busybeerecipes-blog

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Honey Garlic Chicken with Vegetables

Hey there Busy Bees!  I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend and was able to spend some quality time with their family for Easter.  While Easter is a great holiday to have family gatherings and cook a big dinner, it always ends up leaving the host or hostess of the family gathering tired and drained from cooking and entertaining all day.  They spend countless hours in the kitchen preparing a gorgeous Easter spread and then they take an hour to clean the kitchen from the aftermath of the feast.  Thank goodness there will be leftovers for the next lunch or dinner, but the host or hostess will probably have minor PTSD from cooking Easter dinner and will not want to have to cook for a few days.  If you were on of the many wonderful hosts that worked your tail off during Easter and are worn out from cooking, I am here to bring you a healthy meal that is simple to fix and minimizes the amount of time it takes to clean up your kitchen.  

This slow cooker honey garlic chicken and veggies recipe will allow you to fix your family a hearty dinner without stressing over cleaning up a huge mess after it is ready since the entire meal cooks in the crock pot. The recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs and the option to broil them before placing them into the crock-pot, but you may substitute the bone-in thighs with boneless thighs or breasts in order to make the recipe a little easier.  Once again, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter, so hop to it and start making your easy honey garlic chicken. Your family will love it, and you will love the fact that you will not have to clean up a huge mess!

 Ingredients

·       8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (boneless thighs or breasts)

·       16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved

·       16 ounces baby carrots

·       16 ounces green beans, trimmed

·       2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

 For the Sauce

·       1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

·       1/2 cup honey

·       1/4 cup ketchup

·       2 cloves garlic, minced

·       1 teaspoon dried basil

·       1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

·       1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

·       1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 Instructions

1.     In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, ketchup, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.

2.     Place the chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and soy sauce mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours, basting every hour. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

3.     OPTIONAL: Preheat oven to broil. Place chicken thighs onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until crisp for about 3 to 4 minutes.

4.     Serve chicken immediately with potatoes, carrots and green beans, garnished with parsley, if desired.

 Serving Size: 4 per Crock Pot

 Recipe from https://damndelicious.net/2015/06/05/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken-and-veggies/

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Hey Busy Bees! I hope your week has not been so hectic that you did not have the chance to take a break to treat yourself with a sweet snack.  If that is not the case, then I am terribly sorry you were not able to treat yourself.  On the bright side, I have a recipe for a decadent dessert that will allow you to complete some chores within a four-hour time span so you can indulge in this tasty crock-pot chocolate chip cookie bar.

If you are like me, then you have a sweet tooth that cannot be tamed.  Even though I try to eat as healthy as possible, I know for a fact I eat some type of sweet treat every day.  I just cannot say no to my dear friend, chocolate.  He has always been so kind and sweet, and I cannot resist his rich and creamy taste.  My all time favorite sweet snack showcases my love for chocolate, a classic chocolate chip cookie, so I was thrilled when I found a recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars that I could make in my crock pot.  The recipe yields eight large cookie bars, and they will knock your socks off.  I love the fact that I can simply mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, pour them into my crock-pot, and let them sit while I clean my apartment and work on schoolwork.  They are the perfect treat to reward myself after completing a long list of chores, so I hope they will be just as perfect for you!

 Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Cool Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 4 hours and 5 minutes

 Ingredients

·       1 cup salted butter, melted

·       2 cups light brown sugar, tightly packed

·       3 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       2 eggs

·       ¼ teaspoon salt

·       2 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 cup chocolate chips (you can mix white chocolate chips and milk

        chocolate chips just like the picture if you prefer both!)

Instructions

1.     Line a slow cooker with aluminum foil to create a foil bowl.

2.     In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add in vanilla extract and eggs and stir again until smooth. Stir in salt and flour until the ingredients are well combined.

3.     Pour the batter into the bottom of the foil lined slow cooker. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Secure a paper towel under the lid of the slow cooker.

4.     Cook on high 2½ to 3 hours until the cookie bars are set in the middle. Use the aluminum foil to remove the cookies from the slow cooker. Cool for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving your cookie bars.

