Chicken Marinara

Place 8-9 boneless, skinless chicken breast into the crock pot

In blender, blend marinara sauce:

2 14oz cans of drained, cut tomatoes
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 tsp minced garlic or 3-4 garlic cloves
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp basil
1/2 TBSP honey

Pour sauce over the chicken and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.

30-45 minutes prior to dinner, remove the chicken breasts leaving the marinara sauce in the pot. Put setting onto HIGH and add 3 cups or 16oz of dry pasta. (Stir every 10 minutes until the pasta is soft.)

Put chicken onto a shallow baking pan and top with parmesan cheese or mozarella cheese or both. Broil for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese. Serve with the pasta.

*A kid pleaser, except for my 8 year old that doesn't believe that macaroni pasta tastes the same as spaghetti noodles...they're just different shapes. OH MY HECK, anyway!

Asian Sesame Chicken

Place 6-7 boneless skinless chicken breasts into the crock pot

Mix together 1 recipe of Asian Sesame Salad Dressing and pour over the chicken:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp garlic or 1-2 minced cloves
1 TBSP sugar or 1/2 TBSP of honey
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.

We scoop out the chicken to cool and serve on top of green salad along with:

toasted slivered almonds
toasted sesame seeds
mandarin oranges or pineapple
Asian Sesame Salad Dressing (recipe is above for this)

My boys ate the chicken with rice and used the sauce in the crock pot to pour over the chicken and rice.

*OK, wow...this was GOOD. And the Asian Sesame Dressing we will be using for salads often. Yum. (It was a tiny bit salty, so I'll just use low sodium soy sauce next time.) I must have really loved this one because I dreamed about it last night. Ha! I loved how this meal pleased those of us that wanted salad AND the younger ones that wanted chicken and rice without salad.

Indonesian Chicken

In the bottom of the crock pot:

2/3 cup peanut butter

Turn the pot on HIGH to start to melt/soften the peanut butter

Add:

4 TBSP soy sauce
4 cloves garlic
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 TBSP lime juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional for some kick)

Stir together then add about six or seven 5oz chicken breast pieces and stir the sauce with the chicken. Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours (stir again after the first hour) or LOW for 6-8 hours.

Serve over rice. Garnish with lime wedges and/or toasted sesame seeds.

*We liked this one, a very different flavor. Similar to the Indonesian Chicken Spaghetti recipe that we've made. Everyone liked it, so we'll be repeating it.

Candy Chicken

Place in crock pot in the following order:

10-12 5oz chicken portions (I used boneless, skinless and frozen)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 cloves garlic
4 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup lemon/lime soda

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 (I recommend LOW)

Serve chicken over steamed rice and ladle the sauce over the top.

*This was YUMMY chicken, the whole family loved it. The sauce is runny, but good. If you don't want rice you could have this chicken with potatoes or even sesame noodles.

Wild Rice Soup

Add to the crock pot:

2-3 chicken frozen, boneless skinless chicken breasts OR leftover turkey
2 small boxes of COOKED wild rice (herb and butter flavor)
2 cans chicken broth or 3-4 cups water
2 cans cream of potato soup
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 tsp onion powder
2 cups mashed potatoes
Bacon bits (optional)

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours or until your chicken is cooked. Shred or dice the chicken and return it to the soup.

Add 4 cups of milk about 30 minutes prior to serving.

*A family favorite. We have this soup made with our Thanksgiving leftovers every year. If you make it with chicken, you can enjoy it the rest of the year! I suppose you could make this with canned chicken or turkey, but I wouldn't...ha!

Creamy Italian Chicken Spaghetti

Cover and cook in the crock pot:

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 14oz can of chicken broth + 2 Italian dressing packets -OR- 1 cup Italian dressing

HIGH 4-5 hours or LOW 6-7 hours

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the chicken, dice it and return it to the sauce. Add:

8 oz cream cheese

Cook on LOW for another 30 minutes, stir a few times to incorporate the cream cheese into the sauce.

Separately cook 16-22oz dry spaghetti. Drain and add to the sauce in the crock pot. Stir together and serve right away. If you don't like to pre-mix the pasta and the sauce, serve separately. With my clan, it's easier to mix all together before we eat.

*This can be spaghetti, or you can be really fancy by changing your pasta shape...ha! I don't have to tell you that this is a crowd pleaser, especially a crowd of kids. They LOVED it here.

