
1/3 cup white wine (or chicken stock if you don’t have wine)
1 28 oz. canned plum tomatoes in their juice – hand crush
1 8oz can tomato sauce
Salt ( to taste - about 1 or 2 tsp)
Black Pepper (to taste about ½ tsp)
½ tsp Italian Seasoning blend (or oregano)
¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

PREPARATION

• Rinse Chicken and pat dry. Season the Chicken pieces with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Heat 1 TBS Olive Oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Place in crock pot.
• Add to onion in crock pot, 1 tsp Salt, ¼ tsp Pepper, ½ tsp Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes,  Mushrooms, Red Bell pepper, Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce
• Add  1TBS Olive Oil to skillet and heat.  Add the Chicken pieces to skillet and brown on both sides – remove and nestle into the vegetable mixture.
• Deglaze skillet with Wine and pour into crock pot – fold it into the mixture.
• Cook on high setting for about 3-4 hours  - OR – Place on low setting and head off to work!

Serve with your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash