Crockpot Whole Chicken

It's silly to call this a recipe because it's not really, it's so freaking easy too!

I saw this dish on pinterest a while ago and started making it a few months ago. It's SOOOO easy. To be honest, it's not cheaper than buying a rotisserie - I don't know how on earth Costco gets that price down, but I think it tastes better and I love knowing exactly what is going in this.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (cheapest to buy the two whole chickens at costco)
any seasoning salt mix (or make your own)
either tinfoil or potatoes to make a "rack" in crockpot

That's it!

If you're using tinfoil, make about 4 big balls and set at the bottom of the crockpot. As the chicken cooks, it releases a lot of liquid, so this prevents the liquid from making the chicken soggy.



You can also use potatoes as your rack, just rest the chicken on top and the liquid that drips out will cook the potatoes with a yummy flavor.



Take your whole chicken and generously sprinkle with your seasoning mix on the inside and out. Make sure to get on the underside of the wings and legs.



Stuff with an onion.



Place on your rack and cook on high for 4 hours.



Halfway through cooking, flip the chicken, and re-season it (generously again).

You can leave the crockpot on warm for 2 hours after the 4 hours high cooking.

This comes out with a crispy skin like a rotisserie and a very tender/juicy meat!

Of course I don't have a picture of the finished product, but imagine a rotisserie. The closest thing I have is it sliced in a tin that you can't really see during dinner - it's the one closest to me:


You like our candid expressions?
Aw I miss you Charlie!

Tamale Pie

Hey, another recipe promised way back when. I am so on track this week :-)

I first tasted this recipe when my good friend Jaren made it. Ugh, it was amazing. I just wanted to keep eating it. When I made it Charlie was with a friend and proclaimed in front of him "You've been holding out on me". Thanks hubby.

I've made it several times and adjusted it a teeny bit. It's now my go to "bring a meal" dish - for when people have babies or whatnot, it's a for sure pleaser.

Ingredients:

-1 box of jiffy

-1 can of cream corn

-1/4 cup of egg beaters

-1/4 cup of nonfat yogurt or greek yogurt

-2 tbs taco seasoning (separated)

-2 four-ounce cans of green chilis

-1 ten-ounce can of enchilada sauce (green or red)

-2 cups of shredded cooked chicken breast (I use drained and rinsed canned chicken breast and Charlie the chicken snob couldn't tell!)

-reduced fat shredded cheese (however much you want)

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Mix the jiffy, cream corn, egg, yogurt/milk, and chilis, and spread in a casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. While corn mixture bakes, mix your chicken with 2 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce, 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, and about ½ cup of the cheese.

4. When the corn comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a fork (some of it will stick to the fork so be careful). Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the corn mixture

5. Add the chicken mixture on top of the corn, and top with as much cheese as you want. Bake for another 15 minutes.

This is best served a few hours later so it can set.

Look at my adorable wittle essy. ONE MONTH ISH TIL I SEE YOU!


YUMMMMMM.




By the way, I've made this gluten free before for two friends who have celiacs. I ordered a gluten free cornbread mix from amazon, and I made my own cream corn (believe it or not cream corn has gluten!). I just mixed up a can of corn with a few tablespoons of the liquid and some milk and cornstarch. I didn't measure, just sort of used common sense and added as needed. Both friends loved it so I'd say it was a success :-)

Bourbon chicken, some catch ups, and another deployment

Hey blog world! Remember me? No, you don't? Please forgive me for abandoning you. I just felt like I had nothing interesting to write about. But I do miss it and I love accounting for my boring lil life, so I guess I'll continue. Plus Charlie left this morning on a deployment so I want to account for what is happening since I delusionally think he'll care :-) Love you sweety!

 I made some yummy crockpot chicken the other day but didn't snap any pictures (whoops). It looked like crockpot chicken, haha! My dad randomly said he liked Bourbon chicken, and that he decided he likes "alcohol in meals" even though he doesn't drink a drop (and never has!). I knew Charlie would love it so I looked up a few reference points and came up with my own formula:

Pam spray (for the sides of the crockpot)

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp ginger

1 tbs garlic

1/2 cup whiskey

2 chicken breasts (for charlie)

4 chicken thighs (for dad)

*I would have done 4 breasts for Charlie but he was leaving on his deployment the next day*

I cooked it on high for 4 hours. It was yummy! Sorry for the lack of pictures.

Okay so more catch up will come soon but for now I'll just share some fun pics.

Here is Maya burying her little head in me at a sweet moment at Starbucks right after we got back from italy (yes I realize that was at the beginning of May).

I love when she does that! And sheesh, I look old. Can we speak about the fact that I recently had a birthday, but as you all know, I turned 24 yet again.

Charlie got me this for my birthday:

Amazing! Now I just need to find embroidery software compatible with Mac. I'm surprised by the lack of options. He also got me some boxing stuff which we'll now have to wait to use until he gets back in September.

My favorite part was probably this card from my parents:

Seriously - most fitting card! Almost made me less jealous of the European cruise my parents were on, lol!

I got a visit from this little one later in my birthday week: 

My how she has grown! I can't believe it's been a year since you stayed with us little "mazy" I miss you and your momma, but am so glad you're not too far in AZ.

Look how cute she is:

And guess what? This 1.5 year old is potty training! Birdie, whatever's in your water, we all need it!

"Peepee peepee!!!" She knew when to tell use and went in the potty. Amazing!

I actually got Charlie to take some pictures with me before he left, which is a huge accomplishment since he hates when I take pictures of him or us.

Haha this one is funny:

Check out his multi cam two piece flight suit!!! Too bad he can't wear it here when it's this hot.

