These tasty slow cooker recipes are nothing to sweat over. Just set it (to low) and forget it!
Cook of the Month: Paula Blass, Arab EC
Paula Blass loves to entertain family and friends at her lake home and is always looking for recipes she can prepare ahead of time so she can enjoy being with her guests. She found a recipe for white chicken chili “and it called for some things I’ve never really tried,” she recalls. The first go-round, she made it on her stove, but since it took a while to cook she thought the next time she’d try making it in the crockpot. When the recipe did not turn out as thick as she liked, she decided to add her own special ingredient: cream cheese. “Everyone I served it to loved it,” she says. That was two years ago, and it’s since become her favorite meal to fix when company comes. Her youngest daughter brings a group of college friends to the lake, “and normally they cook for me,” Paula says, “but they like for me to fix this for them.” Paula, who retired after teaching sewing and embroidery classes for sewing machine dealerships, still enjoys sewing and quilting, and of course, cooking for her visitors.
Favorite Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- 1 1/2-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 15-ounce cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
- 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup half and half
Add chicken breasts to the bottom of the slow cooker, top with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Top with diced onions, minced garlic, great northern beans, green chiles, corn and chicken broth. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken breasts and place in a large bowl, shred and then return to the slow cooker. Add cream cheese and half and half, stir. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until chili is creamy and thickened. Stir and serve with desired toppings. Suggested toppings: jalapenos, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips. I serve with jalapeno cornbread.
Chicken Tetrazzini for the Slow Cooker
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken fillets (roughly 3 medium breasts or thighs)
- Ground sea salt, to taste
- 3 cloves fresh garlic (or 1½ teaspoon minced)
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 5 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1½ cup dry white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 12 ounces thin spaghetti
- 12 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- 12 ounces cream cheese
Place chicken in a standard 6 or 7-quart slow cooker and cover with sea salt, pepper, garlic, onion, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms. Pour the white wine (or broth) over the top of the chicken. Do NOT add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, or spaghetti yet. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. At the end of the cooking time, cut the cream cheese into squares and add to the cooker, along with the butter, then cover. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. After the cream cheese has had time to melt, take 2 forks and shred the chicken. Stir the sauce and chicken together. Add the cooked and drained pasta, along with half the cheddar cheese and stir. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and cover for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Amanda Welch Borden, Central Alabama EC
Italian Beef
- 1 beef roast, preferably rump but any will work
- 1 stick butter
- 1 packet dry Italian dressing
- 1/4 cup water
Wash roast, cook on low in slow cooker for 10-13 hours. Serve on fresh hoagie buns and with pickled pepperoncini.
Carla P. Norman, Covington EC
Loaded Potato Soup
- 3 large chicken breasts, cooked
- (reserving 5 cup of broth)
- 8 potatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 1 cup shaved deli ham
- 1 pound Velvetta cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream
Cook chicken; chop or shred. Cook potatoes and onion in broth until tender. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray, add chicken, soups, ham and cook until hot. Add cheese and sour cream until cheese is melted.
Opal Frost, Joe Wheeler EMC
Slow Cooker Roast
- 1 chuck roast
- 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 package au jus gravy mix
- 1 stick butter
- 1 jar pepperoncini peppers
Put roast in slow cooker. Sprinkle on ranch and gravy mix. Place pats of butter on roast along with peppers. Cook on low heat approximately 8 hours.
Wanda K. Williford, North Alabama EC
Editor’s note: Slow Cooker Roast, also known as Mississippi Pot Roast, is famous on social media. Give it a try and see what the fuss is all about!
The Buttered Home
I love my crock pot! It is the one longstanding kitchen gadget that never collects dust in my cabinet. When most people think about using them, it is normally for soups, stews and roasts. Did you know the crock pot is a great tool for some really fancy pants dishes too? This Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan is a great example of that. It is an easy way to get a fancy Italian dinner on the table quickly. Beautiful breaded chicken, bathed in a delicious red sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese. Dinner is served! For more recipes like this one, be sure to visit us over at thebutteredhome.com.
Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
- 4 large chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary)
- 1 12-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely
- shredded
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Half and Half
- ½ teaspoon salt
Set up a breading station with two bowls, one for wet ingredients and one for dry.
Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning in one bowl. Mix well.
In the other bowl, mix egg and half and half. Dip chicken breasts into the wet breading bowl and then the dry. Place in a single layer in the crock pot. Sprinkle with salt.
Pour marinara sauce over the top of the breaded chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours until chicken reaches internal temp of 165 degrees F.
Serve over cooked pasta or zoodles (zucchini noodles) and enjoy!
