My Crock Pot Chicken-Rice Dinner Recipe Eases Up Meal Preparation

My Crock Pot Chicken-Rice Dinner can free up a busy day.

Being attached to my stove or working harder than I need to are not my idea of what cooking should be like.  I believe if a recipe has too many steps that waste too much time or calls for expensive ingredients, then it is not for me.  Instead, a recipe has to be simple with common available ingredients besides being delicious.  I’m sure there are plenty of others that don’t mind following lengthy procedures or spending a lot more for ingredients, but why bother when you can create incredible dishes without all the fuss and expense?  

The Simpler and Cheaper to Make This Main Dish the Better

Now that you understand my philosophy, you can appreciate my great chicken dinner that I have for you today.  This recipe is one of those that I love to make when I have tons to do and don’t want to worry about dinner.  In fact, you can prepare this recipe in two different ways in the crock pot or in your oven.  Either method turns out nearly a complete dinner with the exception of your salad or vegetable to accompany it as a side dish.

My Crock Pot Chicken-Rice Dinner produces a tender, delicately seasoned chicken from slowly cooking it for about six hours on low heat surrounded by creamy rice.  Imagine a sauce of cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, paprika, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and one envelope of onion soup mix to reinvent the flavor. 

Substitute for Ingredients You Have Doesn't Hurt

If you check your pantry and don’t have any dry onion soup mix on hand, you can improvise and substitute one-half cup of freshly, chopped onion.  The same goes for your mushroom soup or celery soup.  You can use two cans of cream of mushroom soups or two cans of cream of celery soup.  You can even substitute a can of  cream of chicken soup for one to change the recipe with what you have.  I have made this recipe with so many different variations without losing any delicious aspects of this dish while saving me an extra trip to the grocery store.  

I usually use a few chicken breasts, but you can use thighs or drumsticks whatever you prefer.  

You also can bake this recipe in your oven in a covered casserole at 350-degrees for about two hours or so.  I do suggest checking it after the first hour to stir and see if you need any more liquid before finishing.

My Crock Pot Chicken-Rice Dinner

My Crock Pot Chicken-Rice Dinner is creamy, hearty and makes a satisfying main dish.

1 cup regular rice
1 can (10.5 oz.) cream of mushroom soup 
1 can (10.5 oz.) cream of celery soup
1 can of water
1 can of milk
½ teaspoons of paprika
½ teaspoons of thyme leaves
1 envelope of onion soup mix or ½ cups of finely chopped onion
3 chicken breasts or 6 pieces of chicken (thighs or drumsticks)
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Place over your rinsed chicken pieces in your waiting crock pot.

Combine rice, soups, water, milk and seasonings and pour over the chicken.  

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix over everything.

Cover with the lid and then turn on the low heat and cook for about six hours.

Check after two hours to see if you need to add any extra water for your rice.  If so, you can give it a quick stir and add about ½ more water or milk and continue until chicken is finished cooking.  

ENJOY!

Recipe: My Oat-Parmesan Baked Chicken Is Healthy, Quick, and So Easy to Make

This is a heart-healthy chicken main dish that has a tasty protein and fiber coating.

The holidays are closing in.  With all shopping and not to mention partying ahead, you are going to want to try this fabulous chicken main dish.  My Oat-Parmesan Baked Chicken is quick, easy, and healthy. This recipe will keep you on track when rushing and time for overindulging on Christmas cookies gets the best of your willpower. The coating keeps the chicken moist by locking in natural juices while that mixture of cheese, oats, and sweet basil add something spectacular.

If you are watching your salt intake or cholesterol, you can make this recipe healthier by forgoing the salt and substituting egg whites or egg substitute for the two eggs that you will need for dipping your chicken before hitting the oat-cheese coating mixture.

My Oat-Parmesan Baked Chicken

2 cups of quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of dry basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
2 large eggs
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
olive oil just to drizzle 


Preheat your oven first to 350-degrees because throwing this dish together won’t take you long.

Place the oats, cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl and combine.  

Next, dip the chicken in the eggs, which you have beaten.

Take the moistened chicken and dunk into your coating mixture.  

If you have more egg or coating left, then repeat the dip and dunk process on a few pieces until you finish using.

Be sure to well grease a baking pan about 13 x 9 x 2-inch before arranging your chicken pieces.  Drizzle just a little olive oil over each piece before you send it to the oven.

Keep uncovered and then bake at that 350-degree temperature for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how your oven is regulated.

ENJOY!

Recipe: My Favorite Skinny Pasta With Chicken and Sweet Peppers!

Today, I want to share a simple chicken main dish that you will love on all fronts once you taste it.  First of all, it is delicious, hardly any work, colorful, a great way to eat more vegetables, and a lower-calorie main dish. Trust me, this dish tastes more fattening than it really is.  

What makes it special are roasting three different varieties of sweet peppers first before browning onion, garlic, and then the chicken, bringing out the flavor even more without bombarding it with an excessive amount of fat and heavier ingredients.  Once you add a little tomato paste, chicken stock and lightly season, you serve over a bed of cooked pasta for one of the easiest and most delicious chicken dishes around.

