Slow Cooker Apple BBQ Chicken

I stopped looking for new crockpot recipes awhile ago because everything seems to be "protein plus BBQ sauce". It gets really old, really fast. Well, I was bored, wandering punchfork again, and came across this recipe. It had some extra flair so I decided to give it a go and it turned out pretty stinkin' good!

That is not my picture. I used punchfork stock.

You're going to need: 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 3)
4 slices of bacon (I skipped this step)
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 Tbs lemon juice

You're supposed to start by wrapping the chicken breasts in bacon slices. I skipped this step. I'm sure it adds some decent flavor but I like my bacon one way.... burnt. I HATE soggy bacon and there can come NO GOOD from bacon in a crockpot for 8 hours.
Anyway, place your chicken breasts in the crockpot.. with or without bacon.

Peel the apples and chop them up into little pieces. (I highly recommend peeling them even if you like skins. The skins won't break down in the crockpot the way they're supposed to.)
Mix the BBQ, apple pieces and lemon juice.
Pour it over the chicken and cook on low for 8 hours.

I used green apples. Those are pretty much the only kind that Gary likes. If you try a different kind of apple, you'll have to let me know how it tastes!

I was out of Steve's Original BBQ sauce so I used another gluten free/NO HFCS BBQ sauce that I found at Sprouts. :)

Crockpot Mexican Soup/Stew

I know that it's been awhile since I've posted a recipe. Now that I look at it, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Sorry! I've been busy and other than painting my nails, I haven't really been up to anything blog post worthy. I also haven't really been trying new recipes so I haven't had much to post food wise.

That being said, I have a new one to post! Gary is going TDY for 2 weeks to Florida. He's leaving on Saturday so this was our last weekend together for the month. Since today was Columbus Day he didn't have to work so we took advantage of this and went to see "Taken 2". It was fabulous. There were a few obnoxious people in the theater but I took a Klonopin before we left, so I didn't feel all stabby stabby.

I prepared this meal this morning and turned on the crockpot on our way out the door so that dinner was ready a short while after getting home from the movies.

I did take this recipe from Paleomg and her recipe also calls for cilantro lime "rice" (which is made with mashed cauliflower for those not familiar with Paleo). Gary doesn't like paleo "rice" AT ALL and I didn't feel like making it just for me. SO, if you want the ENTIRE recipe, including the "rice"... it's right here. :)

You're going to need:
1 TBS olive oil
1lb chicken breast (I actually used 1.5 because, well I just did)
1/2 of chicken broth (I used an entire cup and next time I"ll probably use 2 cups)
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion slivered
1/2 a jar of roasted red peppers (I used a 12oz jar)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed with a knife (I used .. double. We love garlic!)
1 TBS chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano (oops, I must have forgotten this)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (I added this on my own)
1 tsp salt
pepper, to taste (oops, forgot this too)

Take all of the above... throw it in your crockpot. BUT be warned, if you throw it and miss and make a mess, I'm not coming over to clean that crap up.
Mix it all up and cook it on high for about 4 hours.
Once it's done shred the chicken up with 2 forks or whatever and serve it.

This is deeeeliiiiiciiiooouuuuusss!

Paleo Chicken Soup

 This weekend is "cooking weekend". I was in the mood so I'm making Chicken Enchilada Stew, bread for Gary, a new salmon recipe because I have to cook what's in the fridge before it goes bad plus I've been craving chicken noodle soup all freaking week. SO MUCH so, that I broke Paleo law and ate a little bit last night... noodles and all! It, however, did not one little bit curb my craving. I went on a google spree and came up with this site. Jeff's Crazy Idea. I didn't have much time to do any reading, other than the recipe, but I'm assuming his crazy idea was to go Paleo. I should probably read more because our story could be called "Gary mentioned it and Rachel went crazy"... SO, mine is still simmering so I stole his picture and I'm really sorry, I feel horrible about it but right now my camera is crap anyway. :(

I did a few things differently or "Rachel's way" so here goes.

