Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken

Posted by Melanie G.

**I make this at least monthly because the leftovers freeze great and it is so delicious on soft tacos, salads, or in a recipe that calls for cooked chicken**

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

Posted by Melanie G.
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons brand)
1 (5 pound) chuck roast

Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.

Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork (I did this step about 45 minutes before eating so the shredded meat had time to absorb more of the juices in the crockpot). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.

Beef 'n Black Bean Soup

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
2 14-1/2-oz. cans chicken broth
2 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced (My husband prefers to leave these out.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 cup rice

Break up beef and put in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on high 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Rachel Swanton

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken with Rice

1 lb. baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 20-oz can unsweetened pineapple tidbits
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 cups cooked rice

Layer carrots and onion in slow cooker. Top with chicken. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple tidbits over chicken. Mix together pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken bouillon, salt, ginger, and garlic. Pour over top. Cook on low 6 hours. Combine cornstarch and water. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cook 30 mins longer or until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice. 6-servings.
Rachel Swanton

Chicken and Rice

10-3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
2-1/2 cups water
1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
6 ozs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts tenders (or chicken breast sliced in tender size pieces)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 5 to 6 hours. Stir occasionally. (This is my oldest son's favorite Sunday meal. It is a bland, but a kid's delight with no veggies!)
Rachel Swanton

Chicken Soft Tacos

1 to 2 pounds frozen, boneless, and skinless chicken breasts
14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 envelope low-sodium taco seasonings

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Pour in tomatoes and taco seasoning. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Serve in soft tortillas. Top with salsa, cheddar cheese, guacamole and fresh tomatoes.
Rachel Swanton

paula's slow berry cobbler

Heidi Harper

1 10 oz bag frozen strawberries
1 10 oz bag frozen blueberries
1 10 oz bag frozen raspberries
(feel free to mix and match on the berries. Just make sure you have 30 oz worth.)
1/3-2/3 C sugar (depending on your preference of sweetness)
1/2 C baking mix
topping:
2 1/4 C baking mix
1/4 C sugar, plus 1/4 C
4 T butter melted
1/2 C milk
2 t ground cinnamon

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss together all the frozen fruit, sugar and 1/2 C baking mix. Transfer to the slow cooker. In another large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 C baking mix, 1/4 C sugar, melted butter and milk with a wooden spoon. With your hands, drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker. (or if you are like me and don't like getting your hands dirty, use the spoon.) In a small bowl, stir together the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the dough. Put the lid on. Cook on hight for 3-4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Hearty Vegetable Soup with Bacon

from Teresa Bertolio

9 large red potatoes or 15 small red potatoes, chopped
1/2 large sweet bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bacon or bacon bits
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon beef base or 2 cubes beef bouillon
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)

Place all ingredients into slow cooker. Cover with water. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Enjoy with rolls or crackers!

Russian Chicken

Kristi John

2-3 large chicken breasts
1 bottle of wishbone Russian Dressing
1/8 cup water
1 packet of onion soup mix
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce


Empty dressing into the crock pot and then place the water in the dressing bottle. With the lid back on, shake vigorously. Empty contents into the crock pot. Add cranberry sauce and onion soup mix and stir to combine. Place chicken on top and turn to coat with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over rice.

Sweet Pork

Kristi John

4-5 lb. Boneless Pork Sirloin Roast
1 (20 ounce) bottle regular Coke
1 large bottle of La Victoria red taco sauce
1 cup Brown Sugar
Ground Cumin to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the pork roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour Coke and taco sauce over meat. Add brown sugar and spices. Cook in slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. When done leave the roast in the slow cooker and use two forks to pull the meat apart to shred it. Stir it into the sauce in the cooker and serve.

This is the closest I have come to recreating Costa Vidas sweet pork. It’s very yummy.

Lemon Herb Chicken

Kristi John

1 thawed and skinned whole chicken
1 head of garlic, yes you'll use all the cloves
2 lemons
kosher salt
pepper
a large bunch of fresh rosemary, or 2-3 tablespoons of dried rosemary

After you skin the chicken, rub it inside and out with a bunch of salt and pepper. Be generous with the salt, kosher salt is not quite as potent as regular table salt.

