Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [54]
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 cups baby carrots
4 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces or shredded
1½ cups frozen petite peas, defrosted
1 cup frozen white corn, defrosted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pour the broth in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the thyme, potatoes, and carrots, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
add the chicken, peas and corn and stir to combine. In a small bowl, stir the butter and flour and make a paste. Add the paste to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the sauce is thickened.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
* * *
pot pie savvy
To cover your pot pie with mashed potatoes, spread them over the pot pie filling 3 to 4 hours into the cooking time.
Chicken Meatballs in Chunky Tomato Sauce
These light delicious chicken meatballs make a great filling for submarine sandwiches, are a terrific snack at a grazing party, or are nice for dinner, served with pasta.
QUICK MARINARA
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon dried basil
Two 28- to 32-ounce cans crushed tomatoes, with their juice
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cups finely chopped fresh
Italian parsley
CHICKEN MEATBALLS
¼ cup milk
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
1 large egg, beaten
heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and basil and sauté until the onion is softened and begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
transfer the mixture to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and parsley to the cooker and stir to combine.
cover and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours while making the meatballs.
put the milk and the bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
form the mixture into 2-inch balls and transfer them to the slow-cooker insert. Spoon some of the sauce over the meatballs.
cover and cook on high for 3 hours, until the meatballs are cooked through and register 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. Skim off any fat from the top of the sauce.
serve the meatballs from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Jamaican Chicken
This spicy, smoky, and sweet chicken gets a kick from jerk seasoning and a sweetness from a glaze made from fruit nectar. This is a nice dish to serve with rice and black beans, or bring it along for a picnic.
2 teaspoons jerk seasoning
1½ cups mango nectar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
8 chicken breast halves, skin and bones removed
add the jerk seasoning, nectar, sugar, corn syrup, and rice vinegar to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir to combine.
add the chicken breasts and turn to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.
serve the chicken hot, warm, or at room temperature.
serves 8
Barbecued Turkey
Winter can be depressing in some places, with snow still falling in April and those gray days hanging around for too long. When you have a hankering for a picnic on the patio in the middle of winter, this is your go-to dish. The turkey breast becomes succulent and juicy