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!

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