Plop it into the crock pot

Peel the garlic and shove a bunch of the whole cloves into the bird cavity and throw the rest on top and around the chicken.

Slice the lemons, so you have round slices and put them on top, around and inside the bird.

Wash the rosemary and put them inside and all over the chicken as well.

Do Not Add Water

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Keep an eye on it and check for doneness after 6 hours, and carefully remove with large tongs. This is a moist, delicious chicken that is definitely company worthy.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Lesli Dustin

I usually double the sauce because I like it really saucy. Also, check the pot periodically during cooking and if the edges are starting to get too brown, add a little water to prevent burning.

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 T. vinegar
1 t. beef bouillon granules
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. ground pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
2-2 1/2 lb. beef roast
sandwich rolls

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except roast and rolls. Cook over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reserve half of that mixture. Trim excess fat from the meat. Put in crock pot. Pour remaining sauce over meat. Cook on low for 12-14 hours or until meat easily shreds. Shred meat and add remaining sauce. Serve on rolls.

All-Day Macaroni and Cheese

Lesli Dustin

This is the best!

8 oz. dry macaroni, cooked and drained
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Place the cooked macaroni in crock pot that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining ingredients except one cup of the cheese; mix well. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese, then cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until the macaroni is finished cooking.

Refried Beans

Lesli Dustin

1 lb. pinto beans (small red beans also work well)
1/2 onion, not chopped
2 cloves garlic
1-2 jalapenos, cut in half and seeded
1 t. salt

Soak beans overnight. Rinse, drain, and put in crock pot with enough water to cover, plus 2-3 more inches. Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for about 6 hours or on low overnight. Remove the onion, garlic, and jalapenos if desired (I have started leaving them in and they are a little hotter). Add a few cups of beans at a time to a blender and cover with some of the cooking water just to the top of the beans. Blend until desired consistency. Add more salt if necessary. I like to add a little bacon grease to get a more full flavor. I also make huge batches of these all at once and freeze in quart bags so we have them on hand.

Pork Chalupas

Lesli Dustin

This recipe makes a lot of food, but it's very versatile, so leftovers are no problem. We eat it in tortillas with all the toppings. I like to make a taco salad with it; you can wrap it in tortillas and fry them in oil for chimichangas, thin it out for tortilla soup...it's all good.

3 cups dry pinto beans
3 lb. pork roast
1 qt. canned tomatoes
1 T. salt
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
2 T. chili powder
1/2 cup chopped onion (you can use a small handful of dehydrated onion instead)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 oz. diced green chilies (you can use an Anaheim or jalapeno here if you like more heat)

Soak beans in water over night. Rinse and drain. Put soaked beans, roast, and tomatoes in crock pot. Add enough water to cover beans. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 7-8 hours, or until beans are soft. Shred pork, remove any fat, and put back into pot. Mix and serve.

Apple Peach Cobbler

1 can (29 ounces) peach slices, with juice
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie fillinig
1 whit or yellow cake mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup butter or margarine, thinly sliced

Pour juice from peaches into a separate bowl. Spread pie filling and peaches on bottom of greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle cake mix and cinnamon over top. Pour peach juice over dry ingredients. Place butter slices over the dry areas. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours or on high heat 2 hours. Makes 10-12 servings. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. This recipe is a lot like the dutch oven cobbler.

Judy Cash

Cream Cheese Chicken

Heidi Matthews

2-3 chicken breasts
1 package cream cheese (8 oz.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 can water
1 package dry italian dressing mix

Combine softened cream cheese, soup, water and dressing mix. Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice.

*Can also cook this in the oven for 2 hours at 325.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

Heidi Matthews

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 potatoes, cut into wedges

Place chicken in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with half the dressing, spices and grated cheese. Put potatoes on top of and around chicken. Sprinkle with rest of dressing, spices and cheese. Cook on low all day.

Chicken Soft Tacos

Heidi Matthews

4 chicken breasts
1 jar salsa

Cook in crockpot on low heat for about 6 hours. Shred chicken with fork.

Serve in warmed tortillas with sour cream, cheese, lettuce, olives, beans, etc.

Variation: For Creamy Soft Chicken Tacos add 1 cup sour cream FOR THE LAST HALF HOUR OF COOKING.