Creamy Chicken and Dumplings

Add to the crock pot:

4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cans of chicken broth (about 8 cups)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
3 peeled and diced potatoes
1-2 cups frozen, fresh or canned veggies
diced onion or onion powder

Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours, dice the chicken and then return it to the soup.

In separate bowl for the dumplings:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1/2 tsp favorite herb (thyme, sage, etc...optional)

Combine and then slowly add 1/2 cup COLD water, mixing gently
Drop small balls of dough, approx 1/2 TBSP into the soup.

Cook another 1-2 hours on HIGH.

*This was completely GONE tonight...I think everyone was hungry and it was a big hit. My 9 year old said it was better than macaroni and cheese and he could eat it every two weeks. I'd say that makes it a hit. This could easily be modified to suit your tastes.

Ultimate Chicken Burritos

In the crock pot:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 14oz can undrained diced tomatos
1 4oz can undrained diced green chiles
1 14oz can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar

Cook on HIGH 5 hours or LOW 7 hours. Before serving, shred the chicken...dish up with a slotted spoon, unless you like runny burritos. The sauce could be poured over the burrito after you assemble it.

Just before it's time to eat, Cook a batch of Cilantro Lime Rice (a la Cafe Rio) I tripled this recipe for my family. Since I cooked it in the rice cooker...I omitted the water and used all chicken broth for the liquid: (3 cups raw rice and 3 1/2 cups chicken broth - or 2 15oz cans)

In warm tortilla, layer the rice, shredded chicken from the crock pot and any toppings you like. We added shredded lettuce, avocado, grated cheese and sour cream.

WOW...if you love a chicken burrito at Cafe Rio...you will be in heaven with this. Oh my heck...we LOVED THEM!!! I can't wait to make them again. I'm sure that the leftovers won't last long.

Pineapple Chicken

Add to the crock pot:

5-6 boneless, skinless, frozen chicken breasts
2 20oz cans of pineapple chunks and juice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes if you like some kick (YES!)

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours. 1 hour before it's done cooking, remove the chicken to dice into pieces and then return the pieces to the sauce.

Combine in shaker bottle:

1/4 cup water
5 Tbsp cornstarch

Add to the sauce in the crock pot to thicken the sauce during the last hour of cooking, be sure to stir it in.

Serve over rice, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you like.

Oh yum...we loved this one. A definite repeat recipe. It made a large batch of sauce, you'll want to cook at least 3 cups of raw rice. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken

Into the crock pot:

7-8 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In mixing bowl:

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ground ginger

Mix well and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or High 4-5 hours. An hour before eating, remove chicken to dice it and then add it back to the crock pot.

In shaker: 4 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 5 tsp cold water

Shake it up and add to the sauce and chicken, stir well. Cook one more hour and serve over rice.

*This is not a thick teriyaki sauce, but it tasted fantastic. Perhaps it would thicken up with more cornstarch, but it's not really a concern for us...because we loved this. My 13 year old rated it a 10 and my 9 year old gobbled it up. A definite hit. We will be having this again.

White Chili

In large pot on the stove:
Boil 4-5 cups dry great northern beans (white) for 5 minutes

Drain, rinse and put into the crockpot with:

8-10 cups chicken broth

Cover, cook on LOW for at least 6 hours, then add:

2 cups shredded/diced chicken
1-2 7oz cans chopped green chilies (I used one)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes - if you like some kick to it

Cook on LOW 1-2 more hours, switch to HIGH if beans are not soft yet. When it's done, switch to warm or turn the pot off and add 1 pint cream (abt 2 cups) just before serving. It's great as is, or you can top it with shredded monterey jack and/or a dollop of sour cream.

If you don't want to cook your beans - use 8 cans, drained and rinsed...your cooking time will be shorter.

*I have been looking for a GREAT white chili recipe and the search is over. This is FABULOUS! It makes a HUGE amount, and is very filling. I'm excited to have leftovers available for lunches over the weekend to feed my hungry clan.

Ginger Oriental Rice

In VitaMix Blender:

1 cup soy sauce
1-2 large peeled carrots (I used one - this Blender method keeps the kids from complaining about the veggies - sneaky!)

