Fresh Balsamic Crockpot Chicken

On these cold winter days I find myself less motivated to cook and more motivated to eat. Really bad combo if you ask me. I don't know if it is the going to work in the dark and getting home in the dark that makes me feel like snuggling and less energized to be in the kitchen. Ya feel me? Yeah thought so. Crockpots to the rescue! This recipe is awesome too because it only takes a few hours to cook so if you decide to do a crockpot dinner later in the day, you still have time to enjoy it. I found the recipe here and followed it just how she had it. She has some great pictures and ideas for making this with chicken breast, so be sure to check it out if you are interested.

Fresh Balsamic Crockpot Chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - I used drumsticks, worked just a well
Sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley (optional- I wasn't a big fan of the parsley)

Combine the dry ingredients together and rub them on the chicken. In the bottom of your crockpot place the olive oil and garlic. Put in your chicken next and pour balsamic vinegar over everything. Cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over cooked chicken and enjoy!

Fresh Crockpot Mexican Chicken Tacos

I recently found this recipe and gave it a try. My husband really enjoyed it, and although the recipe is a great base, I would suggests adding hot salsa to the mix to increase the flavor. Because of the chicken broth, it diluted the "heat" of the salsa and I found it a little bland. I did use it the next day by mixing it with mayo and made a "tuna-ish" mixture. It was delicious! Check out the comments on the site I found the recipe from for some other modifications.  

Fresh Crockpot Mexican Chicken Tacos
1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup salsa of choice
1 can diced green chills
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp chili powder (more if you like some heat)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
sea salt and pepper to taste
Butter Lettuce
Optional Toppings:
hot sauce
advocate
fresh cilantro - chopped
lime juice

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix ingredients in a separate bowl, pour over chicken. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken 30 min before serving and allow juices to soak into the meat. Wash butter lettuce and prepare toppings. Make little tacos using the lettuce as your wrap. Enjoy!

 

Fresh Chicken Crockpot

The most frustrating part of baking a chicken is cutting all the meat off the bones. Until now... put that little chicken into your crockpot, season and walk away. At the end of the day the meat will literally be falling off the bones. Brilliant! A dad of one of our CrossFit kids shared this idea with me, and it works! I included the spices I used, but you can use your favorite combination and it will work just fine.


Fresh Crockpot Chicken
1 Whole Chicken (you will want to be sure to choose something that will fit in your crockpot. I used this 3.5lb chicken from Amazon Fresh)
1 Lemon
Olive Oil (or fat of your choice)
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Aluminum Foil


Rinse your chicken inside and out. Make 3 foil balls and place them in the bottom of your crockpot. Place chicken on top of foil. Place oil, seasonings and sliced lemon on top of your chicken. Turn crockpot on high and cook for 1 hour. Next, turn the temperature down to low and continue to cook for about 8 hours or until meat is thoroughly cook and juices run clear. Feel free to baste chicken a few times throughout cooking time for a moister chicken.


As you can see from my picture the chicken was literally falling apart as I took it out of the pot. It was delicious! Enjoy!

 Before

After

Fresh Taco Soup

I have been on the hunt for a good taco soup. It used to be a staple in our house, and now that I found this recipe, it will be again. The fresh cilantro and avocado make this soup not only delicious, but it looks great too! So plug in that crock pot, your are about to enjoy a flavorful meal!

Fresh Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
2 T dried chopped onion
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
2 C diced tomatoes
4 C chicken stock
1/2 cabbage

Toppings for the end:
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1-2 avocado

Dice chicken breasts and cook thoroughly, adding a little salt and pepper to taste. Brown ground beef, adding a little salt and pepper to taste.

Cut 1/2 a head of cabbage into strips. These will be your "tortilla strips".

Place all ingredients (except cilantro and avocado) in your crock pot. Place on low heat and cook for 3-4 hours.

Once cooked, add fresh chopped cilantro and avocado to your bowl and enjoy!



Fresh Stuffed Peppers

I have wanted to try this recipe for quite awhile, but since the hubby doesn't like peppers I had to wait for the right time. Girls Night to the rescue! The ladies from the gym came over and we all devoured these peppers, for time of course. ;) I believe food tastes better when you are with good company.

Here is the original recipe, but I modified it because I don't like mushy peppers (and I was worried about that in the Crockpot) and didn't have time to shred the veggies (story of my life- ha ha).

Fresh Stuffed Peppers

2 1/2 lbs meat

6 large peppers

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 T oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Salt/Pepper to taste

6 oz can tomato paste

1 C water

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare peppers by cutting tops off and removing seeds.

On stove top, cook meat. Add salt/pepper, seasoning salt, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, to taste. Like it more spicy? Add in some pepper flakes, or chili sauce. Once meat has been cooked about 1/2 way add chopped up onion. Cook thoroughly. Add tomato paste to the meat. Remove from heat.

Fill each pepper with the meat and place in a large cake pan. In the bottom of the pan put 1 cup water. Cover pan with foil. Place in oven and cook for 30 min.

Enjoy!