Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs

Yes, this recipe is amazing. No, I didn't take a picture. It wasn't just my camera this time, I was distracted. We had our son's ballgame to go to, so I just forgot. Boo, me. But, yay recipe!


The biggest tip I can give for this recipe, which I think I have said before, is know your slow cooker. Mine turns things to black charcoal after 4 hours on low, so I don't do all-day cooking. If yours cooks more gently, then this dish can go for 6-7 hours.

Chicken thighs hold up well to long cooking, and these are delicious. All my kids love BBQ chicken, and they told me this is the best they've ever tasted.


Ingredients

• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
• Generous 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 gallon-size baggie
•  Olive Oil

Directions 

Set crock pot on low, and coat bottom of crock with a layer of BBQ sauce.

Heat skillet (I used my cast iron one) on medium-high, add tablespoon or so of olive oil to coat the bottom. You just want to brown the chicken, not deep fry it. :-)

Mix garlic powder, turmeric (or dry mustard), salt and pepper in baggie. Add chicken thighs and squish around to coat well with flour mixture.

Add thighs to skillet, not crowding (I did 6 at a time), and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, to brown well. Add to crock pot.

Once all chicken is browned and added to crock pot (overlapping is fine), drizzle more sauce over the top, just to coat well. No need to stir thighs around.

Cover and cook for 4-7 hours, depending on your individual crock pot. Scoop out the chicken thighs and arrange on a platter, for serving. Just know that they cool down quickly.

I served these with grilled baby potatoes, and marinated veggie salad.

Yum!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I know, I know . . . this clip art is lame. Not nearly as appetizing as my actual recipe photo would be. (Not appetizing at all, really). But, alas, I need a new camera.

Anyway, if you like Chinese food, I think you will like this recipe. It is yummy, and much cheaper than take-out; plus it's easy to make once you get everything cut up. I served this over Jasmine rice, which is a larger grain white rice that cooks up moist. Good eats!

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 lbs chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 bottle French or Catalina dressing
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 1 green or red pepper, julienned
• 1/2 medium sweet or red onion, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• slivered almonds (optional)
• crushed red pepper (optional)
• Olive oil

Directions

Heat wok or heavy skillet on high  (I used my big cast iron one) and add a couple tablespoons of oil. When it shimmers, add the pepper and onion, salt and pepper, and cook and stir for 3 minutes.

Then add chicken and garlic, and cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.Turn down to medium high, if browning too quickly.

Next comes the "to-taste" portion of the recipe. With heat at medium, you will mix in the dressing and pineapple. I drizzled enough dressing to coat everything well, plus a little extra for sauce on the rice. I also added two big tablespoons of the crushed pineapple. You can add whatever amounts you like, just do it little by little, and taste after each addition, until it is where you like it.

You will only need to cook this for a couple minutes, to thicken everything well. Then serve over rice (and sprinkle with the almonds, and/or crushed red pepper, if desired) and eat up!

(Makes moderate portions for six. It's easy to double, though!)

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

I know, I didn't take a picture, again (!). But, I hope you will trust me when I say that this is a delicious meal. My husband was slurping up a plate full before taking our son to wrestling practice. He usually just waits until he comes back, but the smell lured him in. :-)

Ingredients

*Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or bone-in, but deskinned)
Your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (NOT garlic salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder

black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot
Sprinkle with seasonings
Cover with sauce
*Cook for 4-10 hours


You can use as many chicken thighs as you want/need. My crock pot is one of the big ones that ruins food if you cook for longer than 4 hours. I used 10 chicken thighs and one 24 ounce can of Food Lion brand 3-cheese (4-cheese?) spaghetti sauce, and cooked mine for around 4 hours (maybe a little over).

It was delish! I served this over spaghetti noodles (regular spaghetti, not angel hair), and everyone loved it. You just need to add more sauce (and increase seasonings, to taste) if using more chicken, and increase cooking time accordingly, especially if your chicken is not deboned (since that will take longer to cook)

And the biggest rule is Know Thy Crockpot!

 If you have one like mine (I think it's at least 6 quarts, if not 8), then use caution. When I say mine ruins food, it really is inedible. The first time I made a regular cook-for-8-hours meal and left the house all day, I came back to a burned, blackened mess in the bottom.There doesn't seem to be a way around this, either (I checked online and it seems to be a universal problem). On the other hand, it is boss for cooking a whole chicken!

Easy Greek Pasta

This dish is a snap to make, and it can be vegetarian by just omitting the chicken completely and stirring in some baby spinach leaves, or substituting it with extra-firm tofu cubes*. It tastes great, and the flavor is even better the next day.

Ingredients

• 1 box of penne pasta
• 3-4 chicken breasts (I use 4 if I buy the thin ones, or tenderloins, which cook faster)
• 2 medium garden-fresh tomatoes, diced (or large, if you like tomatoes) or 1 can petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder (or more, to taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
  
• Container of feta cheese, to taste
• Olive oil
• Cooking spray
• salt & pepper to taste
• kalamata olives, optional
  

Directions

Cook the pasta in salted water (I use a heaping teaspoon of salt) and add the garlic and onion powders a couple minutes before the pasta is done. Drain but don't rinse (leave hot).