OR...chop your carrot OR use frozen veggies (about 1-2 cups)

Dump into the crockpot and add:

8 cups cooked rice (4 cups raw)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground ginger
1 melted stick of butter or 1/2 cup oil
1-2 cups shredded or chopped chicken (I had leftovers from Sunday dinner)
1 cup diced ham or diced, cooked bacon
1 diced yellow onion - don't make me laugh! hahaha (I didn't add this)

Stir all ingredients, cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure you don't burn it (like once an hour)

Everything is precooked, so you're just warming it all the way through, and drying it out somewhat. It will be kind of a fried rice consistency.

*A childhood favorite for me. My kids LOVED it. I'm sure they will be asking for this one again which makes it a winner in my book. It's a great way to use leftover ham/chicken/turkey, etc. You may wonder why I make this dish in the crockpot when it could be done in the skillet and take less cooking time. Imagine this: I get it all put together and have NO DISHWASHER...so...I can get all of the dishes done, clean up the kitchen and even get some laundry folded BEFORE we actually eat dinner because it's sitting safely in the crockpot...cooking at a slower rate while I get things done. Ah, the amazing crockpot.

African Peanut Soup

Blend well in VitaMix Blender:

1 14oz can cut tomatoes with juice
2 red bell peppers - no seeds
4 cups chicken broth

Pour into the crockpot and then add:

1 yellow onion - chopped (um, onion powder for us!)
2 green onions - chopped (again, not for us)
4 cloves minced garlic
4 more cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 more 14oz can cut tomatoes with juice (this can be blended at the beginning with the other can if your kids will NOT go for a few tomato chunks in the soup)
2 cups diced or shredded chicken, optional (I had leftovers from Sunday dinner)

Cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

20-30 minutes before dinner, add 1 CUP PEANUT BUTTER (I used creamy)

Once it's incorporated into the soup...it's time to eat. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a small dash of Tobasco Sauce if you like. (We liked it this way.)

*This was REALLY GOOD! I was nervous all day that the flavors would be too strange, (peppers and peanut butter?!) but we liked it! The rice disappeared and just thickened the soup. It would have been perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich. With the chicken in it, it was a great little meal. The youngest...no go, he had peanut butter and jelly again. *sigh* He wouldn't even TRY it.

Lemon Chicken - Chinese

Normally, I don't like a recipe where I have to thaw my chicken first, but this one is worth it!

Cut 8-10 raw boneless/skinless chicken breasts into chunks or strips

Dredge in bowl with 1 cup flour and 1 TBSP salt combined

Shake off the excess flour and brown the chicken pieces in a hot skillet with a small amount of Canola or Olive oil. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked all the way, just browned a bit.

Place the browned chicken pieces into the crockpot.

In mixing bowl, stir to combine:

1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp ketchup
--1 cup lemon juice
--3/4 cup white sugar
(the lemon juice and white sugar can be replaced with a 6oz can lemonade concentrate - thawed, this makes me think that OJ concentrate will make orange chicken with this same recipe, I'll let you know if I try it)

Pour the mixture over the chicken pieces. Cover the meat and sauce with a piece of foil if it doesn't fill your crockpot to 2/3 full.

Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, if you need to speed it up: Cook on LOW for 1 hour and then LOW for 2-3 hours.

Do NOT overcook this. If it burns, it will get bitter. During the last hour, keep an eye on it. This is not a meal that can stay in the crockpot on LOW until it's time to eat. When it's done cooking, if you're not ready to eat, put it on WARM if you have that setting.

Serve sauce and chicken over rice.

*So when we say "chinese food" to our kids, they think of lemon chicken. To them, it is the only chinese food that exists, at least it was the first chinese food they were willing to TRY. I was thrilled to find this recipe and even more thrilled that it worked. Enjoy!

Indonesian Chicken Spaghetti

Put into crockpot:

5-6 chicken breasts (about 30 oz) boneless/skinless
2 LARGE carrots or 4 small carrots - peeled and shredded
2 onions chopped (not us, we did onion powder)

In mixing bowl:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes (I didn't have any, so I added 1 Tbsp hot chili oil and a few shakes of cayenne pepper)

Stir together well and pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Cook on LOW 6-7 hours of High 4-5 hours

Halfway through the cooking time, remove the chicken and dice it, then return it to the sauce in the crockpot.

When the sauce is done, separately cook 16-22oz of spaghetti noodles based on your preference of noodles to sauce. Drain and then pour noodles into the crockpot. Stir to cover the noodles with the sauce and turn off the crockpot. Serve right away.

If desired sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro.

