Full supper recipes in the crock pot

pink_nails

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 2:29 pm

Hi, I'm looking for crock pot supper ideas. but.......
1- I don't really like any meat or beef or steak (unless someone can promise that it will not come out dry! I'm so particular w/ that.) so I'd rather stick w/ chicken bottoms/breasts
2- if possible does anyone have recipes for full suppers in the crock pot? main and side dish
3- when posting a recipe please please indicate exactly how much water is needed. I've tried making up my own recipes or just throwing in chicken and potatoes w/ water but it always ended up w/ too much water so the food wasn't as tasty....
Thanks

Meema2Kids

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 2:37 pm

My family likes this recipe (below). I usually serve with rolls or rice, but there is enough that it could probably be a whole meal by itself.

Provencale Chicken Supper
4 chicken breast halves (skinned)
2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 cup diced yellow pepper
1 16 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can chunky tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

1. Place chicken in slow cooker, sprinkle with dried basil, half of the salt and half of the pepper.
2. Combine remaining salt, pepper, bell peppers, beans and tomatoes in a bowl and mix well. Spoon over chicken. Cover with lid and cook on high for an hour and low for 5 hours.

You can also make it with different chicken pieces if desired. If leaving it all day, use frozen chicken and cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.

ra_mom

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 2:43 pm

does the full meal have to be ready when you walk in, or can a recipe have an extra step at the end for the side dish (still in the crockpot) which would take an hour?

The basic idea is NOT to add water to the crock. Unless you have rice, in which case you should put in equal amounts of water and rice. NO more.

You can really use any recipe.

let me know if you'd like any of these recipes
chicken:
*honey barbeque chicken and sweet potatoes
*garlic chicken (so soft and delicious, does not taste like from a crockpot) and rice (with extra step)
*balsamic chicken and rice (with extra step)
*chicken and rice (mummiedearest's recipe)
*curried chicken and potatoes

meat: all of these recipes come out amazingly soft (and you can substitute ground poultry for the ground beef as well (dark ground turkey is awesome)
*barbeque meatball sandwiches
*saucy meatballs (spaghetti needs to be made the night before on stove top)
*shredded beef buns
*meat stew

relaxed

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 4:56 pm

Ramom, I want practically all your recipes!!! Can I bother you to post the honey barbeque chicken and sweet potatoes, garlic chicken and rice, balsamic chicken and rice, chicken and rice, and curried chicken and potatoes? And can you throw in the saucy meatballs as well?

MidwestMommy

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 5:26 pm

You should check out this blog, OP: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ It's not specifically for the kosher consumer, but it has tons of kosher stuff on it. I've used it a few times... love crock pot dinners! Smile

mom23

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 6:26 pm

Another vote for ra-mom's recipes. They sound so delicious! Please post when you have the time.

Marigold

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 6:33 pm

Ditto for ra_mom. No pressure though!

mom23

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 6:43 pm

By the way midwest mommy - I checked out the website. They have some great recipes on there - Thanks!

yummy2

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 7:07 pm

Ra-mom, yum!!!! Are you a chef or something? You aught to be. Wink

mummiedearest

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 8:20 pm

I give this out to all my friends at their bridal showers. here are some of my basic recipes:

Crock Pot Cooking

1) Anything you make in an oven can be made in a crockpot. Anything in a crockpot will not brown or crisp. If you want a nice brown color, brown the meat or chicken in a frying pan first.

2) Never open a crockpot while its meat/poultry contents are still raw. This diminishes the heat inside to a potentially unsafe temperature.

3) Meat- 8-10 hours low, 4 hours high

Chicken- 6-8 hours low, 3-4 hours high

--longer time if ingredients start out frozen

--time depends on size of individual pieces of meat or chicken, not necessarily overall weight

4) Always make sure there is 1/2 inch of liquid on the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. you may want to add some extra liquid if the meal will be cooking for longer (ex- cholent). If the meat or chicken starts out frozen, add some extra water. the boiling of the water will speed up the cooking.

5) Flavors do not circulate in a crockpot. If an even flavor is required, spread out the ingredients. Flavor travels straight down unless there is a lot of liquid, as in cholent or soup.

6) The "warm" setting is very useful if your crock pot has it. You can start a meal on friday morning for shabbos day and set it on warm right before shabbos. This will prevent overcooking and allows for a day meal other than cholent. Please note that if the warm setting is used for any form of chopped meat, the meat will have the consistency of cholent meat by the next day. Chicken and ground meat generally turn out better on warm overnight. Any marinade set on warm overnight will tend to have a slightly bitter flavor. BBQ or marinaded chicken is better if not left on warm for more than a few hours.

7) Everything gets soft in a crock pot. If a crunch is required, add some extra veggies 15-30 minutes before serving. Make sure they are not sliced thin. If you want to thicken the sauce in a recipe, add some flour a half hour before serving.

