Crock Pot Chicken

And now to interrupt our regularly scheduled posts... I've had a request from my sweet friend Erin to share my chicken stew recipe.... however I'm not sure I've ever made a chicken stew. So I took a look through my thousands of photos and I THINK I found what she was looking for. :) Anyone up for crock pot chicken? You know how much I LOVE my crock pot! Let's see if I can get you loving yours, too!

This is SO SIMPLE, and there are varying ways you can make it your own. Here's what I did:

1. Thaw boneless skinless chicken breasts - I did 2 large ones and it was plenty for the both of us. If you're going to feed 4 or more, just up the "general amount" of our ingredients. Nothing is quite exact in this... time to get creative! ;)
2. Cover the bottom of your crock pot in extra virgin olive oil, not a pool of it, just enough to cover the bottom- then lightly salt, pepper and seasoned salt the olive oil.
3. Now take about 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon (2 cubes) and break it around into the olive oil.
4. Place the chicken breasts in the crock pot. Go ahead and turn the crock pot on 'high' for 8 or 10 hours- no lid yet, you've still got to add a few bits.
5. Lightly drizzle more extra virgin olive oil and seasoned salt all over the chicken breasts.
6. Mince 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and add it on top of the chicken breasts.
7. While that's starting to get warm, chop up 1 large yellow onion- I think I actually used 2 but I really love cooked onions so that's up to you. Throw them in! It's OK if they're on top of and on the sides of the chicken.
8. Now chop up some whole carrots, maybe 4-7 depending on their size OR use an entire bag of baby carrots... sounds like a lot but if your chicken breasts are a decent size, it won't be too many, you can decide what's best there. Just remember, the carrots cook down. Throw them in!
9. If you so desire, add a dollop or two of sour cream or plain yogurt on top. IT DOES NOT NEED IT but I can understand wanting SOMETHING fatty and delicious in your dinner. ;)
10. If you're feeling REALLY saucy, pour in a little white wine- not too much, just a taste. I did.
11. If you're feeling even SAUCIER, throw in a handful of sliced mushrooms and swap the white wine for a little red... ooh baby.
12. Drizzle just a little more olive oil over the whole thing, a little more salt and pepper, place the lid on top and leave it!

That's it! It's so easy! Also, for those of you thinking I'm some kind of nut job, no, there's no need to add water anywhere in that process. The meat, the onions and the carrots will create a LOT of their own juices and that's all you'll need. Besides, it keeps the flavors so present that way! No room for watered down recipes in your kitchen!

The other thing that Erin said to me when she was requesting this recipe was that she thought I made it with potato hash. I did... it was awesome. So I highly recommend either potato hash or a really simple brown rice or cous cous to go with this. I had 8 million potatoes to use before we left town and also a little parmesan reggiano left before it spoiled so I made potato hash. I won't give you a whole recipe for that just because it was too easy, but I'll tell you the basics.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grate some potatoes with your cheese grater so they look like shredded cheese. It takes awhile and hurts your hands a little but the look of these things is so worth it. Warm some olive oil and sea salt (or regular salt) in a skillet. Add the grated potatoes, some seasoned salt and stir until golden brown and maybe a little crispy, like hash browns. Salt and pepper them to taste.

Then in individual ramekins (those tiny, cute dishes that creme brulee is normally served in), divvy out the grated potatoes. Bake them on a baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes. Then pull them out, top with parmesan reggiano cheese, or whatever other fabulous cheese you have in the fridge and broil on high for about 3 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Ta da!

Now just throw together some chopped romaine, tomatoes, maybe a few nuts and clementines, top it with a light dressing of tahini and lemon juice and call it a dinner!

There you have it friends! Fresh, healthy and TOTALLY delicious! I suggest making this meal for dinner tomorrow so it has time to REALLY cook and get tender. I usually start my crock pot dinners at 7 or 8. That way, we're ready to eat at a decent hour... and you can still go back to bed for an hour and not feel bad about it because after all, you've already made dinner! ;)

Erin, and all of you other sweet friends, happy crock potting!