You're going to need:
2 tablespoons of bacon grease
2 garlic cloves
1 large onion chopped
2 cartons (1L each) of chicken stock.
4 cups of chopped celery
4 cups of chopped carrots
2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
4-6 chicken breasts cooked
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper

Let's get started!
Starting with the chicken. Jeff's wife (?) boiled hers which, as I've recently learned, is the healthiest way to prepare chicken. I didn't feel like boiling though so what I did was generously season 4 FULL chicken breasts with sea salt and white pepper. I never add salt and pepper to dishes, mostly because I forget, and this way you don't have bland chicken chunks in your soup.
While my chicken was cooking, I started in on the bacon grease. Now, I guess you COULD use a different fat but when someone (especially in a Paleo recipe) says "use bacon fat" I'M ON THAT LIKE A FAT KID ON CAKE because there HAS to be a great reason, right? I don't have bacon grease on hand and if you don't just take 5 strips, cook it down (on LOW) in the pot that you're going to make this soup in. It's going to take a little bit, but you don't want to risk burning the bacon because then you have to start over or everything in the soup will taste burnt. :(

Ok, so your chicken is done and your bacon grease is ready... let's continue!

Pour your chicken stock CARFULLY over bacon grease in a pot and place over medium heat. When broth starts to get warm, add your onions and garlic into the broth.

Once onions become translucent (about 10 minutes for me), add the celery, carrots, spices and chicken.

Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.

I don't usually post recipes before I've cooked and eaten them to avoid posting GARBAGE but this was smelling SO GOOD that I got a head start. Mine should be done in about 30 minutes and I'm going to GRUB for lunch.
Oh, and if the salmon, that I'm making for dinner, turns out tasty, I'll post it tomorrow! :)

Enchilada Chicken Stew

Move over "Taco Soup" which incidentally sounds disgusting to me, and even though people swear it tastes like heaven, I just can't bring myself to eat it.
This stew is going to knock your socks off. Again.... thanks Juli. I really need to dedicate a post just to her. She has single handedly made Paleo fun... and delicious AND funny, all at the same time.

I've been meaning to cook this (again) for days now, but me and remembering to START crock pot meals in the morning and not 8 hours later when I'm hungry don't get a long. That being said, I REMEMBERED today.. granted I only had 10 minutes to chop everything up and thaw chicken ... well I guess it's not really that much. Anyway.

You're going to need:
2lbs chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (4oz) can of chopped jalapenos
1 (4oz) can of chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 (14oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (7 oz) can tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
bundle of cilantro, to garnish *
avocado, to garnish *

Get the crockpot out. (Yes, stupid spell check, CROCKPOT is a word!)

Add in the chicken breasts

Throw everything else in on top.

Kinda mix it around with a spoon or something.

Put on low for 8-10 hours or if you're like me, and didn't remember at 6am, high for 6-8 hours. ;)

When it's all done, shred the chicken up with a fork or a chicken shredder. Yes, they make meat shredders. My girlfriend, Sandra, has one and I might steal it from her.

Eat it up after you've garnished. Which brings me to *... we both hate cilantro and I forgot an avocado so unless I get my lazy butt to Frys before dinner we AINT HAVIN' IT!

Creamy Chicken Chili

Well, I'm not sure why it's called that because it's not very creamy (or Gary wouldn't eat it) and there are more peppers than chili in it but I guess Chicken Peppers would sound dumb. ANYWAY, I have to credit Juli from paleomg.com for this glorious meal. I've made it twice now and I could have sworn that I had already posted it but nope, I hadn't. I can tell you though that even if you forget to add all the spices in, it's still delicious... but who does that right?

So let's start! You're going to need:

2 lbs chicken, diced into 1 inch cubes
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 clove of garlic, minced *
1.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 (4 oz) can green chiles (diced makes life easier :D)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin **
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

You're going to want to use a pot (instead of a sauce pan) for this. It's pretty much a soup. Put it over medium heat and add your olive oil and minced garlic.

Once you can start smelling the garlic, add your chicken in. Mix it around a few times to make sure it's cooked on all sides.

Once the chicken is about half way cooked through, add in all the peppers, jalapenos, onions and green chilis.  Mix it up really good and let it cook for 3 minutes.

Add in your chicken broth, coconut milk and all of your spices... YEAH! Don't forget the spices! <.<

Stir it all up... cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes.

Enjoy!! (be careful, it's um... super hot and you might burn your mouth!)

* I used about 4, we love garlic
** I didn't use the cumin. We both hate cumin.

