Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

I've been on sort of a healthy eating kick lately.  Last week I attended a meeting with a local wellness coach (sponsored by my son's school) and I've been on a health kick ever since.  I've been experimenting with several Paleo recipes this week and I'd like to share them with you.  

This first one was found via Pinterest and is super easy and great for a busy night when you don't have much time in the kitchen. The crockpot is one of my favorite kitchen tools.  Just throw everything inside and hours later, your meal is ready! 

You only need 2 ingredients for this recipe (plus garnishes like avocados and tomatoes).  Boneless skinless chicken thighs paired with salsa verde turned out to be very good.

So far, I've been eating more raw nuts, buying local pastured eggs, limiting grains and dairy, cooking with coconut oil and eating lots and lots of colorful vegetables to name a few.  Who knows where this journey will take me...  :)

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

Source: Rubies and Radishes

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
16 oz. salsa verde (I bought mine at Trader Joe's)

Add chicken to the slow cooker. Cover with salsa verde and cook on low for 5 hours.

If you are home, you can open the lid at the 4 hour mark and shred the chicken with 2 forks, if not, no worries, it will still turn out fine!

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the slow cooker, leaving the liquid behind.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve. The Trader Joe’s salsa is already quite salty, so it doesn’t require additional salt.

Serve with slices of tomatoes and avocados.

Greek Chicken

It's an understatement when I tell you this dish is amazing! First of all, I love olives. Green olives, black olives, kalamata olives, olives stuffed with garlic...I love them all!  So this dish immediately caught my eye when I saw it on Pinterest.  It turned out wonderful! I served it with white rice and a side of green beans. It makes quite a lot of chicken, but it was so good that we didn't end up with very many leftovers. We all found ourselves going back for more. 

The recipe also calls for Spanish olives which I thought I had on hand but realized I didn't once I started cooking.  Feta cheese is also optional.  I chose to leave that out but some of you may want to toss that in as well.

Greek Chicken
Source: Virginia is for hunter gatherers

4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 16 oz jar artichoke hearts, quartered

8-10 oz pitted kalamata olives (4-5 oz whole, 4-5 oz halved)

9-10 oz large Spanish olives, pimento stuffed (I unfortunately didn't have these in my pantry.)

10 large cloves garlic, grated

1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. dried thyme

2 T. dried oregano

optional

1 16 oz container feta cheese

Pat chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients except chicken. Add chicken and mix thoroughly.  Allow to marinate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

After marinading (add feta if using) and preheat the oven to 450ºF. Cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, uncovering for the final 5-10 minutes, until juices from the chicken run clear when poked with a fork. Serve in a shallow bowl with a combination of chicken and marinade ingredients. 

Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

These little bundles were fun to make and the recipe came off of Pinterest. They are chicken pot pies wrapped in individual egg roll wrappers.  I wish my insides had more sauce so next time I may double the sauce but they were delicious! Full of fresh veggies and lots of flavor!




Chicken Pot Pie Bundles
Source: Meal Makeover Moms


1½ T. canola oil, divided 
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1/2 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 t. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon (I left this out.)
1/2 t. kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 c. chicken broth
4 t. cornstarch
3/4 c. frozen petite peas, thawed
3/4 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
12 egg roll wraps (NOT the smaller wonton wrappers)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
2. Stir in the chicken, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Place the broth and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add to the skillet along with the peas and corn, and bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer and stir gently until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
4. To prepare the bundles, use a muffin pan with 12 medium-size cups (do not coat with nonstick cooking spray). Gently place 1 egg roll wrap into each cup, letting it extend over the sides.
5. Place a generous 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each wrap, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Fold the corners up and over the top of the filling and press to seal the edges (it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Brush the remaining oil on top of each bundle.
6. Bake until golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.

Chicken Caesar Salad

We received the biggest most beautiful head of romaine lettuce in our farm share box last week! I couldn't wait to make something with it!  What better than a Caesar salad?!?!

