Crock Pot White Chicken Chile

I think Crock Pot meals were invented to help ease the 'witching hour'. That time between about 4 and 6 PM when life falls apart. Kids are cranky, (not just pre schoolers), everyone is hungry and Mom is franticly scanning thru Pintrest looking for easy dinner ideas.
 Welcome the Crock Pot. Dinner is slowly cooking, the house smells wonderful. Family members know dinner is near because they can smell it. Mother can play games with toddlers or help youngsters with homework, because she already knows what's for dinner. Yes, the Crock Pot is a wonderful invention, maybe a life changer.
 Valyn Baker served this White Chicken Chile at the Ward Christmas Party, people begged for the recipe. She directed the droves to this link in the LDS Living Magazine. Here is my take on this recipe, I have served it several times with positive reviews.

Crock Pot White Chicken Chile
10 frozen chicken tenders
1 cup Salsa Verde--I used Herdez brand
I tried to find the difference between Salsa Verde and Green Enchilada Sauce. I have both sitting in front of me. I went with the Salsa Verde because it has less ingredients I can't pronounce. They look similar, I think either could be used in this recipe. Anyone know more on the subject?
2 cans chicken broth
1 onion diced
2-3 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup minced cilantro
Put frozen chicken tenders in crock pot add Salsa, chicken broth, beans and seasonings. I know the purpose of a crock pot meal is quick cooking. So if you want to just put the onion in I'm sure the cooking police will not come for you. However, I have found that onion sometimes takes forever to soften in a crock pot. I sauté the onion in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes and then add it to the crock pot. It smells great and adds a deeper flavor to the soup.
We use the crock pot for long slow unattended cooking. I did just that for years and tried to develop a palate for dried out chicken. This recipe cooks for about 2-3 hours on high. Chicken is done at 165 degrees. It will be flavorful and juicy. Remove chicken from the crock pot, shred it with 2 forks and return. Add sour cream and stir till combined. Top with cilantro and serve with corn bread, tortilla chips or strips.
 All crock pots cook differently, adjust. Chicken tenders cook quicker than chicken breasts. Thawed chicken cooks quicker than frozen. So many variables. The only truth in crock pot cooking is that chicken should not have the same texture as jerky! Enjoy. This really is a simple, delicious recipe.
Printable Recipe

Crock Pot Chicken Fiesta Soup

Fall is coming--that means soup. Actually I eat soup all year round, it is just too good not to enjoy weekly. This soup is quick to assemble, just dump ingredients in your Crock Pot, run errands, watch a soccer game or read a good book and soon dinner is ready. When your family walks in the door they will know that dinner is not far off. My mother taught me to always set the table early (even if dinner was a ways off), family members would see the set table ad assume dinner was right around the corner! It works I know.
I love this soup because it uses a Crock Pot and has many variations. Add or subtract ingredients to meet your family's likes. It can be gluten free. Make it your way--and enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Fiesta Soup
1 pound chicken tenders (they can be frozen)
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 cups froze corn--use fresh corn cut off the cob if available
1 15 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt--divided
1 teaspoon pepper--divided
Place first nine ingredients in a Crock Pot, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Do not

over cook--the chicken will be come dry and chewy--not good. Remove cooked chicken tenders from the pot and place on cutting board. Slice, dice or shred the chicken, season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. This makes the chicken taste awesome!!
Now comes the fun part. Place the large bowl of soup in the middle of the table. Surround it with various bowls of toppings. You may include the diced chicken, minced cilantro, fresh lime wedges, grated jack cheese, sour cream, cooked rice, cooked orzo, sliced green onions, sliced olives, diced avocados, tortilla strips etc. See how much fun this soup can be. You really can have it your way!
It would be great for a party, everyone could bring a topping or two--the hostess makes the soup. This soup is so versatile I am sure you will have fun with it--and yes, it is delicious! This recipe was inspired by Baked By Rachel
Printable Recipe

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
1 Year Ago--------Oatmeal Fudge Bars
2 Years Ago-------Frosted Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 Years Ago-------Creamed Potatoes and Peas
4 Years Ago-------Crispy Party Bars

