There’s nothing better than coming home from a busy day at work or running errands and having dinner ready and waiting for you when you get there.
Here are some quick, easy chicken recipes to add to your favorite crock pot recipe collection.
Crock Pot Chicken Burritos
Ingredients:
3 frozen chicken breasts, chopped
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Serve with rice or warmed tortillas.
Italian Crock Pot Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 16-oz. bottle Italian salad dressing
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
5 medium red potatoes
1 small bag mini-carrots
Directions:
Place two chicken breasts and chicken broth in crock pot. Sprinkle some of the Italian salad dressing and about 1/4 c. of the Parmesan cheese on the chicken. Place the remaining two chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Place the mini carrots on top of the chicken and pour some more of the Italian dressing over the top.
Wash and quarter the red potatoes and then place them on top of the carrots. Pour the remaining Italian dressing over the top of all. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Crock Pot Orange Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, chopped
6 oz. orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. ketchup
Salt
1/3 c. flour
Olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together orange juice, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and ketchup. Add salt to taste.
Place the flour in another bowl and place the chopped chicken in the flour. Stir to completely coat chicken with flour.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown chicken just for a minute or so. You are not trying to cook it all the way, you are just browning the outside of it.
Place the browned chicken and the prepared sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.
Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 package Italian dressing mix
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Directions:
Combine chopped chicken, chicken broth, and Italian dressing mix in crock pot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Add cream cheese and soup. Stir and then heat for another 30 minutes or so, or until mixture is heated through.
Serve with noodles or rice.
Crock Pot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken breasts
1 c. Caesar salad dressing
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Romaine lettuce
Hamburger buns
Directions:
Place chicken and 2 c. water in crock pot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and pour water out of the crock pot.
Shred chicken with a fork and return to crock pot. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese, Caesar salad dressing, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat chicken mixture in crock pot on high for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
Arrange about 1/4 c. chicken mixture on each hamburger bun and garnish with Romaine lettuce and additional Parmesan cheese.
Quick tip:
If you are preparing a crock pot recipe and find that your meals aren’t cooking thoroughly as described in the recipe, it may be time to replace your crock pot. You can find great deals on crock pots at yard sales and thrift stores, but over time they do not not heat as efficiently as newer models and it may be time to invest in a new one. You can purchase a new crock pot for less than $30, and many of the new ones have lids that latch on to the crock pot so that you can easily transport them.
The next time you find chicken breasts on sale, stock up and store them in your freezer. Keep some of the other ingredients on hand also, and you will have a quick easy meal for a busy day.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bunchesandbits/
Featured images:
License: Royalty Free or iStock
source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
Samantha Moore is a professional is a professional blogger that shares advice on healthy cooking for your family. She writes for RecipeChart.com, where you can find a large selection of delicious recipes.