Easy Chicken and Biscuits

Keep your slow cooker on the counter and in plain view.  Soon, you will be using it for nearly every meal.  The convenience of letting dinner cook all day while you do other things is a wonderful habit!  Enjoy the Slow Cooker!

Use refrigerator biscuits, or let your homemade ones sit in the refrigerator until they are sticky/doughy like store-bought.  Otherwise, they will fall apart in cooking.  Leftover chicken makes this dish so economical!

This dish is NOT chicken and dumplings; this gravy is richer and there are fewer ingredients, concentrating on the flavor of mushrooms and chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits – 8 count
• 1/2 tsp pepper, coarse ground
• 2 tsp chicken boullion granules
• 2 soup cans water
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 c diced cooked, chicken (leftover is perfect)

Procedure:

1. Combine cooked chicken, canned soups, water, boullion, and pepper in slow cooker that has been treated lightly with a oil spray.
2. Cut biscuits into quarters and stir into mixture.
3. Cover, and cook on low 4 – 6 hours, sirring occasionally or until biscuits are cooked.  Do not overcook.

Variations:  Cook 1/2 c chopped onion, and 1/2 c chopped celery, fine, in a skillet until transparent and add to mixture in slow cooker.  This is excellent served in a bowl, or over rice or noodles.

Salad and a light dessert will fill you up!

Mexican Stew and Toppers

Talk About Tequila Sundown!!  Add chopped avocado, grated cheeses, sour cream, sliced olives, chopped fresh cilantro, and various types of peppers and onions for more zip and pizzaz!

This stew is hearty, and the chili powder and taco seasoning give it the South-of-the-Border flavor!  Hot corn and flour tortillas are perfect!

Ingredients:

• 1 can whole-kernel corn, with red and green peppers, drained
• 1 can black geans, rinsed and drained (can use pinto, or kidney)
• 1 envelope your favorite taco seasoning
• 1 tsp chili powder
• dash cayenne for heat; optional
• 1 c frozen whole onions, or 1 cup chopped fresh
• 1 can whole tomatoes (28 oz)
• 2 lb beef stew meat, or your favorite chunked sirloin/or beef cut

Procedure:

1.  In hot skillet, dip chunked meat in flour, and salt and pepper seasoning, and brown meat on all sides. 
2. Prepare the slow cooker with olive oil spray, and heat.  Add the pre-browned meat, tomatoes, onions, and chili powder. 
3. Cover and cook on low 9 – 11 hours until meat is very tender. 
4. Stir in taco seasoning mix, using a wire whisk.  Stir in beans and corn.  One small splash of Tequila for adults only!  Cover and cook on high 15 – 30 minutes or until thickened.

Warm tortillas and your favorite toppings make this Mexican Stew unforgettable.  Can you say Tequila?

Saucy Vegetable Stew

This Mediterranean version slowly cooked vegetable stew will be so tasty you won’t even miss the meat.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste, no substitute for best flavor
• 1/4 c red wine and a dash more
• 1 lb plum tomatoes, sliced – use plum tomatoes for best result
• 8 oz favorite mushrooms, halved
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Procedure:

1. Preheat slow cooker on hit while preparing all the other ingredients. 
2. Heat oil in skillet; add onions, garlic, bell peppers and saute for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, mushrooms, toimatoes, wine, tomato paste and salt and pepper, then bring to boil, sirring constantly.
3. Transfer mixture to hot slow cooker, cover and turn the temperature down to low, cooking for 6 to 8 hours.  Stir in chopped fresh herbs at the end and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan shavings.

Salad and crusty bread completes the meal!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

A light, but still hearty chicken stew competes with beef stew for its intense flavor and popularity! 

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of roasted chicken gravy
• 1/2 c dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• dash garlic powder to 1/4 tsp
• 1 tsp instant chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp salt to taste
• 12 boneless chicken thighs, or 4 chicken breasts
• 8 oz fresh whole mushrooms, cut in half (cremini, shitake or brown mushrooms, or a mixture of all three
• 2 cups baby-cut carrots or whole carrots, sliced into small chunks
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• Optional: 1 c frozen peas, stirred into the stew the last 5 minutes

Procedure:

1. Lightly oil slow cooker with olive oil.
2. Toss potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms into the larg slow cooker.
3. Arrange chicken on top, slicing chicken into bite sized chunks if prefer.
4. Add seasonings, onion, and garlic over chicken.  If using fresh sliced onions, my preference, thinly slice one whole onion and use in place of the dried onions.
5. Stir tomato paste into jar of gravy.  Pour gravy and wine over all.
6. Cover and cook on low 8 – 10 hours or until vegetables are tender. 

Variations:  Dip chicken pieces in flour and place in hot skillet, to lightly brown in olive oil before  placing in slow cooker.