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

I do love Pinterest! When I'm making my menus each week I check the freezer and fridge for ingredients then I head to Pinterest and look for the right fit. I'm on a roll with my Crock Pot. I don't have a crazy busy life but I do like the convenience of putting a few ingredients in the Crock Pot, and then smelling it simmer away all afternoon.
It's summer, the days are getting warm, actually hot, turning the oven on can really heat up my west facing kitchen. The family gets hungry at 6 no matter the season! Using your Crock Pot can provide a tasty meal for a hungry family without heating up the kitchen. Summer and Crock Pots really do go together!
This Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken  from The Comfort of Cooking was easy to make, I added brown rice and a fresh fruit salad for one yummy meal. Next time I will add some steamed veggies too.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs--I remove all traces of fat, because I can!
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed in 3/4 cup water
sesame seeds for garnish
sliced scallions for garnish
rice
Place chicken in bottom of Crock Pot and season lightly with salt and pepper. In a small bowl mix onions, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil; and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken cook for 3-4 hours on low or 2 hours on high. Do not over cook as chicken will dry out. Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred. Mix corn starch and water, stir into sauce. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes or until thickened.
Serve rice, topped with chicken and drizzled with sauce. Garnish with sesame seed and scallions. Enjoy!
Printable Recipe 

Other Crock Pot Favorites
Crock Pot Mashed Potato Soup
Potatoes Au Gratin in a Crock Pot
Pepperoncini Beef in a Crock Pot--always on the menu at Harris Family gatherings!
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pork Baby Back Ribs--by Jeff

Please welcome my brother-in-law Jeff as a guest cook. We were at a family party last week and Jeff raved about this awesome recipe he had for ribs. Now I don't often cook ribs so I was more than happy to turn some time to Jeff.  Thanks Jeff for sharing a family secret!

Jeff's Baby Back Ribs

 We love pork baby back ribs.  This super-simple recipe allows us to make BBQ succulent baby-back ribs all year-around.
Make sure you start with quality pork baby-back ribs.  These ribs came sealed and frozen from Macey's of Orem and were a frugal $2.99 / lb.  Thaw and remove the ribs from the plastic.  Rinse the ribs under tap water and place on the cutting board.  Using paper towels, thoroughly dry both sides of the baby-back ribs.  Now using a sharp knife, cut the rack of ribs into portion sizes of 3-5 ribs each. 
I've modified this dry rub recipe to our family's taste.  Sometimes I will double the recipe and keep half the batch in a zip-lock bag for future use.
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
3 T black pepper
3 T kosher salt
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t celery seed
1 t cayenne pepper
If you'd like the rub less spicy, reduce black pepper to 3/4 T and use only half of the cayenne pepper.
Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl to make the dry rub.  Sprinkle the rub on one rib portion at a time, rubbing the rub into the meat.  Cover all sides of the rib portion and place in the crock pot.  Do not add any liquid to the crock pot.  Some recipes call for 1/2 can of soda, beer or 1/2 cup of apple juice/cider.  I've found that enough of the pork juices will render in the cooking process to keep the ribs moist.  Cook the ribs on High in the crock pot for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours. 
When the ribs are done, I move the rib portions to a cookie sheet covered with tin foil, shiny-side out.  Set the oven to broil.  Now using a clean brush, paint all of the top side of the ribs with BBQ sauce.  Place the ribs under the broiler for 2-4 minutes.  You have to watch the ribs and just allow the BBQ sauce to glaze onto the ribs.  Now move the ribs onto the stove top or onto pot holders.  With tongs, turn the ribs over to the other side.  Paint this side with BBQ sauce and back into the over for 2-4 minutes to glaze the other side.  Now the ribs are ready to serve.  They go great with my wife's terrific potato salad or our signature baked beans. 

 

Thanks again Jeff for this delicious recipe. I appreciate the step by step photos--they will be on my menu soon!

