Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I've always loved Chicken and Dumplings. My daughter, however, does not love the big kind of dumplings that I usually make. She loves the little ones, like the kind you find in the canned chicken and dumplings. Tonight I decided to try a new recipe that would be similar to that. I found a recipe at allrecipes.com that was exactly what I was looking for. It was really easy and we all liked it. Next time I'll use bone in chicken. I just think it has a much better flavor, especially for Chicken and Dumplings. I'll also throw in some celery and 2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter(I did not add butter)
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 onion, finely diced(I did not add onion, but I did add baby carrots)
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces(I used 1 can of biscuits)

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center. 

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Tex Mex Chicken

I just wanted to share with you a super quick meal for weekday nights, you can throw it together in a few minutes in the morning in your crock pot and have dinner when you get home. Just make up some rice or use some left over from a previous nights meal and you are ready. After making this up I wish I would have added some black beans and avocado over the top. YUM!

Tex Mex Crock pot chicken

4 pieces of chicken (I used breast but thighs would probably be great)

1/2 cup italian dressing of your choice (I used a creamy balsamic)

1 can of tomatoes with green chilis (like Rotello)

3 gloves of garlic minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

Rise and dry chicken, Stab chicken a couple times with a fork. Put chicken and dressing in a zip top bag, marinate for 15-20. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot, turn on low. Add marinaded chicken to crock pot, discard remaining marinade. Put on lid and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with rice or side of your choice.

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

 
I found this recipe originally in the recipe section of our local newspaper's website. I love finding new places to get more menu ideas and I'm glad I found this site because I LOVED this recipe for beef bourguignon! I adapted it a little bit to work with my very much beloved slow cooker. For those of you who do not share my same fondness for slow cookers;)....you can get the original directions here.

2 pounds beef chuck shoulder pot roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 slices bacon, chopped (about 4 ounces)
Vegetable oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup ready-to-serve beef broth
2 cups Burgundy or other dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried marjoram leaves, crushed
8 ounces baby carrots (about 1-3/4 cups)
8 ounces fresh pearl onions, peeled or frozen pearl onions or medium onion in chunks

Fry bacon in a large pan until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel. Brown beef in the same pan with bacon grease. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once lightly browned, remove beef with a slotted spoon and place in a slow cooker. Add bacon and remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with hot egg noodles(optional)

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Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

 

I love bbq shredded meat sandwiches. It doesn't matter to me if it's pork, chicken, or beef. I usually buy the pre-made shredded meat that comes in the little tubs at the store. This time I decided to just make my own shredded chicken in the slow cooker. It wasn't difficult at all. It turned out really delicious and it ends up being much cheaper than the store bought meat. 

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts(I used frozen)

1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce

1 medium onion, sliced(I don't put them on my sandwich, I just like it cooked with it for flavor)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

garlic powder

onion powder

pepper

Directions:

Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover with onions and minced garlic. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Cover with entire bottle of bbq sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 1 hour before you eat, take chicken out, shred it, put it back in the slow cooker and mix. You can remove onions before serving if you like. Serve on toasted hamburger buns or sandwich rolls.

 

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Slow Cooker "Ribs"

 

When making my grocery list the other day I asked my husband if he had any dinner requests. He suggested these "ribs" which are one of his favorite recipes of mine that I make. My mom used to make them while I was still at home. I always loved the smell of them cooking all day in the slow cooker. Anyone who has read this blog before may already know that I LOVE using a slow cooker! They make getting dinner ready so easy!  This recipe is also incredibly simple. I always call these ribs, but they are really pork strips. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Pork strips, with or without bone(adjust the amount depending on the size of your family. I often make a small amount)

1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

garlic powder

pepper

salt

onion powder

2 tablespoons oil

Heat up oil in a pan. Add pork and sprinkle(to your liking)with garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion powder. Lightly brown for a few minutes. Add pork to your slow cooker. Cover with onions, minced garlic and bbq sauce.Sometimes I'll add some additional garlic and onion powder to the slow cooker. Cook on low for approx. 8 hours(time may vary depending on slow cooker and amount of pork).

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Cranberry Chicken

I saw a recipe somewhere in a magazine(now I can't remember where)but it combined cranberry sauce, onion soup mix, along with some other ingredients and put it on chicken. I thought that sounded like it might be really good so I tried to come up with a recipe that included those 2 main ingredients. What I came up with was really good. My husband really liked it also. I will definitely be making this again. I also love that it works great as a slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1b chicken(I used boneless skinless thighs, but bone-in chicken would be great)
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 packet dry onion soup mix(like Lipton's)
1/8 cup brown sugar(maybe a little more if you really like it sweet)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 T cornstarch

Put chicken in a slow cooker(I put mine in frozen). Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Time will vary depending on slow cooker and type of chicken used. Boneless chicken cooks much faster.
Serve with white rice(optional)

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Taco Soup

Sometimes I enjoy the prep work that goes along with making dinner...chopping potatoes, slicing carrots, sauteing onions.but then there are other nights, (well really most nights) when I just want to toss everything into a pot and be done. This recipe I have for taco soup is just that. Aside from browning your meat, all you have to do is dump everything into a slow cooker and let it cook. It's super easy to make and everyone in my family really likes it.

1 lb ground beef(you can also use shredded chicken)
1 11ozcan diced tomatoes with chiles(like Rotel),undrained
1 16oz can pinto beans
1 16oz can kidney beans
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 4oz can chiles
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning mix

DO NOT DRAIN CANS

Brown and drain ground beef. Put it into a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Do not drain cans. Cook on low for about 5 hours. You can also cook this soup on the stove. I simmered mine for about a 1/2 hour.

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1 Roast, 2 Dinners!

Don't you just love getting two dinners out of one? I do! Last night I made french dip/shredded beef sandwiches using the slow cooker. This is such a simple recipe that even my kids love. The great thing about this recipe is that there is always plenty of beef leftover to use the next night in tacos or burritos. I'll post that recipe also.

French dip/shredded beef sandwiches

2-4 lb beef roast*
2 packages of onion soup mix (I use Liptons)
2 - 3 cans of beef broth, depending on size of roast

*Not sure what type of beef to use? Check out Kim's earlier post!

Put everything in to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 6-8 (depending on size of roast and slow cooker). 1/2 hour before serving, shred the beef, return the beef to the slow cooker. Serve beef on toasted sandwich rolls.  Top with cheese (optional) Put some of the beef juice, in a cup, on the side for dipping.

Tacos/Burritos

Take your leftover shredded beef and reheat it in a pan with approx. 1 cup of your favorite salsa. You may want to add more or less salsa depending on how much beef you have leftover. Serve in tortillas along with your favorite toppings, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.... Pin It