 Recipe from The Stay at Home Chef

https://thestayathomechef.com/slow-cooker-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/

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Paula Deen’s Mac and Cheese

Hey there Busy Bees! I bet you all have been patiently waiting for this week’s recipe since I gave a little sneak peak at the end of my pulled pork recipe last week.  Well you do not have to wait any longer because it is finally time to read about a classic southern comfort dish that will make you want to slap your mama.  The recipe calls for half a stick of butter, so you have to guess that the recipe was originally written none other than the fabulous Paula Deen, Y’all!! The well-known southern cook’s recipes have always been a staple at the majority of my family dinners, and this recipe in particular is made at every Thanksgiving and Christmas family gathering.  

My aunt is known for making the Paula Deen Mac and Cheese for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it is always a hit!  One of the reasons why everyone loves when she makes the mac and cheese is because she makes a slight adjustment to the recipe that gives it a twist.  Instead of using elbow macaroni noodles, she uses shell noodles.  She swears that the shells are better because they can hold more cheese inside the noodles than the elbow macaroni noodles.  My aunt also uses shredded gouda cheese as well as cheddar cheese.  In order to make the dish as creamy as possible, she layers the cheese and adds a little more every thirty minutes while it is cooking in the slow cooker. Such a true southerner… the more cheese the better!

So the next time you are in a slump and need a little southern comfort, turn to Paula Deen and her quick and easy crock-pot macaroni and cheese recipe.  I know for a fact you will absolutely love it!

 Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 2 ½ hours

Total Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes

 Ingredients

·       2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or shells if you would like)

·       4 tablespoons butter

·       2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

·       3 eggs

·       1/2 cup sour cream

·       1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup whole milk

·       1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

·       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  Instructions

1.     Boil the macaroni in water for six minutes. Drain.

2.     In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.

3.     In slow cooker, combine cheese mixture and add the eggs, sour cream,             soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper. Add the drained macaroni and stir again.

4.     Cook on low for 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

 If you would like to make this recipe more on the healthy side, you can use low fat cheese, skim or almond milk and leave out the butter.  On the other hand, leaving it just the way it will not hurt you one bit. You need a little butter and cheese every once in a while, so do not be afraid to indulge!

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Speedy Southern Pulled Pork

Hello there Busy Bees! Did any of the readers who live in Georgia get a little spring fever from the beautiful weather we had a couple of weeks ago?  I sure did, and it made me want to make some of my favorite dishes that are perfect for warm weather.  Spring and summer are meant for throwing outdoor barbeques for your family and friends. It’s the perfect way to spend time with your loved ones, enjoy the beautiful weather and eat some delicious barbeque.  Barbeques are my all time favorite summer activity, and I have made some of the best memories sitting in the backyard with my family while I enjoy a hearty plate of bay back ribs or pulled pork.  Since it is the middle of the semester, I cannot go home as often as I would like to throw family get-togethers.  In order to bring the feeling of my sweet southern hometown and the taste of my family’s traditional barbeque recipe to me, I decided to turn to my trusty ole crock-pot to slowly cook some mouth watering pulled pork.

I was so excited when I came across this recipe because it has the fastest prep time out of all of the crock-pot recipes I have shared with you all on my blog!  Now there is no excuse to try this fantastic pulled pork recipe.  One of the aspects of this recipe that I really enjoy is the fact that it only uses three different spices in order to season the pork, but that does not mean that it will not be filled with fantastic flavors.  The recipe also calls for half of a bottle of barbeque sauce, and I wanted to inform you on one of my favorite sauces. It is called Sweet Baby Ray’s. This sauce will add so much flavor to your pulled pork, and it pairs nicely with the onion and spices.  I hope you enjoy a little taste of summer!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours and 5 minutes

Ingredients

   2 to 2.5 pounds of boneless pork loin

   1/2 onion sliced

   1 Tbsp. paprika

   1 tsp. black pepper

   2 tsp. salt

   1/2 16 oz. of bottle BBQ sauce

   2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

   1/2 cup water

 Instructions

1.     Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.

2.     Cook on medium for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

3.     Shred and enjoy!

 Recipe from laurengreutman.com

I want to give y’all a little sneak peak for next week’s quick and easy recipe!  You cannot have delicious pulled pork without a traditional southern staple, macaroni and cheese.  Get excited to read about a classic Paula Dean mac and cheese recipe that is so good that it will make you want to slap somebody!

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Speedy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Hey there busy bees! Have you ever been in a situation where you completely forgot you had to go to a dinner party or a small get together that required you to bring a side dish or appetizer? On top of forgetting about the party you have to attend, did you have a slight panic attack when you realized that you did not have any time to prepare a fantastic dish that everyone would love? Trust me... I have been there too.  When you have that little panic attack, take a deep breath and turn to me to give you a quick and easy crock-pot dish that will save you time and your friends at the party will love. 

