Crockpot Chicken and Rice

So for dinner last night, we made a super tasty meal, and it was really easy to make. Here are the ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
14 ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup
14 ounce can Cheddar Soup
14 ounces Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup sour cream
6 cups steamed broccoli florets (Boiled in hot water for 3 minutes then drained)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

And then, super easy directions:

Place soups, chicken broth, Cajun and garlic salt into a crockpot over low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Add chicken, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces.  Stir in sour cream and broccoli. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese if desired. If you’d like, top also with crunchy chow mein noodles.

This was fantastic and delicious.It reminded me a little of Hawaiian Haystacks, and it was so tasty.

7Up Chicken

Last weekend, I cleaned out my freezer, and I found a million frozen chicken breasts in the freezer. So last night, when I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner, I decided it was high time to use some of the chicken. I found a recipe in my Pinterest pages that was for a crock pot, because I didn’t have time to defrost them, so I found one for 7Up Chicken. It has only a few ingredients, and it was easy to make.

3 lbs boneless chicken breasts
10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
12 oz can of 7Up or lemon-lime soda
1 cup rice (Minute rice is best)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker. Whisk together the 7Up and soup, and pour over chicken. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours on low. Add rice and chicken broth, and cook for 2-3 more hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Now, I cooked it for a little over 2 hours, then I added the rice. I think I only cooked it for 1 more hour, and it was totally done. The recipe didn’t specify if the chicken was supposed to be whole or cut up, so we shredded it, just because. I shredded it, took a bite…

It’s actually kind of delicious! I liked the tangy sweetness of the soda, so I definitely recommend this recipe to people, and it’s actually really easy. Give it a try, don’t be thrown off by the soda.

Chicken & Dumplings

After having been in Germany for a week, and eating out every night, I was ready for some home cooking. I scoured recipes to see what I wanted, and finally landed on making chicken and dumplings. I found a good recipe on Pinterest, and went to work on it. First of all, I’ve never made chicken and dumplings before, but they were always a favorite during childhood. So I was psyched to see if I could recreate. I’ll share the recipe and pics, naturally.

Chicken:
I large fryer chicken (4-5 lbs), neck and gizzards removed. (I just used chicken breasts here…I don’t know where to find a whole chicken. Just at the store? I don’t know)
1 Large onion, peeled and cut in half
3 Carrots, cut into large pieces
3 Stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
Kosher salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Dumplings:
3 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 Tbsp shortening
1 Cup milk

Place the chicken, onions, carrots, and celery in a large stock pot and cover with water

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water maintains a gentle simmer. Cook chicken for 1 hour or until cooked through (about 165 degrees). About 30 minutes after you start cooking chicken, get started on the dumplings, or you can wait until the chicken is fully cooked.

Once chicken is done, remove from broth and let cool. Remove chicken from the bone, and shred into medium-sized pieces, discarding bone and skin.

Pour the chicken broth through a fine mesh sieve (I’ll be honest, I used a clean, thin dish towel) lined with cheese cloth, discarding vegetables. Reserve 6 cups of the broth for the dumplings. Refrigerate or freeze the rest to use in another recipe.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles small peas.

Add milk – 1/4 cup at a time, you may not need the full cup (I did) – and stir until a ball of dough just begins to form, being careful not to over mix. Roll out the dough onto floured surface that you don’t mind cutting on. Roll about 1/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into rectangles about 1 inch by 3 inches long. Place strips on wax paper and allow to harden up a bit, about 30 minutes.

In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat, bring broth to a gentle simmer and drop in dumplings. Cover and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken. Allow to cook until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

This was actually really delicious – I recommend to everyone! Make sure to leave plenty of time, though – because it does take a while.