Garlic Chicken Pasta

A few days ago I was wandering Ross with my girlfriend, Teri. While she was trying on some clothes I was in the kitchen aisle. Well, I found a mandolin and I've been wanting to get one for a while. This one also had a grating setting and my favorite of all, a julienne setting! All for under $10! I love Ross so hard. As soon as I saw it, I knew which recipe I was going to try next. I had seen this a few weeks ago but the thought of having to hand julienne veggies made me cringe.
Last night I was thinking of just serving leftovers but I wasn't in the mood for anything we had leftover and the more I thought about it, the hungrier I became. So, I pulled up my newest favorite website - paleOMG and got to cooking.
After dinner I promptly went to Juli's blog and asked her to marry me.
I was actually setting myself up for failure with this recipe. It contains 4 things that Gary really doesn't care for at all: zucchini, squash, tomato sauce and coconut milk. He LOVED IT! So here we go!

You're going to need:
2 lbs chicken, diced
2 zucchini, julienned
2 yellow squash, julienned
1 onion (small to medium), diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce *
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large can diced tomatoes
3 whole heads roasted garlic, cloves removed from peels
salt and pepper, to taste

I would highly suggest doing the first step a while before you're going to start cooking.
Start by heating your oven up to 400F (204C). You're going to roast garlic. Peel away the outer layers of the bulbs, just the outer layers. Cut off the top of the cloves so that you can see the individual cloves of garlic. Now, I use a muffin pan to set each bulb in to keep them from tipping over but you can use a regular pan. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over each head. Make sure that the garlic head is coated in oil. Cover them up with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The reason I suggest doing this before you're ready to use them is because they come out of the oven HOT obviously and you need to gently squeeze each head to get the cloves to pop out and when they're HOT it's kinda hard. Maybe I'm sensitive since the skin graft but anyway....

Julienne your zucchini and yellow squash.
Add olive oil to a large saucepan and saute the onion over medium-high heat until they're soft.
Then you're going to add in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook it for about a minute then add in the coconut milk. Don't worry, it doesn't make it very creamy at all, just enough to make it perfect.

Take your diced chicken and put it directly into the sauce. Turn the heat down to low and cook it for about 15 minutes. Stir it occasionally.

After 15 minutes, add the garlic cloves you've roasted and the julienned zucchini and squash and stir it up. You didn't miss a step, you're not mincing or dicing the roasted cloves up, just add them directly into the sauce. Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes to let the squash/zucchini soften up then SERVE!

You are not going to be disappointed. This dish is absolutely fantabulous!

* There are 100s of hot sauces out there. We used Texas Pete. It gave it some heat without changing the flavor.

Rosemary Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

My pictures always look like garbage. I can't ever get food pictures to look "good" but maybe that's because I'm using my phone? I really should invest in a good camera. <.<

Anyway, this turned out to be really, really good (and not because I was STARVING by the time dinner rolled around).

You're going to need:
4 chicken breasts
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
zest of lemon
2 Tbs fresh rosemary
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper


Ok, for starters, I didn't have any lemon to zest so I used a lemon infused olive oil from Olive Creations. When it came to the rosemary, I pulled the sprigs off of the stems and kinda roughly chopped it.
Get a big bowl and mix up the garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss in the chicken breasts and make sure they're completely covered in the marinade. Let it marinade for 30+ minutes. Obviously, the longer the better. I think I let it go for about 4 hours.

Preheat your oven to 400F (205C). Heat up a large pan over medium high heat. You shouldn't need to add any more fat to the pan since you marinated it in so much oil. Once it's very hot, place the chicken breasts in the pan and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes on either side. DON'T flip them back and forth. Let it cook on one side and when you can turn them with no resistance then it's time to flip to the other side and let it cook on that side for the same amount of time.
Remove the chicken from the pan, and place in a dish to put in the oven that you've pre-heated. Put them in for about 15 minutes so that they can finish cooking (NO pink).

Now, when I was done cooking these I wrapped them up in foil and put to the side so I could roast some broccoli really quick. I did this for the first time last week and I don't think I'll ever steam broccoli again. Roasted broccoli is AMAZING!