Crock Pot Roast Chicken--SRC

Secret Recipe Club is a great way to meet new bloggers and have fun along the way. Each month you are assigned a blog and then you have several weeks to 'stalk' this blog. That is the fun part--I looked at page after page on Megan's blog Cooking Whim's. Each page was full of great stuff! I really liked Megan's blog because it has something for everyone. Healthy dishes, product reviews, yummy desserts, restaurant finds and so much more.
Megan has some fun 'getting to know me' blog posts. Megan has red hair, is recently married to her high school sweetheart and loves her nightly workout (so she can eat what she wants). Megan has a love affair with all things pumpkin--I pinned many recipes for fall baking. 
So many recipes on Megan's Blog looked delicious but is is still very cold in Utah. I was intrigued with her Crock Pot Roast Chicken, it was as delicious as she described. I will never buy another Costco Rotisserie chicken again. It was so simple.

 Megan's Crock Pot Roast Chicken
 Mix together:
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Rinse roasting chicken and dry. Rub seasoning mixture all over bird. 
Quarter an onion and place in the bottom of the crock pot. Make 4 or 5 balls of aluminum foil about the size of golf balls. Place in the bottom of the crock pot--this will keep the chicken from sitting in its juices. Place the chicken on top of foil ball and onion. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, lower heat and cook till meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. Depending on the size of the bird this will take 4-5 hours. Watch closely, over cooking will dry out the bird and nobody wants a dry bird!
We enjoyed this chicken with roasted veggies. There was plenty of chicken left over for Chicken Pot Pies.
I have some fun spice blends in my spice cupboard. I can't wait to try this bird many ways. It's another great way to use your slow cooker. Thank you Megan!
[Printable Recipe]

Crock Pot Mashed Potato Soup

When my children were young there was one dish that I knew would always please all 8 of us. Mashed potatoes was always a hit. When the now grown kids come home for a visit mashed potatoes are usually on the menu. Mashed potatoes are such a comfort food, they just say love and home.
So when I saw a recipe for Mashed Potato Soup in the Crock Pot I was intrigued. I'm happy to say this soup is delicious, it just screams comfort. Comfort is good.

Crock Pot Mashed Potato Soup
8 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
4 ounces extra sharp cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup sour cream
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Cook diced bacon in skillet until brown and crisp, remove bacon. Using 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease cook onion and garlic for about 8 minutes until slightly brown. Sprinkle with flour and stir for a minute. Slowly add one cup of the chicken broth whisking to remove brown bits from bottom of the pan. Stir until thick, add salt and pepper. Transfer to Crock Pot.
Stir in the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth and the diced potatoes. Cook on low for about 4 hour or until potatoes are fork tender. Now comes the fun part. Using your immersion blender blend the potatoes as much as you want! This can be a very creamy soup or you can leave some chunks of potato. I like some texture to my soup. If you don't have an immersion blender ask for one for Mother's Day, or just buy one--you will thank me. You can just mash the desired amount of potatoes. Stir soup and slowly add the cheese stirring to melt. Add cream and sour cream. Stir. Serve topped with scallions and reserved bacon.
This recipe was inspired by a recipe on Tracey's Culinary Adventures.

You might like to try:
1 year ago-----Orange Date Muffins
2 years ago----Crunchy Granola
3 years ago----Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
4 years ago----Strawberry Spinach Salad

Pepperoncini Beef

I'm sure you are probably tired of turkey about now. But family gatherings continue, parties and activities fill your calendar. Do I have a great recipe for you. It is simple and delicious. I have made it twice in the past two weeks, that's how good it is. I found the recipe over at Our Best Bites which is not surprising because their blog is awesome and Kate and Sara are amazing too.

Pepperoncini Beef
Salt and pepper a two to three pound beef roast, I like a Rump Roast. Heat a little olive oil in a pan until hot. Brown roast on all sides. Yes I know this dirties a pan but just trust me on this one. You really want a nicely browned roast. 
Put the browned roast in a crock pot. Top with 4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed. Pour contents (juice and all) of a 16 ounce jar of Pepperoncini pepper rings over the roast. Put the lid on and cook till very tender. You could cook it on low all day or on high for a shorter time. All crock pots seem different. You want it fall apart tender.
Remove roast from crock pot place on a cutting board. When cool enough to handle either shred or slice the beef. Using an immersion blender blend pepper/juice mixture. Drizzle some of the juice over the beef--maybe half. It adds moisture to the meat as well as flavor. Put the remaining on the table to add as needed.
Spread a little butter and mayo on a crusty roll. Pile on meat and top with provolone cheese. Put sandwich under the broiler just to melt the cheese and heat up the roll. Be prepared to eat one of the best sandwiches ever. I'm a non beef eater but these were excellent. It's easy and feeds a crowd. Perfect for the coming holidays.
Feeds about 8 adults.