I do hope you make my recipe because I really think that you’ll like it!

Skinny Pasta With Chicken and Sweet Peppers

3 sweet peppers (red, green, and yellow)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 large chicken breasts, boned and cut in small pieces

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

½ cup of chicken stock

3/4 pound of your favorite form of pasta, cooked

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of dried basil

½ teaspoon of dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary

3/4 teaspoon of salt

Roast peppers; remove the skin.  Cut into strips.

Heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic.  Brown them until golden.

Add the chicken pieces to your skillet and brown as well.

Pour in the tomato paste, chicken stock, peppers, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, rosemary, and peppers.  Cook slowly until chicken is tender.

Pour in more chicken stock if the sauce begins to dry.

Serve over a bed of cooked pasta.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Ease Up Your Day With My Savory Slow-Cooker Chicken Dinner!

Though I love creating delicious dishes,  I do not like long, complicated recipes that involve a lot of work.  The recipes that appeal to me the most are basically simple and inexpensive like this easy chicken recipe.  

My Savory Slow-Cooker Chicken Dinner is perfect to start early in the day and during the course of about seven or eight hours on low, you can have a healthy meal ready for the family in time for dinner.

You will be slowly cooking up the most tender chicken in an aromatic seasoned tomato sauce with vegetables that later will be served over a bed of whatever is your favorite form of pasta.  Tasty beyond what I can describe is what awaits you once you sample this great recipe for this incredibly moist chicken.

You will need to brown the chicken first before you put it in your slow crocker.  Here is a wonderful tip to keep it from sticking in your skillet.  Be sure to heat the skillet up first before adding the oil and those chicken pieces.  Starting with a hot skillet will give you better results.

My Savory Slow-Cooker Chicken Dinner

3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 pounds of chicken (pieces or breasts), skin removed
4 cloves minced garlic
2 large onions, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons of dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary 
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in puree
8-oz. fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 medium red pepper (cut into long strips)
1-1/2 cups of chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1 lb. of cooked rigatoni or spaghetti (whatever form of a pasta that you are most fond of)

Heat your skillet to make it hot before adding the olive oil.

Add the skinned chicken parts and brown, turning to brown it all over.

Take your chopped onions, garlic, spices, sugar, tomatoes, mushrooms,  red pepper, salt, pepper, browned chicken parts, and one cup of your chicken stock and mix everything together before placing in the slow crocker.  Then lock it up with the lid.

Cook on the LOW setting for seven to eight hours when the chicken is nicely cooked and bubbly.

Prepare your pasta and have it ready.

Before serving, you will take the remaining one-half cup of the chicken broth and mix it with the cornstarch until it smooth. 

Add this cornstarch mixture to your slow-cooker and continue to cook on HIGH for about 10 minutes until this tomato sauce thickens.

Serve over your cooked pasta.

ENJOY!

Do You Want a Tasty Solution to Use That Leftover Easter Ham and Turkey?

If you're tired of those same ways to finish off that leftover ham or turkey still sitting in your refrigerator, then I two delicious recipes to share that will help you solve your problem.  This first recipe is a simple hearty casserole with a combination of seasonings that will elevate it into an elegant Cajun main dish.

The second recipe is geared toward getting rid of your ham and will transform those leftovers into a new oven casserole with kielbassa and beans that is so amazing with a lightly seasoned tomato sauce that you will not recognize it.  After you make this, you will look forward to leftover ham and welcome the opportunity to have this dish again. 

So don't get disgusted with those leftovers because you will be pleasantly surprised once you try these recipes for yourself.

My Cajun Surprise

1-1/2 cups of diced cooked ham
1 cup of chopped onion (1 large)
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of salt
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounces)
3 cups of chopped cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup uncooked rice (regular variety)
2 tablespoons of minced parsley
2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar

Brown your onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic in a large skillet in the oil until onion is golden brown and then stir in your ham.  Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.  Cover; simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice cooks and the flavors are well combined.

My Favorite French Oven Stew

4 cups of water
1 lb. of dried Great Northern or Navy Beans (2-1/2 cups)
4 carrots, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, fined diced
2 bay leaves
1 can of tomato sauce (15 ounce size)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
3 cups of leftover ham pieces, chopped
1 lb.  (or less) kielbassa, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons of canola oil or olive oil

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 

Heat water and beans (that you soaked overnight)  to boiling in your Dutch oven or large pot; boil about two minutes.  Remove from the heat; cover and let stand one hour.  Add enough water to the cover beans if needed.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until almost tender about 1-1/2 hours. (Be sure not to boil or your beans will burst now).  Drain.

Brown your onion and other chopped vegetables in the oil till golden brown and your chopped kielbassa pieces until the vegetables are tender.  Take this off of the heat and stir in the flour to coat everything.

In a large Dutch oven or 4-quart casserole, place this cooked mixture and all the remaining ingredients together.  Cover and cook at 325 degree oven for about an hour.  Remove the cover and cook an additional 30 minutes more.