Often times, when we visit our friends in Chicago, they will make us the most amazing Caesar salad so I called them up to get the recipe!  Some of you may be grossed out by the fact that it has a raw egg in it, but if you can overcome that, you will just love it! I could eat this salad every day! We also grilled some chicken breasts to slice up and put on top of the salad. It was a meal in itself and oh so good!





Chicken Caesar Salad
Source: J. Barnett

3 or more cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. olive oil

1 whole egg (or you can use Egg Beaters)

1/8 t. salt

fresh ground pepper

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

3 squirts of Worcestershire sauce

2/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and minced garlic. Let garlic soak in the olive oil while you prepare remaining ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and parmesan cheese. Whisk together until well combined.

Wash and dry romaine lettuce. Chop or tear into large, bite size pieces. Toss romaine with the oil/garlic mixture; then pour on the egg/cheese mixture and toss until well combined.  Optional: Add grilled chicken on top!

Chick-Fil-A Copycat Chicken Sandwiches

Chick-Fil-A is a favorite fast food chain of mine. Unfortunately the closest one is 36 miles away in Toledo, OH!  I tried this copycat recipe the other day and it made some wonderful chicken sandwiches.   Nice and crispy on the outside...but still juicy on the inside. Mmmm-Mmmm!!!  If I was given a blind taste test I would definitely be able to tell the original Chick-Fil-A from this sandwich but non-the-less, it was great!

"EAT MOR CHIKIN" as the Chick-Fil-A cows would say! And have a good night!




Chick-Fil-A Copycat Chicken Sandwiches
Source: From Away


2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 t. paprika
Peanut oil, for frying
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1 T. dry milk
1 T. powdered sugar
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. dry mustard
1 sour pickle, cut into eight slices
4 soft hamburger buns, split
3 T. unsalted butter, softened


1. Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally, to make 4 thin pieces. Place each piece between heavy plastic, and pound to 1/8 thick with a mallet of skillet. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.


2.  In a shallow baking dish, whisk together egg, milk, and 2 tablespoons water. In another baking dish, whisk together both types of flour, dry milk, powdered sugar, baking soda, dry mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat about two inches of peanut oil to 325 degrees in a heavy-bottomed pot or cast iron skillet. While oil heats, slice pickle, and set aside.


3.  Working in batches, dip chicken in the egg mixture, turning to coat, then dredge in flour mixture and shake off any excess. Fry the chicken in hot oil, using a candy thermometer to monitor oil temperature, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.


4.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread the cut side of the buns with some butter, and lightly toast in the skillet, buttered-side down. To assemble sandwiches, spread grilled buns with more butter, dip 2 pickle slices in jarred pickle juice to moisten and place on the bottom bun. Top with a piece of fried chicken and the bun top.

Chicken and Noodle Soup

Super easy chicken noodle soup for the crock pot thanks to Pinterest! I made this last week and it was just a coincidence that my neighbor's boy was sick so I shared some with him too. This soup received a thumbs up from all!



Chicken and Noodle Soup
Source: Creatively Domestic

5 c. chicken broth 
10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. onions, chopped fine
1/2 c. celery, chopped fine
1/2 c. carrots, chopped fine
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
15 oz can of whole kernel corn, drained
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. Egg noodles
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped

Add everything but the noodles and cooked chicken to the crock pot on Low for 5-6 hours, the last hour turn on High, and add noodles and chicken.  

Chicken and Dumplings

Thanks Hanging On By A Thread for this wonderful chicken and dumpling recipe! Like K, I used the whole can of biscuits, instead of only 4. It made it less soupy but we are all about carbs in this house. :) It was such a warm, delicious comfort food to eat on a cold winter evening.