RECIPES

STUFFED PEPPERS

- 1 pepper per diner, medium sized

- ground meat to stuff (again, depending on number being served.)

-spices to taste - any combination of the following -black pepper, garlic, onion, oregano, basil

-1/2 cup uncooked rice

-1 lg can tomato juice

Cut tops off peppers and remove core.

Add spices and rice to meat. This can be done in a large ziploc bag- less mess and clean up, and any leftover meat can be stuffed into the freezer. Just seal the bag and knead the meat as you would dough.

stuff meat into peppers, leaving a little space on top of the peppers for tomato juice.

Position peppers in bottom of the pot, right side up.

Pour tomato juice over peppers. Make sure to get some juice into each pepper, and use the whole can.

low- 6-8 hours, high 3-4

variations-

For fluffier stuffing, add some eggs and matza meal/ bread crumbs. You can also mix in some tomato juice.

Add onions, fresh garlic and any desired veggies to the pot.

PEPPER STEAK

1-2 packages pepper steak strips

1 lg can whole tomatoes

2 peppers, any combination of colors

2 small onions

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup flour

pinch salt

pinch black pepper

2 tbsp soy sauce

Coat meat in flour, salt and pepper, place in bottom of pot.

Top with pepper strips, onion slices, and sliced garlic.

Pour can tomatoes and soy sauce on top, make sure the liquids run down to the bottom of the pot.

low 6-8 hours. serve over rice.

BBQ CHICKEN

1.5 cups ketchup

4 tbsps each: mustard, soy sauce, bbq sauce.

diced, sauteed onion- optional

sliced garlic-optional

1 quartered chicken

Mix all ingredients other than chicken. Spread chicken over bottom of pot. Pour mixture over chicken. If chicken is frozen, add a little bit of water.

6-8 hours low.

You can add some potatoes if you want. Slice them into chunks and put under the chicken.

This sauce is very good on baked chicken as well, but you'll only need half the sauce for 1 quartered chicken in the oven.

CHICKEN AND RICE

1 quartered chicken

2 cups uncooked rice

2 cups water

salt to taste --do not leave out the salt, the rice tastes very bland without it

spices (whatever you generally like on chicken)

Pour rice into pot, add water and salt. Stir. Place chicken over rice, making sure to cover as much of the rice as you can. DO NOT USE A WHOLE CHICKEN.

Top chicken with spices. Crock pot chicken looks very pale and unappetizing if cooked without something to add color. Herbs or paprika usually give it a nice color.

6-8 hours, low.

ra_mom

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 8:32 pm

Here's the copy and paste. Let me know if you'd like the rest of the recipes.

Honey Barbecued Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
3 cups peeled and sliced sweet potatoes, about 2 medium-large sweet potatoes
1 cup (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
¼ cup finely chopped onion
½ tsp ground ginger
2/3 cup thick barbecue sauce
4 Tbsp honey
1 tsp dry mustard
4 to 6 chicken leg quarters, skin removed

In 3½ to 5 quart slow cooker, combine sweet potatoes, pineapple with juice, chopped onion, and ground ginger. Stir to blend well.
In a measuring cup, combine barbecue sauce, honey, and dry mustard. Stir with a fork to blend well.
Coat chicken generously on all sides with barbecue sauce mixture. Arrange coated chicken in single layer over sweet potato and pineapple mixture, overlapping if necessary. Spoon any remaining barbecue sauce mixture over chicken.
Cover; cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours (or on HIGH for 4 to 4½) or until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear, and sweet potatoes are tender.

(If you want the chicken to be extra juicy, leave on skin but pull it back and spread some sauce underneath. Then put back slin atop chicken and coat each chicken piece with sauce.)

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken
Chicken
4 chicken legs, skinned
1 very large Spanish onion, chopped (I like to add more - they come out like sauteed onions)

Dressing (this is approximate amounts, just make a dressing and taste - season generously with salt)
4 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil, optional
1 Tbsp garlic powder or 4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt to taste

Rice
1 cup white rice
2½ cups boiling water
2 tsp Kosher salt OR 1 tsp table salt

Place chopped onion on bottom of crockpot; place chicken on top in a single layer, overlapping if necessary.
Combine balsamic vinegar, optional olive oil, garlic powder and salt in a plastic cup. Pour evenly over chicken.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

(If you want the chicken to be extra juicy, leave on skin but pull it back and season the chicken under the skin. Then pull back skin atop chicken, arrange in crock, and pour dressing over all pieces.)

When you come home:
One full hour before chicken is ready, pour rice, boiling water from tea kettle, and salt into a crockpot liner/bag. Tie the bag with a knot. Place bag on top of chicken in crockpot. Cover crockpot and continue to cook on HIGH for 1 hour.
To serve, pour sauce and onions from bottom of crockpot over rice, and serve with chicken.