Potatoes Au Gratin--in a Crock Pot

I have an interesting cooking dilemma, We are mostly empty nesters, now that is not a bad thing. I find it quite enjoyable to cook for two. But when our children visit the numbers change. Last night for example we had 6 adults and 7 children here for dinner.
So, enter the humble crock pot. This gem saved the dinner day. I was cooking chicken in the oven in preparation to put it on the grill, garlic bread was next in line. How do I cook a potato dish with a full oven?
 The crock pot was the answer. I had pinned a recipe for Potatoes Au Gratin in the Crock Pot and they were delicious.  It freed up the oven and also allowed me to have the potatoes prepped and cooking before my cute grandchildren arrived. It is a recipe I will use often.
 Thank you Tina from Mom's Crazy Cooking for sharing this recipe. It's a keeper.

            

   

 Potatoes Au Gratin in the Crock Pot
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced--this is what a mandolin is for!
8 ounces shredded cheese--I cleaned out my cheese drawer and used a combination of cheddar, provolone and Gruyere. I imagine most any cheese would work
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
6 cloves garlic, crusher
garlic salt, kosher salt and Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Butter the inside of your crock pot or spray with Pam. Layer the potatoes and season with garlic salt, the next layer season with Kosher salt, the following layer with Lawry's. Repeat layers seasoning each layer. Use plenty of seasoning or your potatoes will be bland.
Melt butter, stir in flour. Bring to a boil and let simmer a minute or two. Add the milk and garlic and cook stirring often until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add cheese, stir until smooth.
Pour cheese sauce over potatoes--don't stir just shake a bit to make sure cheese sauce gets to the bottom.
Put a double thickness of paper towel on top of the crock pot place lid on. Cook on high for 2 hours, don't disturb. Check after 2 hours--I had to cook another 45 minutes.
Enjoy this dish--it will be ready when you are. Thanks Tiina

Quick Taco Soup

 I can't believe I haven't blogged about a favorite family meal. I've had this recipe for years and have no clue where it came from. If you gave it to me please let me know. I liked this recipe because it does NOT use a packet of taco seasoning. I prefer not to use these little packets, I read the ingredients list and knew I could do better.
This simple soup is a 30-minute meal, it feeds a crowd of hungry kids. It is easy to adapt to personal tastes.

QUICK TACO SOUP

In a large saucepan combine:

1 pound of cooked ground beef with onion (cook two pounds of ground beef with onion, use half and freeze half. Put it in a freezer bag and label it. Use it within 2 months for the best flavor.)

1 cup petite frozen or canned corn

1 can drained and rinsed black beans (red or pinto beans work fine)

28 ounces crushed tomatoes in puree

½ can EL PATO sauce (Mexican hot tomato sauce)

2 cups water

Simmer about 20 minutes
I'm sure that after browning the ground beef and onion you could put everything in a Crock Pot and cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve in bowls topped with tortilla chips, grated cheese, sliced olives, and sour cream.  This is an easy recipe to double—then you have leftovers for another busy day.  My boys like this recipe without the added water. It is thicker, almost like a dip, you can scoop it with a chip—it’s a boy thing. 

When your tired of turkey and need a quick meal this is it. This is also a pantry meal. Most of the items to make this soup are easily stored in your pantry. You probably have ground beef in the freezer. Cheese and sour cream are staples in my refrigerator and I always have a bag or two of corn chips in my pantry. Good for Nachos, dips etc.

Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup

 I have been on a personal quest to find more recipes that are cooked in the Crock Pot. My first Crock Pot, a wedding gift in the mid 70's had an on/off switch and a non removable stoneware liner, the color was Avocado Green. It was not fun to clean! It was not my cooking vehicle of choice. I tried a few recipes over the years, they all taste pretty much the same, not terrible, just the same.
I'm happy to say Crock Pots have come along way. There are sizes to fit every family and any number of features. I have a 6 quart slow cooker, it's great when the family is here but much too large for my everyday use. I now have a 31/2 quart slow cooker, perfect for empty nesters. Your slow cooker should be a least 1/2 full for best performance.
This is probably too much info but I do have a great recipe for the slow cooker. This potato soup was delicious. I'm sure I will make it often this winter.

Crock Pot Potato Cheese Soup
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 cups diced onions
5 cups peeled diced russet potatoes
3/4 cup diced celery
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup half and half
2 cups shredded cheese--I cleaned out my cheese drawer and used several kinds
Fry bacon in skillet till crisp, remove from pan and drain. Crumble bacon and refrigerate. In the same skillet saute onions for 3 or 4 minutes. Put onions, celery and potatoes in slow cooker, add chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. In a small bowl stir together flour and half and half, mix well with wire whip. Add mixture to soup, increase slow cooker to high and cook for 30 minutes until thick. Add cheese and stir until melted. Top soup with cooked bacon.
This recipe comes from Real Mom Kitchen

Teriyaki Chicken in the Crock Pot

I'm trying to widen my crock pot recipe category. There is nothing better on a busy day than to walk in the house at 5 and smell dinner done! Now that is a good thing, no matter what your season in life.
I found this recipe on Leigh Ann Wilkes blog Homebased Mom. It is easy to assemble cooks in 3 hours and is delicious.
I have found a new love for chicken thighs, I don't know why but they just work. I was also happy as I had everything in the house to put this quick meal together. This was a perfect meal on a very busy day. Here is the simple recipe:

Put 5-12 frozen chicken thighs in a crock pot.
Mix together
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar
2 minced garlic cloves
6 Tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 teaspoons cornstarch
5 teaspoons water
Pour sauce minus the cornstarch and water over the chicken thighs. Cook on low 2 1/2 to 5 hours. that is a wide range but depending on the size of your crock pot and the amount of chicken you use. I used about 6 frozen thighs and the full amount of sauce. It was done in about 3 hours on low. It is safe to leave your crock pot on the warm setting for 2 hours.
Remove meat, clean off any fat and shred meat. Pour sauce in a strainer or a gravy separator. Remove fat. pour sauce in a sauce pan and heat add cornstarch mixed with water. Stir until sauce comes to a boil. Boil for a minute or two. Serve chicken and sauce over sticky rice. I added steamed veggies for a perfect meal.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I went to a class on cooking with a crock pot. It was taught by the author of 101 Things To Do With A Crock Pot, Janet Eyring. It was very interesting, did you know that every time you lift the lid on your crock pot you add 30 minutes cooking time to the recipe? That would explain why dinner is late!
I made one of the recipes suggested and it was delicious. A perfect meal for a busy fall evening.

 Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded

1 small can diced tomatoes

1 can enchilada sauce, 10 ounces

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 can chicken broth

1 can corn or frozen corn

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon dried cilantro--look for this in the produce department

1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

Janet Eyring—101 Things to do with a Slow Cooker

I asked Janet why the recipe called for cooked shredded chicken. She cooks a crock pot full of chicken breasts and shreds them. She then bags them in 2 cup portions and freezes them. So when she makes this recipe she just puts a bag of frozen shredded chicken in. Making it a very quick meal to assemble.

Candise tried it with frozen chicken tenders, she said it cooked perfect. She just took out the tenders before serving and shredded them and put them back in the soup. Candise added a can of drained black beans and served the soup with diced avocado and a splash of lime. Perfect.

Did you know it takes about 9 chicken tenders to equal a pound? I love my kitchen scale. When I made the soup I used homemade enchilada sauce, it was pretty warm, we liked it. Candise used a can of mild enchilada sauce, next time she would use either a medium or hot variety of enchilada sauce.

So friends, here is way more information than you probably need. Try this soup, it was delicious.