I'll miss you my love, and can't wait to be with you in December. I love you!

French Onion Chicken

I made this for dinner last night and didn't think to snap pics along the way. In my blogging hiatus (hiati for plural?) I do keep cooking awesome things if I say so myself, I just forget to snap pics. So it's only natural that upon the return of one, I don't think to obsessively photograph each step. Sorry!

Anwyay, it was really good so I snapped pics of the leftovers which really don't look that good, but I promise they taste great!

I do normally use glass tupperware. I guess not last night.

I sent Jaren and Eden an email with the instructions. Here was my email t them:
I served this over pappardelle noodles, but you could serve over whatever.

I bought chicken breast cutlets from costco - I think I probably used an equivalent of 4 chicken breasts cut into strips. It wasn't organic chicken, we'll survive.

-1/4 block of low fat cream cheese

-1/4 cup fat free plain greek yogurt (or fat free sour cream)

-1 packet of liptons french onion dip

-olive oil

-2 medium onions (I would have done way more onions but i only had 2)

-white wine and chicken broth - I have no idea how much since i just eyeball (start w/a 1/4 cup each and go from there)

1. Rinse chicken. Sprinkle some oil in the crockpot and put the chicken in it - no need for salt, plenty in the liptons. Turn crockpot to high.

2. Mix the greek yogurt, cream cheese, and french onion, then mix in the wine and broth. The mixture should be more runny than creamy (if this helps determine how much broth and wine to put in). Dump it over the chicken and mix.

3. While the chicken is getting started in the crock pot (on high), slice the onions and separate them. Melt a tablespoon of butter and some olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, with some salt. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, then lower to low to caramelize, cover, and let cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Add the onions to the crockpot, stir, and cook for about another hour. It doesn't need to cook for very long since the chicken is smaller strips and the crockpot is on high. I think it was about 2 hours before it was completely cooked through.

It was easy and yum!

Here is a picture of it plated for lunch today:

I added some shredded part skim mozzarella cheese.

By the way, here was Jaren and then Eden's response to the e-mail:

Jaren Rabe	9:46 PM (16 hours ago)
to me, Eden

I stopped reading at "it wasn't organic chicken". 

Sent from my iPhone

Eden Sherman	5:47 AM (8 hours ago)
to me, Jaren

Hahaha oh man I wish I lived in Vegas... Never thought I'd type that

Sent from my iPhone

Haha love my friends, they make my heart smile. Enjoy the chicken!! Oh and speaking of friends and food, one of my favorite things is that Katy will pin a recipe, I see it, and make it for dinner that night or the next (obviously inviting her). We didn't really realize this until one day she said "I love pinning things, they magically appear for dinner at Avigail's that night". Hahahahahah! 

Honey-Soy-Sesame Chicken

Cravings: the best crockpot chicken recipe I know

While at my sister in law's I got the chance to do some cooking! Unfortunately everything got put into tupperware and eaten up before I snapped a picture of the finished result. But trust me, it's DELICIOUS.

I made this for Charlie a few months ago and he constantly requests it.

Ingredients:

-nonstick spray (not pictured)
-4 (or more) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, fat trimmed
-1/2 cup of honey
-1/2 cup of soy sauce
-1 small onion, or 1/2 large onion, diced
-1/2 tbs minced garlic
-1/4 cup of ketchup
-tsp (or more) of cajun seasoning, or red pepper flakes
-1 tbs vegetable or canola oil
-2 tbs sesame seeds
*I accidentally had corn starch in this image, whoops!*


Directions:
1. Spray the crock pot with non stick spray. Put your chicken in the crock pot. I am a firm, firm believer in always salting your chicken. Except for this in this recipe. There really is no need with all the soy sauce, and the fact that it will sit in this sauce for 6 hours.
2. Mix all the rest of the ingredients (excluding corn starch!), in a medium mixing bowl. Pour over chicken breast.
3. Cover and let cook on low for 5-6 hours.

That's it! It's ready. Go eat it.


It can cook for 8 hours if you want to put it on before work or before going to bed, but it's ready after 5-6. Some people say you can cook it on high for 3-4 hours, and you can, but I don't think it comes out as good. If you do not have a crock pot, put it in a dutch oven at 200 degrees for 6 hours.

Microwave Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

-1/4 pound chicken breast "tenders"

-1/4 bottle of Dale's seasoning sauce, or marinade of your choice (make sure to use something with salt as the microwave adds NO flavor)

-zip lock bag or saran wrap/plastic wrap

-microwavable plate or bowl

-optional: sauce/dip for when it's done. I used a greek yogurt based ranch dip.

Directions:

Marinade the chicken in a ziplock bag. 

(I marinated more chicken than the recipe called for, but then I used a different bag that only had a few pieces of chicken)

Put it in a microwavable dish, and make sure it's sealed. 

Microwave it on about 60% for 7 minutes. 

Microwave ovens vary a lot, so you may need to cook it for shorter or longer. My microwave at home is super powerful so I'm sure it would be ready sooner. Just keep an eye on it and check it every 3 or so minutes until you get the hang of your microwave. The bag or seal may expand in the middle of cooking - this is fine for a few minutes, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't pop open!

Make sure to keep the oven on 60% of less, or the chicken will be very rubbery.


Sort of mediocre, but cooked through, edible, and not a sandwich! (When you're living in a hotel, you eat a lot of sandwiches).

Once your chicken has cooled, put it in a plate, and add sauce or dip! Enjoy - it's not a sandwich! I know I said that, but it's true.

I used Otria's Greek yogurt dip:


Enjoy your not a sandwich!