All you need to do is turn the oven up to 500F (260C). Toss the broccoli (3 to 4 large crowns) in a large bowl with about 3 Tbs of olive oil and 5 to 6 cloves of minced garlic. Put it in the heated oven for about 10 minutes give or take. When it's done, just put it on your plates, unwrap that chicken and NOM NOM NOM!

I didn't feel like it was missing anything without the lemon zest, in fact I think the lemon would have been overpowering. The lemon olive oil was perfect. I could smell it while it was cooking and had a hint of it while I ate it.

Honey Chicken

I was out ALL day long today and totally spaced out and forgot to plan dinner. Since this is a new menu for us, planning dinner is very important as we can't just say eff it and run to Wendy's. So I scrambled through the cookbook for something quick and easy and with stuff that I had on hand and this is what I came up with. I made some alterations for us. For example, the recipe actually included walnuts but Gary hates them and I don't like them in my meals (desserts maybe). Anyway, here goes!


You're going to need:
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs FRESH thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbs raw honey
- 1/2 cup water

Combine olive oil, thyme, sea salt, and pepper
Rub the chicken with seasoning.
Now here I took some olive oil (in addition to what the recipe calls for) to cook the chicken in... about 1/2 Tbs. The recipe calls for a "non stick pan" and I don't own those. In fact I hate them so anyway, continuing on.
Cook the chicken for about 12 minutes (or until it's cooked through and not pink in the middle), turning frequently.
Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Make a foil tent to keep it nice and hot.
SAVE THE DRIPPINGS IN THE PAN!
Add the apple cider to the pan with the chicken drippings. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Add in the honey and water and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes until slightly thickened.
Then, you just spoon/ladle/pour it over the chicken and enjoy!

I doubled the sauce (so 2x the vinegar, honey, and water), and cooked it for a bit longer to get it the right consistency. We like sauce, what can I say?

p.s. I know, I know. we had corn again. I hate throwing out food and we had 2 cobs left. I ended up giving Gary my brussels sprouts and taking his corn. I am not fond of brussels at all. I used to like them, but I think that was when I could have loads of butter.. LOL

Chicken Marsala

I've been cooking Chicken Marsala for Gary for a few years now. I used my own recipe and served it over rice for him. Well, with the switch to Paleo, I didn't have to make that many changes other than nix the rice. I pulled this recipe from The Paleo Diet Cookbook (page 86) and made changes to suit what Gary likes. (I don't eat Chicken Marsala - I hate Marsala wine and I HATE mushrooms).

You're going to need to get:
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (pounded flat)
- 3 cups chopped assorted wild mushrooms *
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 cup Marsala wine **
- 1 cup chicken broth **
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano






So start by heating the oil in a skillet... about medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and  cook for 10 minutes, turning at the halfway point. When they're cooked, remove them from the pan and set them off to the side in a foil tent.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook them for 5 minutes. Stir them occasionally so they don't stick. Stir in the shallot and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes. I don't necessarily do 20 minutes. I do it until the sauce is ALMOST as thick as we prefer.

Put the chicken back in the skillet for 5 more minutes. (Which is why I don't reduce the sauce all of the way - 5 more minutes to cook).

Sprinkle with oregano when you're ready to serve!

* The recipe calls for 1 cup of mushrooms. I used 3 because mushrooms really shrink down and Gary likes a lot of them. I used crimini and oyster mushrooms.  
** The recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of wine and broth but again, it reduces down so quickly and doesn't leave much sauce in the end. I doubled it. I also don't make my own broth. I buy organic, low sodium chicken broth. 

Quick, Easy, Delicious Jambalaya

Ok you purists, bite your tongues. If you look up the definition and then look at this recipe this IS a Jambalaya!

I was going through a cook book the other day looking for something new to make and ran across this. I'd never considered making it before because I thought Mr. Picky Pants wouldn't like it but I showed it to him and he said it sounded good so lets go!
First off, I took a few shortcuts. My energy level is low these days and I didn't feel like standing over a stove for too long.