*A great twist on spaghetti. I wasn't sure about this one, it didn't look very appetizing after it was done cooking, but it really was good! I don't know if you're supposed to top Indonesian food with cilantro, but I had some on hand and I liked how it tasted.

Chicken Curry Soup

Place in crockpot:

4-5 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless/frozen (abt 25oz)
8 cups chicken broth
1 large onion, diced (onion powder for my family!)
2 granny smith tart apples, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatos, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp lime juice
1 cup uncooked rice

Peel 2 large carrots and chop in VitaMix Blender with 2 more cups of chicken broth, then add to the crockpot.

Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours or LOW 6-7 hours

Remove chicken breasts, dice into bite size pieces and then return them to the crockpot. Just before serving add:

1 cup cream, fresh chopped cilantro, serve with lime wedge if you're feelin' fancy.

*I know I said I would only post the ones that the family liked, HALF of us liked this one. Most importantly...I liked this one! I am going to play around with some of the ingredients. I wasn't so sure about the potatoes. If I make any changes, I'll fix it. I think you have to like curry to like this one. If you don't like curry...skip it. (I like curry!)

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Cantonese Style

Put into the crockpot:

2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless/skinless - I used frozen of course (about 6)
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced (I didn't have this, so just did the 1 green pepper)
1/2 med onion, thinly sliced - oh hahahaha, not in my family - I left this out
1 20oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits - save the juice in mixing bowl

In mixing bowl, combine:

the saved pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt - 1tsp if you use low sodium soy sauce

Pour sauce over the chicken, veggies and pineapple

Cook on LOW 7-8 hours or HIGH 5-6 hours

Before serving, remove chicken breasts and cut into bite size pieces, return them to the sauce and veggies in the crockpot. Serve over cooked rice. (we made 8 cups, 4 cups raw)

*For a thicker sauce, mix 1/4 cup water and 3 TBSP cornstarch and add to the sauce about 30 minutes before serving.*

Optional garnishes: slivered almonds, green onion, chowmein noodles

*I know that this recipe calls for 2 bell peppers, but one was plenty for my picky eaters. I did sprinkle some onion powder over the chicken since I didn't add the onion. Also, the recipe called for 1/4 cup water, but it was too watered down, so I left it out of the recipe. I might add a bit of lemon juice next time. Overall...this was yummy, and we gobbled it up. I didn't have any garnishes, maybe next time.

Mock Pot Pie

For Pot Pie filling, add to the crockpot:

3 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless - yes, I usually use frozen
OR...you CAN use 1-2 cups precooked chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1 14oz can chicken broth (2 cups)
4 potatoes, peeled and diced into approx 1/2 inch cubes
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced (or chopped fine in VitaMix Blender for picky eaters)
1-2 cups frozen vegetables: corn, peas...if you use frozen carrots, skip the fresh carrots

Cook on LOW 7-8 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours - until veggies/potatoes are soft.

During the last 30-60 minutes, add 3TBSP of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water to the crock pot to thicken the sauce.

Serve the hot filling over biscuits.

*Since I can make biscuits way faster than pie crusts...this is a much more appealing way to have chicken pot pie! You CAN make this with leftover diced/shredded TURKEY or a few cans of drained TUNA if you don't have chicken on hand.

Easy BBQ Chicken

Add to crockpot:

5-6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless - and yes, I use frozen
1/4 cup water

Cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 5-6 hours, until chicken is cooked

After the chicken is cooked, shred the chicken with forks and add:

Bottled BBQ Sauce or your favorite homemade BBQ Sauce. It will take a couple of cups to get the desired amount of BBQ Sauce on the chicken. Let sit in crockpot on LOW for another 15-30 minutes to heat up the Sauce. Serve.

*We eat this over cheesy mashed potatoes or on hamburger buns with a slice of cheese. Easy and yummy...just the way I like it!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Add to crockpot:

4-5 chicken breasts (I use boneless, skinless and usually still frozen)
2 14oz cans green enchilada sauce or 1 large can
1-2 4oz cans of diced green chilies
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Cook on LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours then:

Shred chicken with forks and Add torn corn tortillas until the consistency is like a casserole. (At least 2 dozen, maybe 3 dozen)

Let it cook for about 1 more hour on LOW. Add sour cream if it's too thick.
Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce if you like.

*Everybody likes this one served with taco chips and salsa too. Remember, you can fancy this up if you want to, but WE are NOT fancy here.