Chicken and Dumplings
Source: Hanging On By A Thread

4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I cubed mine instead of shredding)
2 T. of Butter
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Small Diced Onion
1 T. Dried Parsley
1 can Grands Flakey Refrigerated Biscuits

Put chicken, butter, soup, onion and parsley in a crock pot and cook on high 4-6 hours. As the chicken gets tender shred it with a fork. (I cooked mine for 5 hours before adding the biscuits)
Next, get your biscuits ready. Slice each biscuit into 8 pieces (the original recipe uses only 4 biscuits, I used the whole can. We love carbs at our house!). Stir into chicken mixture and cook for another hour.

If mixture is too thick you can add chicken broth or stock to thin it out.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

I love a recipe that is a meal all in itself. Here's a good one for you! A Tex-Mex casserole that is very filling and a family pleaser too!

I went a little heavy on the rice so it was a bit dryer than I would have liked. If I would have stuck to the 2 c. that the recipe calls for then it would have been perfect. My hubby poured some extra salsa on top of his to make it more moist. Either way, it was delicious!



Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole
Source: The Well-Fed Newlyweds

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
4 c. cooked brown (or white) rice
1 c. corn
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 c. salsa
1 c. cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.), plus extra for the topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, rice, corn, black beans, chiles, sour cream, salsa, and cheese. Mix well. Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle a little extra cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6.

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl

My family is a big fan of teriyaki sauce...especially home-made teriyaki sauce. This is the same teriyaki sauce I blogged about last year. You can see that post HERE. Only this time, it's made into a Teriyaki Noodle Bowl. This meal was delicious and a huge hit at my house. Definitely putting this on the must make again list.



Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl
Source: Jamie Cooks It Up!

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
3 large carrots
1 red pepper
8 mushrooms
1/2 onion
1 16 oz. package angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti noodles

Teriyaki Sauce: (Tutorial found HERE)
1 1/2 c. cold water
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 t. garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
3 T. corn starch
1 t. sesame oil

With a good pair of kitchen scissors, cut up your chicken thighs into strips. Heat a large skillet up of medium high heat. Add your oil and toss those thighs right in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You want them to get nice and golden brown on each side.

While your chicken is cooking, chop up your veggies. You want to be sure they are chopped pretty small (about 3/4 of an inch.) PS...start the water boiling for your noodles, cook them according to package directions.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let it hang out on a plate. Add the other Tablespoon of oil to your hot pan. Add the veggies and cook until they are crisp tender.

While your veggies are cooking mix all Teriyaki Sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.

Once your veggies are cooked, remove them from the pan and let them hang out with the chicken.

Pour your Teriyaki Sauce into the hot pan. Whisk it around until it thickens up. This should only take about 3 minutes.

Serve it up! Place hot noodles in a bowl or on a plate. Put the chicken and veggies on top, pour the sauce over the whole kit and caboodle and you are ready to eat.

Rotisserie Chicken

Here's another recipe from Pinterest. Busy Mom shows us how to make our own Rotisserie Chickens in the crock pot. It turned out so juicy and tender; a bit hit with my family. My only complaint is that once you add water to the seasonings to form a paste it can be rather hard to spread over the raw chicken without leaving big clumps behind. Next time I am going to try making the rub with less water or maybe even no water (a dry rub). Nonetheless, it was a great recipe and I used our leftover chicken for fried rice the next day.



How To Make Your Own Rotisserie Chicken
Source: Busy Mom

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3.5-4 lbs)
2 T. Paprika
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (optional!)
1 1/2 t. onion powder
2 T. garlic powder or 3 cloves garlic
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

Place all of your ingredients in a small bowl and stir in water by the teaspoon until a paste forms. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and place the chicken in, breast side up. Coat the chicken inside and out with the paste. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 3.5-4.5 hours. Make sure the thickest part of the thigh registers at 180 degrees.

Hoisin Chicken Wings

If you haven't noticed yet, we love to eat chicken wings! It's my hubby's favorite food and even my soon-to-be 5 year old will often ask if we can have "chicken on the bones" for dinner. Here's a chicken wing recipe that's made in the crock pot so it was a win-win situation for everyone. It went great with the baby bok choy I blogged about two days ago.