I made this simple spinach artichoke dip for the last potluck party I had with a group of friends, and it was a hit!  I only had a few hours before the party to make some sort of dip and run a few errands.  This recipe allowed me to dump all of the ingredients into the crock pot, and let me use the two hours it took to cook the dip to run my errands. Everyone loved the spinach artichoke dip and asked me for my recipe.  I figured if my friends loved it so much, you and you're friends would love it as well.  I hope this recipe saves you some time and allows you to stay stress free when you have to make a dish for a party! 

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOK TIME: 2 HOURS

TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS 10 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

·       1 (10 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

·       1 (13.75 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, chopped and drained

·       1 (8 ounce) brick low-fat cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

·       1 cup light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

·       1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

·       1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·       1/3 cup finely-chopped white or red onion

·       4 cloves garlic, minced

·       1/2 tsp. black pepper

·       1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

· Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until    everything is evenly combined.  (You can also stir the mixture actually inside the bowl of your slow cooker, but it would be easier in a large mixing bowl.)  

· Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your slow cooker that has been misted on the inside beforehand with cooking spray.

· Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours, or until the dip is completely warmed through and the cheese is melted.  

· Give the dip a good stir and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.

· Transfer to a serving dish, and serve warm with chips, bread, pita crackers or whatever dippers you would like!

This recipe is from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-spinach-artichoke-dip/ . 

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Hello Busy Bees!  It is time for another fast and easy recipe for your busy week.  Before I give you this awesome recipe, let’s talk about how everyone and their brother got the Flu this year.  The Flu virus was the worst it has been in years, and everyone I knew ended up catching the terrible virus.  I even caught the Flu, and I NEVER get sick. Getting sick is the absolute worst because it slows me down, and I am not able to complete my daily tasks and chores.  I am a busy body, and sitting down for more than an hour has my world turned upside down. In order to get back on my feet and cure my fever, cough and runny nose, I turned to good ole chicken noodle soup to cure my Flu symptoms.  Chicken noodle soup is clinically proven to help fight the common cold or Flu.  Eating a bowl of this hearty soup helps get your neutrophils moving in your body.  Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell, and white blood cells help fight off infections.  So your mother was right when she told you that chicken noodle soup is good for you when you are sick!

Since I did not feel like getting off the couch when I was sick, I made an easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup that only takes 15 minutes to prepare.  The best part is that you can nap or watch Netflix for the entire seven hours it cooks, and it is ready to eat when you wake up or have finished watching an entire season of Game of Thrones…. to each is their own.  If you are a busy bee that has been struck by the Flu, I hope this recipe rejuvenates you and gets you back on your feet.  Ain’t nobody got time for the Flu, so turn to your best friend called chicken noodle soup to get you through your sick days on the couch.  

 Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Servings: 5

 Ingredients

           1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

           5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped fairly thin (1 3/4 cups)

           1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

           4 stalks celery, chopped fairly thin (1 1/4 cups)

           3 - 5 cloves garlic, minced

           3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

           6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (3 - 15 oz. cans)

           1 cup water

           3/4 tsp. dried thyme

           1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

           1/2 tsp. dried sage (optional)

           1/4 tsp. celery seed, finely crushed

           2 bay leaves

           Add Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

           2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles

           1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

           1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

           Saltine crackers or parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

 Instructions

1.     Put chicken, diced carrots, onion, celery, and garlic into your slow cooker.


2.     Add in olive oil, chicken broth, water, thyme, rosemary, celery seed, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. 


3.     Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 7 hours.

4.     Remove cooked chicken and allow it to cool for 10 minutes, and then dice        it into bite size pieces. 

5.     Meanwhile, add egg noodles and parsley to your slow cooker. 

6.     Increase temperature to high, cover and cook 10 minutes longer (or until noodles are tender).

7.     Stir in lemon juice and toss in the diced chicken. Serve warm with saltine crackers or top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

  Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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Slow Cooker Lasagna

Ciao Busy Bees! It is time to bring out our inner Italian, and make a fantastic slow-cooker lasagna dish. When I was searching for this week’s recipe, I really wanted to make a pasta dish, but I felt like there would be too many steps involved in preparing the food to put into the crock-pot. I figured that I would have to boil the pasta for the lasagna, but I was completely wrong when I found this simple recipe.  This recipe states that you do not have to boil the pasta before putting in the crock-pot.  How wonderful is that? The only meal prep that is involved in this recipe is browning the meat and stirring in the ingredients to make the meat sauce.  When I made this recipe, I browned my meat and made my meat sauce the night before (these are steps 1 and 2 in the instructions). This way I would not spend so much time in the morning before work making meat sauce, breakfast and my lunch.  I would be in the kitchen for an entire hour before I started getting ready for work if I didn’t prepare the recipe the night before.  