While pasta cooks, cook your chicken. You can either cut it up and cook the pieces in a little olive oil, salt and pepper in a skillet, or lightly oil it and salt & pepper it to taste and grill the breasts whole. Your choice. Either way, don't over cook or chicken will be dry.

Put pasta in a large bowl and add oregano and feta cheese. Stir to combine. Add cooked chicken and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, as desired.

You can also add some sliced kalamata olives to this, but watch how much salt you add if you do that.

This is so yummy, served with a romaine salad simply dressed with oil and vinegar. Carb load with some crusty bread, and then go take a nap. :)


*Cube your drained tofu and marinate it in a little olive oil and minced garlic for an hour. Then cook it in olive oil until it gets a nice browned edge. Carefully incorporate into the dish lastly, to avoid it breaking up.

Spicy-Honey Chicken

My son, Iain, prepared this recipe for our dinner tonight, and it was delicious!


This receipe was tweaked from one I got from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons garlic powder (I used dehydrated garlic)
  
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 8-12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat broiler to 350 degrees (if able to choose heat level). Set rack on upper 1/3 of oven.

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; liberally coat chicken with honey mixture and broil for 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is done, tenting with foil to prevent burning, if necessary.

I served this with boiled new potatoes and fresh Romaine salad. Very yummy!

Great Greek Chicken

This recipe is fabulous! The flavor is amazing, with a minimum of ingredients and prep time. Serve with hummus and pita, or with a cucumber and tomato salad.

Ingredients

10-12 chicken thighs (either boneless, skinless or bone-in with skin)
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
4-6 garlic cloves (depending on size—if they are bigger, use 4), pressed
1 16 oz. container of plain Greek yogurt
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Open Greek yogurt container and add pressed garlic.

Toast the cumin seeds. Heat a small skillet until very hot and then add the cumin seeds. They only need to toast for about 15 seconds or so, until you can smell them. Remove from heat and scrape into the yogurt. Stir well.

Place the chicken thighs into a large (gallon) zippered baggie. Add the yogurt marinade and then seal the baggie, pressing out all the air. Squish the yogurt around the chicken, coating all the pieces well. Refrigerate for a minimum of one but up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a rimmed baking tray, and then set a short cooling rack on top of the tray.

Remove chicken from baggie and place on the cooling rack. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before eating.
Enjoy!

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken and Broccoli

This basic recipe is from a fellow homeschooling mom, and it is super-easy to double or triple. I added a few touches, and it is just as good as any take-out Chinese food.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 cup brown sugar, packed tightly
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 C. lemon-lime soda
1 cup of Basmati rice, cooked
1 (12 oz) bag of frozen broccoli florets (I used a self-steaming bag)
1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch
1/2 cup of toasted, sliced almonds

Place cut-up chicken into crock pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix next four ingredients together, stirring to incorporate sugar (break up any hard pieces). Pour over chicken. Next, pour over the soda (it will slightly fizz).

Cook over low heat for 4-8 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink.

About 20-30 minutes before serving, cook Basmati rice. Then, 5 minutes before serving, steam the broccoli florets until done to desired tenderness. (I like mine to be slightly firm.)

With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from crockpot and place in a large serving bowl. Carefully pour Balsamic mixture into a medium saucepan or skillet. Mix arrowroot starch with enough water to dissolve it, then add to the mixture. Cook at medium high heat, whisking until the sauce thickens slightly.

Gently toss chicken and broccoli together in bowl. Pour over sauce and stir to coat.

If using toasted almonds for a garnish, place them in a dry skillet (I use cast iron) and heat over medium heat, stirring gently, until they become fragrant and start to lightly brown (it won't take long).

Serve chicken and broccoli over rice, topped with the toasted almonds.

This is delicious!

Serves 6

White Chicken Chili

This chili recipe came from the label of a can of "Bush's" Great Northern beans. It is mild, but could be spiced up by adding some canned chopped (drained) jalapenos. (The amount depends on how hardy your stomach lining is.) The recipe calls for cooked chicken, so it's a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If I don't have leftovers, I use a large can of white meat chicken, drained and shredded with a fork.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 (16 oz) cans white beans (navy or great northern), drained and rinsed well
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast*

Optional toppings:

shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
sour cream
salsa

In large sauce pot, cook onion in oil for 3-4 minutes. In small bowl, combine flour and cumin. Add to pot and stir, cooking for 2 minutes (mixture will be paste-like, just keep stirring). Gradually add chicken broth, while stirring constantly. Add drained, rinsed beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and heat through.

Serve with toppings, if desired (but tastes great alone, but pairs well with whole wheat sweet potato muffins).

Yield, 6 modest servings.

*To make this vegetarian, instead of chicken add another can of beans, or a cup of frozen white shoe-peg corn and 1/2 cup of small-diced firm tofu.