(This puffed white rice method works great with any crock pot recipe. It comes out perfectly puffed, no mushiness at all.)

Shredded Beef Buns these are really good

1 lb. flanken
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
½ cup original bar-b-q sauce (use a thick sauce, not a liquidy version)
2 tsp Italian seasoning spice
2 sandwich buns, split (French or Italian baguettes work great.)

Place steak in slow cooker; top with onions, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Combine bar-b-q sauce and Italian seasoning; pour over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid.
Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours.

Remove steak from slow cooker; shred with fork or cut across the grain into thin strips.
Return steak to slow cooker; stir gently to evenly coat with sauce.
Place 1 bun half on each of 4 serving plates; top evenly with the steak mixture.

You can use any variety of meat cuts. Less expensive meat cuts benefit most form this cooking method.

Garlic Chicken
4-6 chicken bottoms with skin
1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, halved

Place onion slices on the bottom of crockpot.
In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic. Pour into crockpot, on top of the onion.
Do not add water.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
(Original recipe calls for 20 whole garlic cloves, still intact. Also so delicious.)

USE THE RICE IN THE CROCKPOT BAG METHOD FOR THIS RECIPE.
(The reason rice is not added under the chicken in these two recipes is because the onions on bottom become butter soft and very tastey. The rice would interfere with that, and the taste would come out too strong. Buy making plain puffed rice, you get to top it with the delicious onions and sauce.)

Chicken Curry
4 chicken bottoms, legs and thighs separated
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
10 baby carrots, sliced, or 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup water

Place 1/2 cup water on bottom of crockpot.
In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken, potatoes, baby carrots and onions, with olive oil, curry powder, cumin, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Pour everything besides chicken into crockpot. Place chicken on top.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Saucy Meatballs
At the beginning of the week, or the night before, cook 1 package spaghetti as directed on package; drain. Drizzle with a drop of oil. Place in sealed container or Ziplock bag and keep in fridge until ready to serve with meatballs.

3/4 cup bread crumbs seasoned generously to taste
1½ lbs. lean ground meat
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup water
2 cups sliced mushroom
2 medium green peppers, sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cups (if jarred, use 26 oz. jar plus 1 additional cup of sauce) spaghetti sauce

Combine bread crumbs, spices to taste, meat, egg and water. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place in slow cooker, top with mushrooms, peppers, and spaghetti sauce. Cover with lid.
Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Serve over spaghetti.

Last edited by ra_mom on Wed, Nov 18 2009, 10:48 am; edited 3 times in total

Marigold

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 9:24 pm

Thanks ra_mom. These are awesome and so easy and clear to follow. Can't wait to try them.

(now why was I under the impression that crockpot dinners come WITH water so that it doesnt burn to a crisp?)

ra_mom

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 9:34 pm

py2two wrote:

Because chulent consists of grains, which need water, and most importantly, because chulent cooks for a full 24 hours and the grains keep sucking up the liquids Smile

Marigold

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 9:38 pm

so no water whatsoever besides for chulent and rice/grain stuff?

ra_mom

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 9:52 pm

py2two wrote:

so no water whatsoever besides for chulent and rice/grain stuff?

If you're putting potatoes (grain) on the bottom then put about 1/2 cup water in the crockpot before starting.
Meats need sauce. Not necessarily water.
Chicken doesn't need water. Just toss it well to combine the flavors with spices and a bit of olive oil before placing in crockpot.

leahsurie

Tue, Nov 17 2009, 11:50 pm

ra mom this stuff really looks good cant wait to try it, come home from work to fresh dinner= PARADISE!!

ra_mom

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 12:01 am

Thanks!
I should really get back to making more of my crockpot dinners again.

Jetsetter Mama

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 2:32 am

Just a note about made-ahead pasta. The best way I found to warm it is to put it in a strainer and pour boiling water over it. Fast and not goopy.

ABC

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 5:02 am

Jetsetter Mama wrote:

Just a note about made-ahead pasta. The best way I found to warm it is to put it in a strainer and pour boiling water over it. Fast and not goopy.

good advice! you just answered the question I was about to post.

one thing I do which is so helpful is to make a large batch of pasta in a parev pan at the start of the week, and then you have and instant side dish for any meal, ready in minutes with jetsetter's method!

does anyone know if those crockpot liner bags for the rice are available in israel?

does it make any difference what kind of chicken you use for these recipes ramom? sometimes I don't have chicken bottoms but have either a whole chick or a whole one quartered.

thanks!! we'll all be eating well this winter thanks to you!

shabri

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 6:47 am

MidwestMommy wrote:

Ditto to this site.

My salsa chicken and black bean soup is cooking as we speak