 This recipe might be better for days that you only go into work for half of the day, or you are at home and have a lot of chores to complete in a short amount of time.  It only takes roughly four to five hours for the lasagna to cook on low.  You want to be able to keep a close eye on your crock-pot check your crock-pot to make sure your pasta noodles do not over cook.  

 I found this recipe on https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/slow-cooker-lasagna, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

 Ingredients

·       1/2 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

·       1/2 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot)

·       1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·       1/2 teaspoon pepper

·       1 large onion, chopped

·       1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·       2 tablespoons parsley

·       2 teaspoons garlic powder

·       2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

·       6 oz. can tomato paste

·       29 oz. can tomato sauce

·       2 tablespoons granulated sugar

·       1 1/4 cups water

·       8 oz. package regular lasagna noodles, uncooked

·       4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

·       1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

·       1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  Instructions

1.     In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. 

2.     Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)

3.     Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). 

4.     Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. 

5.     Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.

6.     Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.

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Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Hi Busy Bees!  It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee, because I am going to share one of my favorite slow cooker breakfast casserole dishes with you all.  It has been ingrained into my body to wake up early every morning and make a hardy breakfast since I was a young girl. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood consist of my family waking up early on Saturday or Sunday mornings and making a big breakfast together. To this day, I thoroughly enjoy waking up early on the weekends to make big breakfast spreads for my roommate, friends and boyfriend.

I do not always have a lot of time during my Saturday or Sunday mornings to make a full breakfast spread.  I usually have to study for school, go to the gym or run errands in the morning.  In order to have the best of both worlds, I can let this breakfast casserole cook in my crock-pot over night and enjoy it when I wake up the next morning.  It allows me to complete my morning tasks without the hassle of prepping, cooking and cleaning up an entire breakfast meal.  This savory breakfast casserole will make your mornings run a bit more smoothly and give you the proper energy you need to conquer your busy day.  It is packed with protein and an assortment of veggies that will last you until lunchtime. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients

 1 bag Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes (32 oz)

1 lb Bacon

1 Small Onion diced

8 oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Red Bell Pepper diced

1/2 Green Bell Pepper diced

12 Eggs

1 cup Milk

** If I am feeling a little spunky, I like to add mushrooms or substitute the bacon with ground sausage to change up the recipe from time to time.  That way your family and friends do not get tired of the same casserole! **

Slow Cooker Directions

1. Cut bacon or sausage into small pieces, cook and drain (You could use precooked bacon to speed up the process).

2. In the bottom of a slow cooker, layer: half of the hash browns and half of the following: onions, bacon, green and red peppers and cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients ending with cheese.

3. In a medium sized bowl beat eggs and milk together. Pour egg mixture over the casserole and top with salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Cook on Low for 6-8 hours (or high for 2 1/2 – 3 hours).

On a side note, I got this yummy recipe from spendiwithpennies.com.  Enjoy!

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Jambalaya

Hello Busy Bees! I hope you week is not too hectic and stressful.  If it is, just relax, take a deep breath and know that I have a time saving recipe that your taste buds will absolutely love.  This week’s recipe was inspired by my family’s background.  My mom’s side of the family is from Louisiana, so I grew up eating Cajun and creole inspired dishes.  My grandfather was the most incredible cook, and he instilled my love for cooking by creating and teaching me how to make different Cajun foods.