Hoisin Chicken Wings
Source: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

2 - 3 lb. frozen chicken wings or drumettes
1/2 c. prepared hoisin sauce
1/4 c. honey
4 to 5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 T. sesame oil

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the crock. Add the hoisin sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Here's a great appetizer idea for any occasion. We are huge fans of buffalo wings in this house so as soon I saw this recipe I knew my family would love it. I will definitely be making this again the next time we have some friends or family over. Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, celery....need I say more? Enjoy!

Teriyaki Drumettes

Yes, that's right...another crock pot recipe! My crock pot and I have been the best of friends lately!

This meal was quite tasty and went perfect with a big bowl of white rice; however I feel the name of the recipe is a little misleading. It reminds me more of a soy sauce chicken recipe that my father-in-law makes more so than a teriyaki recipe. The soy sauce flavor is very dominating and the gravy is runnier than you would expect for a teriyaki sauce. Even with that said, my family each gave it 2 thumbs up and gnawed the bones clean.

Chinese Chicken Wings

Here's another wonderful Chinese recipe that my father-in-law taught me how to make. My hubby is so excited that I can make this now because it's one of his favorites!

Chinese chicken wings are super easy to make. I served them with white rice and fresh green beans. Serve the sauce on top of the white rice and call me when you make this so I can invite myself over for dinner. :)

Incredibly Easy Chicken & Noodles

Today I am going to share my go-to chicken and noodle recipe. I love it because it's super easy. Early in the morning I will start cooking the chicken in the crock pot with the chicken broth. Put it on low for 6 hours. Then I take the chicken out, shred it and add all the other ingredients except the noodles. About 45 minutes before serving time, add the noodles.

These are great served with mashed potatoes and corn. I love mixing my corn into the chicken noodles and mashed potatoes. I have since I was a kid. Doe anyone else do this or am I the only wacko? :)

Marsala Chicken-and-Mushroom Casserole

Sorry for the abundance of dessert recipes lately! What can I say...that's what I love making (and eating!) the most! :)

To change things up a bit, here's a great dinnertime recipe for you. A friend of mine shared it with me awhile back. So glad I finally got a chance to make it. The recipe calls for rotisserie chicken which makes prep work that much easier! I'm all about quick, simple, yet great-tasting!

Chicken and Black Bean Green Enchilada Rice Bake

I loved this recipe! Perhaps it was because it has a lot of my favorites inside like green enchilada sauce, black olives, tomatoes, black beans and cheese! It's easy to throw together and the leftovers are just as good, if not better. We ate this up to the last bite and I'm sure I'll make it again real soon.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I haven't been to P.F. Chang's in years but I will never forget how awesome their Chicken Lettuce Wraps are. They were always a must have when my friends and I would go there. When I came across this recipe, wonderful memories came back and my mouth started watering instantly.

They turned out really well and I served them as a main entre for dinner. I can't say that they are quite as good as P.F. Chang's but I'll still give them 2 thumbs up!

Note: The first night we had these I served them on pre-washed, precut green leaf lettuce (as seen in the picture). The second night I used iceberg lettuce (as the recipe calls for). I highly recommend using iceberg lettuce. It makes it taste a lot better and is more crunchy.

Thai Chicken Wraps with Peanut Sauce

This recipe was a great find. It was super easy to make and very good! I love the peanut sauce that goes along with it. Full of flavor and two thumbs up at our house!

Teriyaki Sauce in 10 Minutes

Do I have any Teriyaki fans out there? One of the things I love most about trying new recipes is learning about what its ingredients are. I've eaten teriyaki sauce several times in my life but I've never stopped to think about what is actually in teriyaki sauce. It's surprisingly quite simple to make and it was amazing!!! My hubby grilled some boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the grill tonight then we drizzled this teriyaki sauce on top. My whole family gave it 12 stars out of 10! It was just that good! We paired it with some grilled asparagus and some white rice. I'm so excited that grilling season is amongst us once again!

This recipe makes 2 cups and it can be kept in the refrigerator for one week. Enjoy!