Slow Cooker Market Style Chicken

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my slow cooker?  If I haven't, let me tell you that next to my Dyson Animal vacuum, the crock pot is my favorite household tool -- I would marry my Dyson if I could, but I think this is neither the time or place to discuss it. Back to the slow cooker. When I'm making my weekly meal plans, I always be sure to include at least one slow cooker meal, sometimes two. Even on the days I don't work it's nice to have dinner ready on time and the only tasks I have to worry about is adding a side dish I can zap in the microwave and a salad I can grab out of a bag. It is also nice that it's nearly impossible to over cook a meal in a slow cooker and the food is always served hot.

When deciding on a slow cooker recipe my number one is that all the cooking needs to be done in the pot.  None of this brown the meat, sauté the vegetables separately, add an ingredient later business. What is the point of that? The beauty of a slow cooker is to toss the ingredients in the pot and forget about it. This chicken recipe is easy, inexpensive and delicious. You really could use any herbs or marinades you like, but this recipe is pretty tasty and in my opinion rivals the rotisserie chickens sold at the market. 

Ingredients
4 to 5 lb whole chicken, skinned

5 large garlic cloves 

1 medium yellow onion
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions.

• Get out your 6 quart of bigger slow cooker.
• Remove the skin from the chicken. This is a little time consuming, but in my opinion the result in the taste is much better if you remove the skin. Also note that is why the chicken may look a little rough in the above photo. The skin isn't there to keep it all together so the meat just falls off the bone. May look gross, but so delicious
• Peel the garlic and leave whole. Peel and quarter a medium sized onion.  Set both aside.
• In a bowl, combine all of the seasoning. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken, both inside and out. Stuff the onion and garlic inside the chicken.
• Place the chicken inside the slow cooker breast side down. You do NOT need to add any water. See picture below to see how it fits perfectly in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
• Since the skin was removed and slow cooking the chicken will make it very tender, the meat will easily tear off the bone. See photo below.

Before: Chicken nestled in the slow cooker.

After: Chicken cut and ready to serve.

Servings
4 to 6

A Broken Oven Tip
If you have a smaller slow cooker or don't have a whole chicken in the freezer, use whatever bone in chicken you have on hand.  While I've never tried using chicken pieces I would reduce the cooking time by an  hour or so. Just check a piece or two before serving to make sure it is completely cooked through.
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Sausage -n- Grits Meatloaf

Not being from the South, grits are a treat to me and any time I come across a recipe which uses them as an ingredient I usually make it. Cheesy grits with garlic shrimp is my favorite grit recipe; which I may add to this blog one day, but this meatloaf recipe is a close second. The reasons it's a close second is the sausage gives it a nice flavor; cooking it in a crock pot keep it moist as well as easy to cook and it's a delicious, yet inexpensive family meal. Oh, and the foil lining in the crock pot also makes for an easy clean up. There really is so much to love about this recipe. Give it a try.  I bet it will become one of your favorites too.

Ingredients
2 16-inch square sheets of aluminum foil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
1/3 cup liquid egg whites
1/3 cup dry grits
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped spinach (optional)
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• Fold each sheet of aluminum foil in half lengthwise, then fold in half lengthwise again, to make 2 strips of foil 4 inches wide by 16 inches long. Place the strips into the bottom of a slow cooker in a cross, so that the long ends of the strips come partway up the inside of the cooker(to make lifting handles. 
• Spray the inside of the slow cooker and the foil strips with cooking spray.
• Mix together the ground beef, pork sausage, egg whites, grits, chopped onion, crushed garlic cloves,  ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce until thoroughly combined, and form into a rounded loaf. 
• Place the loaf into the slow cooker on top of the crossed foil strips.
• Cover the cooker, set on Low, and cook for 5 to 6 hours. 
• Carefully remove the meatloaf by holding the ends of the foil strips, and gently lifting the meat loaf from the cooker by the foil handles. Slice and serve.

Servings
Approximately 6 to 8 slices.

A Broken Oven Tip
Substitute barbecue sauce, cream of mushroom soup or pasta sauce for a flavor variation. Adding small cubes of different types of cheese is yummy too.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

The kids will eat barbecued anything, but I like this BBQ dish the best because it's made in a slow cooker -- which means I don't need to fuss with my broken oven. This versatile meal can be served on warm July day with corn on the cob and pasta salad or in the chill of winter with steak fries and baked apples.

Ingredients
4 lb pork roast
2 medium onions sliced
1 medium onion chopped
6 whole cloves
2 cups water
16 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce -- Our family likes Sweet Baby Ray's or Tony Roma's sauces
salt and pepper
8-10 sandwich buns

Directions

• Slice and separate two onions and place half in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Stud pork roast with cloves and season with salt and pepper.
• Place roast in slow cooker on top of the sliced onion.
• Cover with the roast with the other half of the sliced onion and add enough water to fill slow cooker two thirds of the way.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours.
• Remove roast and discard cloves, bone and fat as well as any water, onions and grease remaining in pot.
• When pork roast is cool to the touch use your fingers to pull apart and shred the entire roast. Return the pulled pork to the slow cooker.
• Chop the third onion add to slow cooker along with the BBQ sauce and cover.
• Heat on high for 1-3 hours or until the onions are soft.
• Serve on a sandwich bun.

Servings
Makes 8 -12 sandwiches depending on the size of the bun and amount of meat per sandwich.

A Broken Oven Tip
Try it Carolina style and serve the sandwich topped with crispy homemade coleslaw. Mmmm yummy!

Crockpot Macaroni & Cheese

Just because this is a crockpot recipe doesn't mean it takes all day to cook. Honestly, you could probably put this recipe in the oven too, but I like the crockpot method because it doesn't dry out if you try and keep it warm and if you're making this cheesy dish for a party it's all ready to go. There is nothing low fat or low cholesterol about this dish and I love it!

Ingredients
1 lb box of pasta -- elbow macaroni is traditional, but we like the small pasta shells.
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
12 oz. can of Cheddar Cheese soup
1 egg
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese -- Colby, Monterey Jack and Cheddar blend works nicely too.
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Cook macaroni al dente style -- slightly undercooked and drain.
• Mix melted butter, evaporated milk, milk, egg, cheddar soup, cheese, salt and pepper. 
• Add cheese mixture to macaroni and mix well. 
• Pour into crockpot and cook on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Mix once 45 minutes into cooking.
• If you're in a rush; pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 casserole dish, cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

A Broken Oven Tip
Substitute 1 cup of the sharp cheddar cheese with Gruyere and add a 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika even a sprinkle of nutmeg for a more sophisticated flavor.