You're going to need:
12 small sausage Links - cut into one inch pieces (See Below)
1 cup finely chopped onion (I just used a whole medium sized onion)
1 cup finely chopped green pepper (I used a whole good sized pepper)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used like 8 cloves :D )
2 tablespoons or so of olive oil
1.5 cups of cooked cubed chicken (See Below)
1.5 cups of cooked cubed ham (See Below)
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes un-drained
1 cup uncooked long grain rice (brown)
1 can (14.5oz) chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh parsley (or just shake a bunch of dried in there)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

OK HERE GOES!
In a LARGE skillet, saute the sausage, onion, green pepper and garlic in the oil until the vegetables are tender. Add in the chicken and ham. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Transfer to a 2 qt. baking dish (go bigger if you want. 2 quarts was VERY full). Cover and bake at 350 for about an hour or until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Personally I cooked for about 1 hour and 20 minutes for ALMOST al dente rice and some liquid left (we like broth).

ATTENTION!!! This comes out of the oven EXTREMELY HOT! Please let sit for a little bit, especially if you're going to be serving it to little ones. Thanks :)


My shortcuts:
For sausage I used Johnsonville Italian Sausage (mild with 6 big ones to a pack).
For chicken I used Oscar Mayer Carving Board Roasted Chicken w / no additional flavors. I used the entire container.
For ham I used Oscar Mayer Carving Board Slow Cooked Ham w/ no additional flavors, the whole container.

(Thanks for your help making it too, Baby!)

Greek Chicken Pitas with Sauce

I made this for our dinner last night and it was just too delicious to not share. It's very a very simple, tasty crockpot recipe that takes about 3 hours from start to finish! (and 2 hours and 45 minutes of that it's cooking in the crockpot!)

You're going to need:
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium onion cut into 8 wedges
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
Greek Seasoning and Salt
4 Whole Pita Rounds

For the sauce you're going to need:
1/2 cup of PLAIN yogurt
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of regular yellow mustard
Greek Seasoning and Salt

Optional Ingredients (to top the prepared Pitas with)
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Roma Tomatoes
Feta Cheese
Sliced Olives
(really whatever you'd like to top your pita with - I used cucumbers, tomatoes and feta)

Spray your crockpot with some cooking spray. Place the bell pepper strips and onion wedges in the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken and drizzle with the olive oil. I sprinkled a generous amount of Greek seasoning (about 1 or 2 tablespoons) and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt on top of the chicken.
Cook it all on HIGH for about 2.5 hours (until the chicken has NO pink in the middle).

Remove the chicken and slice or shred. Mine was sorta messy but who cares, it's going in a pita and into your tummy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies so they're not all soggy.

Prepare the sauce. Combine the yogurt, mayo, mustard and I added about 1 teaspoon of Greek seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix until it's smooth.

Warm pitas according to the package instructions. Cut in half, open and layer with chicken, sauce and toppings of choice.


Notes: 1. Normally I don't use green bell peppers. They're usually too strong for me but I went ahead and did it this time and they were not strong at all and I'm not sure a red/yellow one would have any taste left in it after 3 hours in a crockpot.
2. This made about 4 servings. (4 whole pitas so 8 pita sammiches).
3. If you can't find Greek seasoning (I found mine at World Market) the following makes a perfect substitution.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

(Lisa, I'm sending you some Greek seasoning in the mail probably next week!)

Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad

So I got up early this morning and pulled out my crockpot. I threw in 3 chicken breasts and a cup of water with a chicken Oxo cube. Have I ever mentioned just how much I LOVE OXO? They're probably the best bouillon cubes in the world and if any of you would like to try some just holler and I'll send you a few boxes.
So anyway, 4.5 hours later I pull the lid off the crockpot and dive in with 2 forks and shred all this delicious juicy chicken to bits and pieces. I now have a tupperware full of shredded chicken. Why? Because I'm making 2 pasta salads this week that need chicken.

Here's the first one.



Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad

* 1/2 cup Caesar Dressing
* 3 cups pre-cooked chicken breast, skinned and shredded
* 3 cups hot cooked penne pasta
* 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
* 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
* 1/4 cup fresh parsley
* 1 (4 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 garlic clove, minced

Put it all in a big freaking bowl ... mix and chill.. and EAT IT ...

Substitutions:
1. I didn't feel like making a Caesar dressing so I used Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing. I also used well over half a cup. I don't like dry pasta salad.
2. I didn't shred my carrots, I used my Pampered Chef chopper and chopped the hell outta them.
3. I couldn't find fresh basil anywhere so I used a bunch of dried basil. Probably a good 3 tablespoons.
4. I doubled the garlic. I really love garlic.