Tag: Crock Pot

Chicken, Main Course

Crock Pot Mole Chicken Chili

by Wendi6 Comments on Crock Pot Mole Chicken Chili

Crock Pot Mole Chicken Chili

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

BAH Note:  My note in the margin says to “reduce adobo and make a double batch”.

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons chili  powder
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoons Minute tapioca
  • 2 teaspoons minced chili in adobo sauce
  • 2 pounds chicken thighs, skinned

Combine the onions, vegetable oil, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon and cloves in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion softens.  Transfer the onion spice mixture to the crock pot.

While the onion and spices microwave, season the chicken with salt and pepper.

After transferring the onions to the crock pot, stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes with their juices, peanut butter, tapioca, and chipotle.  Add the chicken, cover and cook 4 to 6 hours on low until the chicken is done.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly then shred it into bite sized pieces.

Allow the juices in the crock pot to settle and skim any fat from the surface before adding the chicken back to the pot.

Main Course

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)

by Wendi10 Comments on Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)
I actually ate this for years and no offense, but we can do better.

I would like to thank the Universe for conspiring against me with regards to Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie.  It kept me from finding boxed pie crust in ANY OF THE FOUR STORES I went to looking for it.

I cursed you pretty hard at the time, Universe.  I could not fathom why you would be so cruel.  Store after store, I walked in full of assurance that there must be a box of pie crust in the refrigerator or freezer case .  And store after store, I walked out empty handed.  In my mind, I finally gave you a big WTF middle finger and decided that crust or no, I would look no further.

And yes, in the time that I spent trudging from Giant to Safeway to The Fresh Market to Superfresh, I could have made my own damn crust.  Or I could have watched the entire first season of Ink Master.  Either one would have been slightly less painful than hauling myself around the Beltway in search of that which the Universe had taken out of my reach.

Normally, when thwarted from procuring an ingredient so essential to a recipe, I get all cranky about not being able to color within the lines of the recipe and move along to something else.  But this time, I got a little rebellious.  Well, maybe rebellious is a bit strong.  It’s not as though I ran away, abandoning my responsibilities and common sense…I just left the crust off of my pot pie.

That’s me…living on the edge y’all.

Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie Filling (AKA Stew)

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

BAH Note: If you’d like to serve this as pot pie, divide the filling between two 9 inch pie plates, cover each with one boxed pie crust (trimming and crimping the edges and cutting four vent holes into each) and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.  ATK says the filling can be refrigerated for 2 days, or frozen for a month, before assembling the pot pie.  You will want to reheat the filling on the stove and add additional broth to get your desired consistency.

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, halved or quartered
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomato paste and cook until for 8 to 10 minutes the vegetables soften and begin to brown.  Sprinkle the flour onto the vegetable mixture and cook for 1 minute before whisking in the broth and wine.  Scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan and transfer the vegetable mixture to the crock pot.

While the vegetables cook, season the beef with salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables have been transferred to the crock pot, add the soy sauce and beef.  Cook for 5 to 7 hours on high or 9 to 11 hours on low until the beef is tender.  Allow the filling to settle for a few minutes and then skim any fat from the top.  Add the peas, cover, and let them warm through before serving.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Thai Chicken Stew

by Wendi16 Comments on Thai Chicken Stew

Please excuse the above word play.  If I waited until I actually had a picture of what came out of my crock pot, it could be a while before I shared this recipe with you.  And that would be a shame.  So yes TIE + CHICKEN + (STOOP – P) = THAI CHICKEN STEW.

For those of you wondering what the hell a stoop is, here in Baltimore many of the rowhouses don’t have a front porch.  They have a set of steps, or a stoop as we like to call it.  My apologies if that colloquialism left anyone at a disadvantage in deciphering my  pictogram.  But hey, you learned something new about Baltimore AND you’re getting a recipe.  That’s a total win.

I need to come clean right now and say that this recipe came from an America’s Test Kitchen cookbook.  I’m still not subscribing to Cook’s Illustrated, and never will again, but during a recent trip to the bookstore, I saw that ATK had a brand new crock pot cookbook out.  I know that my crock pot is good for more than overnight oatmeal and butter braised onions, I just didn’t have a wealth of crock pot recipes I was interested in making to get more out of it.  So I swallowed my indignation and handed over $26.95 plus tax to buy the damn book.

So far, the results have been pretty good.  Thai Chicken Stew was a hit.  Beef Pot Pie (minus the crust) was superb.  Mole Chicken Chili was too spicy, but full of promise.  The biggest beef I have with the recipes, specifically the chicken ones, is that ATK developed them to cook for approximately four to six hours on low.  That’s great if I want to free up time on a weekend for things besides cooking.  But it really doesn’t help me one bit during the week.  I’m gone for at least ten hours on a work day; I can’t work a four to six hour cook time into that schedule.  So until I mange to confound the laws of space and time, ATK and their crock pot recipes will only be put into the weekend line up.

But that’s not to say that the leftovers won’t find their way into the rotation on a Monday or Wednesday.

Thai Chicken Stew

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

BAH Tip:  I have started to keep my Thai chiles in the freezer.  Instead of trying to stem, seed, and dice the buggers, I use my microplane to grate them directly into my bowl.

BAH Note:  The recipe can be prepared through the end of cooking the chicken, transferred to a dutch oven, and then refrigerated.  When you’re ready to finish, simply transfer the dutch oven to the stove top, reheat, and continue with the recipe.  I used this method and found that the chicken fell off the bone with the mere stir of a wooden spoon.  IF the leftovers had survived for longer than a day, I would have added some more chicken broth and dropped some cooked egg noodles in for the most luxurious chicken soup.

  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 Thai or jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (See Tip above)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
  • 1/4 cup Minute tapioca
  • 3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in or boneless, skins removed
  • 1 cup frozen butternut squash cubes
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine the carrots, onions, chiles, ginger, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and microwave for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.  Transfer the vegetable mixture to your slow cooker.

While the vegetables microwave, season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside.

After the vegetables have been transferred to the crock pot, stir in the broth and tapioca and add the lemongrass.  Place the chicken in the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the chicken is done.  About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, add the frozen cubed squash to the slow cooker.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and once it has cooled slightly, shred it into pieces.

Allow the liquid in the crock pot to settle then skim any fat from the surface and remove the lemongrass.

Pour the coconut milk into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until it is hot.  Stir the lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar into the hot coconut milk and then add it to the crock pot.  Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

{printable recipe}