 One of my favorite Cajun dishes is Jambalaya.  If you are not familiar with what Jambalaya is, it is a thick soup that contains chicken or pork, smoked sausage, shrimp, rice, celery, bell pepper, onion and too many Cajun spices for you to count.  It originates from the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Gumbo is a very similar dish, but the difference in Jambalaya and Gumbo is that Jambalaya does not contain okra or filé powder. Jambalaya is usually cooked on the stovetop in a large soup pot.  Since no one has time to watch Jambalaya simmer over a stove, I am going to use my handy dandy crock-pot! What a shocker!  My favorite part about making Jambalaya in a crock-pot is the fact that I can walk into my apartment after a long day at work or school, and smell all of the wonderful spices that go into this recipe.  It just fills up the apartment and makes if feel more like home. I found the recipe from my Betty Crocker Slow Cooker recipe book.  This cookbook is a lifesaver! I highly recommend buying it because it will give you a wide range of dishes for you to choose from. So don’t, waste any more time! Start making your Crock-pot Jambalaya, and get those taste buds dancing like the people on the streets of the French Quarter.

 Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: Low for 7 to 8 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours

 **To make your prep time more efficient, cut your veggies and smokes sausage the night before you make your jambalaya, and store them in Tupperware containers.**

 Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper

2 medium stalks of celery. chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups of fully chopped smoked sausage

1 tablespoon of parsley flakes

½ teaspoon of dried thyme leaves

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

¼ teaspoon of red pepper sauce

¾ pound of uncooked, peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed if frozen

4 cups of hot cooked rice for service (Roughly two bags of boiling rice)

 1.     Mix all of the ingredients except the shrimp and rice in your crock-pot.

2.     Cover and cook on the low setting for 7 to 8 hours (or high heat setting for 3 to 4 hours) or until the vegetables are tender.

3.     When it becomes the last hour to cook the ingredients in the crock-pot, add in the shrimp.  Cook for the remaining hour or until the shrimp are pink and firm.  

4.     Serve Jambalaya with rice.  

 *For 1 Serving: 255 Calories, 10g of Fat, Cholesterol 60mg, Sodium 710mg, Carbohydrates 31g, Dietary Fiber2 g, Protein 12g.

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The first picture is the Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cookbook that I get alot of my crock-pot recipes from, and the second picture is how the Jambalaya turned out when I made it in my crock-pot! 

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Photos From Fajita Recipe

I was SO busy last week that I completely forgot to post the pictures from my Fast Fajita Recipe.  Hope you enjoy them! 

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Fast Fajitas

Hello Busy Bees! Before I share my first time saving recipe, I want to introduce myself.  My name is Hannah, and I am a full time college student.  On top of taking a full load of classes, I also have an internship, a social life to maintain, and chores to complete around my apartment.  As you can see, I basically run around like a chicken with its head cut off.  After a long day on campus or working at my internship, the last thing I want to do is cook a full meal for dinner.  By the time I prepare all of the ingredients, physically cook the meal and then clean the kitchen after I finish eating, I have an hour to an hour and a half of my time wrapped into making dinner.  “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”  I knew I had to do something different in order to cook healthy meals and use my time in the evenings more efficiently. In order to do so, I bought every college student’s best friend… a crock-pot!  It is hands down the best kitchen appliance that I have invested my hard earned money into.  You will never want to pull out your pots and pans after using one of these slow cooking beauties.  I get up for school or work around five o’clock each morning, and I can dump the ingredients to a recipe in my crock-pot and make breakfast at the same time. I knock out two meals for the day in thirty minutes.  You can’t beat that!  

I want to start off by sharing one of my favorite crock-pot fajita recipes.  If you are in the mood for Mexican food, this recipe will definitely cure your craving.  So pull out your crock-pot or run down the street to buy yourself one of these magnificent machines to make your time saving fiesta!

 Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours on Low Heat

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 red , orange and green bell pepper, julienned

1 large yellow onion , halved and sliced

4 cloves garlic , minced

2 1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

For serving:

Flour tortillas , sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, monterrey jack or cheddar cheese (You know... whatever floats your boat).

 Instructions

Pour half of the canned tomatoes into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread into an even layer. Top with half of the peppers and half of the onions. Sprinkle garlic in. Top with chicken breasts.

In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder. Top with remaining half of the tomatoes, then layer in remaining peppers and onions.

Cover and cook on HIGH heat for 3 - 4 hours or LOW heat for 6 - 8 hours, until the chicken has cooked through and veggies are tender (If you are going to work or class all day long, I suggest leaving it on low for 6-8 hours so your chicken won’t over cook).  Remove chicken, and cut into strips, or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of the broth in slow cooker (mostly tomato liquid) and discard. Sere warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream and optional guacamole, cheese and salsa.

Recipe source: Cooking Classy