Chicken & Potatoes Au Gratin

This is one of very few recipes I have tried from pure experimentation. I usually get my inspiration from my Crock Pot recipe book, foodgawker (most amazing food website ever, in my opinion), or allrecipes.com!

Also, just as an aside... I desperately want to get a recipe/photo onto foodgawker but they are so picky about the photos they choose, plus my lack of photography skills or equipment... I keep getting rejected! Any tips/hints/ideas? Or does someone want to be my food photographer? hehe. Also, if you go all the way back in their archives and click on the very first (or last) page...you will see such a huge difference in pictures - it's crazy how photography standards have changed!

My roomie made some delicious au gratin potatoes last weekend and that got me thinking...I should try to Gratin (is that even a verb?) a meal....and better yet, why not in my Crock Pot!

"CHICKEN & POTATOES" AU GRATIN

Ingredients:
4-5 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped into small 0.5-1" cubes
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped into 1" cubes
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 cups Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese (or whatever your favorite is!)
1 (12-16oz) can Cream of Chicken soup
1 cup Half & Half (or skim milk for a lower fat version)
1 tablespoon ground red pepper, optional
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
I tried to make this recipe with even parts potato and chicken, but you can alter that ratio to your liking!
1. Chop the potatoes into small 0.5"-1" cubes (they will cook faster if they're smaller).
2. Chop the chicken breasts into 1" cubes.

3. Finely chop the white onion.

4. Mix the potatoes, chicken, and onion in the Crock Pot.

5. In a large bowl, mix together cheese, soup, half & half, and ground red pepper.

6. Pour the liquid over top of the ingredients already in the slow cooker.
7. Make sure the liquid and cheese are evenly distributed throughout chicken and potatoes.

8. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
At this point, my meal was very soup-y and liquidy. I scooped some of the excess juice out and then replaced the Crock Pot lid, but I left the lid cracked about 1". Cracking the lid will allow some of the extra moisture to evaporate! I learned that if any of your recipes are soupier that you'd like it to be, just take off the lid and let it cook for an hour or two; most of the liquid will evaporate.
9. Cook on LOW an additional 2-3 hours (after slightly opening the lid).

You'll be surprised to see a nice, crispy Au Gratin'd meal :)

Salsa Chicken - Only Four Ingredients!

I've been such a slacker and have been seriously neglecting my blog - sorry! I'm in the middle of finishing up college and studying for an insurance license, so that has been consuming pretty much ALL of my time. But on the bright side, I will soon be up in Vermont with J (hellllo June!), employed, and living the dream!

I spent all of this cold, gray Saturday at my desk studying (boo) but on the bright side, I had a delicious dinner cooking all day in the Crock Pot :) Cooking meat in the slow cooker is so amazing because it has hours to soak up all of the juices and it comes out so incredibly tender and juicy.

(SHREDDED) SALSA CHICKEN

Ingredients:
2 lb Chicken Breasts
1 bottle (16-24oz) Medium Salsa
1 can Diced Green Chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:
Mix together salsa, green chiles, and garlic in the slow cooker.
Place chicken breasts in the Crock Pot. Make sure they are evenly distributed and completely covered by the salsa.
Cook on LOW 7-8 hours.

When it's done, you'll probably want to take out some of the liquid, but make sure you save some of it because you may want to put some back in after you shred it.



And then shred it (if you want)...



As you can see in the picture on the right, all of the liquid suddenly seems to vanish. Thankfully, you read my sentence above (about saving some liquid, which is probably full of chiles and other flavorful things). You can put in some more salsa juice so it is juicy to your liking :)

I bought some whole wheat tortillas to wrap the chicken in (can't get away from my obsession with Mexican food), or you can eat it with rice, veggies, or just plain!

You can garnish it with whatever "taco" toppings you like... shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, jalapenos, avocados, onions, cheese (just giving you some ideas).

I hope you enjoy it! It's deliciously "melt-in-your-mouth" juicy, cheap & easy to make!

Shredded Chicken Chili

This was inspired by my roomie who used to be obsessed with making chicken chili in her slow cooker when we lived together freshman and sophomore year. We happened to be talking about it the other night so I got the craving to make it! I went to Bloom, bought my essential chili ingredients, and started it the next morning.

Oh also, the Crock Pot I have been talking about is our 6 quart baby that we got for J's apartment in Vermont. But when I come back down to Williamsburg, I haven't been using one because I don't have one here. And then suddenly, an angel (my mother) pulled out a brand new "extra" Crock Pot she had laying around the house! Yessss. And as an added bonus, the new Crock Pot is 4 quarts, so when I move to Vermont in June, J and I will have not one, but two Crock Pots to use (you know, appetizer and main course...hehe).

So, back to the recipe... I made this very similarly to how I made the White Bean Turkey Chili, but I just love how the meat becomes so tender and juicy, and what starts as a big lump of meat, will just shred apart so easily after being cooked for 8-10 hours. I am still amazed by it.



SHREDDED CHICKEN CHILI

Ingredients:
1-2 pounds chicken breast (I used about 3 breasts)
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Northern Cannellini Beans, drained
1 can diced green chiles
1 can (12-16 ounce) chicken broth (depending on how soupy you like your chili)
1 packet White Chicken Chili seasoning (optional)

Directions:
Mix onion, garlic, beans, chiles, chicken broth, and seasoning in slow cooker.
Add in the chicken breasts. Make sure the chicken is submersed under the liquid and is covered on all sides by chili mixture.
Cook on LOW 8-10 hours.
Pull chicken apart into shreds with two forks.

Before: Chicken breast before it is completely shredded.

After: Shredded chicken mixed with the rest of the chili.