CrockPot Orange Chicken

I love using my crockpot on the weekends. When I saw this recipe from Stephanie pop in my Google reader, I knew I had to make it. I love orange chicken when getting take-out but you know it’s fried & heavily sauced (aka not that great for you). I felt like I was cheating using this recipe because it tasted so good and I knew it was made actually pretty healthy.

The only thing I changed from Stephanie’s original is that when we were ready to eat, I steamed some fresh broccoli and tossed it into the sauce right before serving. We’ll definitely be having this again.

CrockPot Orange Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I’d opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won’t need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you’d like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

I found this recipe in the November ’09 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. The sauce turned out just a little thick but for the most part this was a easy & tasty weeknight meal. I think next time we try this I’ll probably make it into a thick soup by just adding just a bit more 1/2 & 1/2, chicken broth, some baby carrots, & frozen peas.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

One 1-pound package of potato gnocchi

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half-and-half ( I used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1 cup chicken broth

2 scallions, chopped



Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.



Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.



In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

Drunken Charro Beans

Last weekend, we went to a friends house for a day of BBQ & Football. I needed something manly & easy that would feed a group of hungry guys. This was a hit. Most men seem to love anything cooked with beer so this was an easy winner.

You can definitely adjust the seasonings to your taste and maybe you have another favorite beer. Most anything should work. Enjoy!!

Drunken Charro Beans

1 32oz pkg of dried pinto beans
1 lg onion, chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded & diced
1 Can of Rotel (you can use whatever level, but we used the Hot)
1lb pkg of bacon
2 C chicken stock
1 Tbsp each…garlic salt, jalapeno salt, pepper
2 bottles of Corona

Rinse the dried beans in a colander. Drain and then place beans in the bottom of the crockpot. Layer Rotel, onion, jalapeno, and bacon over top.

Pour 1/2 of the chicken stock in and then sprinkle your seasonings. Add 1 of the Coronas now. Turn crockpot on high heat for about 4 hours. No Peeking.

About 4 hours into it, stir everything together. Add the remaining chicken stock as well as the last bottle of Corona. Put the lid back on and leave on low for another 4-6 hours.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Divan

I saw this recipe pop up from Jenny’s blog. A girl after my own heart. Adding artichoke hearts to Chicken Divan. Genius!! I cut this down to use in an 8*8 pan so my recipe amounts are shown slightly different from Jenny’s. It turned out very tasty. I hope you’ll like it.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Divan

Cooking spray
2 cups broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into chunks and cooked.
1 cans cream of chicken soup (low fat, low sodium)
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup Panko (or bread crumbs)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (or any other light butter)

Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces and layer the bottom of a 8*8 casserole dish with it. Sprinkle a handful of parmesan over top. Top it with the artichokes and cooked chicken. Combine the soups and mayo in a bowl and spread it on top of the chicken and veggies. Pour the soup mixture onto the chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle remaining cheese on casserole. Melt the butter on the stove. When melted add the panko and saute one minute. Spoon on top of the casserole. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes or until the panko is nicely browned.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

The nights have been getting chillier so I made this with rice, along with some chicken in the oven to warm us up a bit. This makes no less than a TON of rice. Be prepared for leftovers. This recipe comes originally from Allrecipes.com, but I found it in my Google Reader from Melissa.
I substituted the can of green chiles for a can of Rotel, drained & it turned out wonderfully! Enjoy!

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies (I used a can of Rotel, drained)
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
12.5 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X9 baking dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, green chilies, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and parsley . Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Transfer to the prepared dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Oriental Beef and Noodles

Another Crock-pot Recipe. This one is incredibly easy to throw together & pretty tasty, although not the prettiest to photograph. We both liked this for an easy dinner that you don’t really have to pay attention to during the day.

We made just a few changes to Colleen’s recipe, and I think it gave it just a tad more flavor. Yum!

Oriental Beef and Noodles

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 – 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (we changed this to about a teaspoon for a little mote heat)
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, water, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, Stir noodles, Ramen spice packets, and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

Rustic Chicken

For Joelen’s October Tasty Tool event, she’s highlighting crockpots/slow cookers. I try to use my crockpot once or twice a month so I already have a few recipes in this blog with the Crockpot tag. However, for Joelen’s event I wanted to try something new.

I knew I wanted to make something with chicken and I wanted to use artichokes. I found this recipe on RazzleDazzleRecipes.com. It takes all of 2 minutes to throw everything in the crockpot and then you just sit back and wait, enjoying the smell of a home cooked meal that you don’t have to work hard for. Enjoy!!

Rustic Chicken


1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders, or boneless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch strips

1 tablespoon real bacon bits (I omitted these)

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, quartered

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 packet dry chicken gravy mix

1/4 cup red wine

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
** I added about 6 large stuffed Green Olives as well.



Combine all ingredients in a crockpot; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.

S’mores Truffles

I saw this recipe on Emily’s blog and I knew I had to make it. I feel like I’ve had this recipe saved forever. I’m not sure why it took me so long to make it. These truffles were so easy to make. They were a big hit at the cookout we took them to. Make sure you keep them in the fridge or freezer and set them out just before serving. They get soft pretty easy, but they’re so tasty.

S’mores Truffles

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk chocolate chips (12 oz.)
24 mini-marshmallows
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Chill saucepan in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chocolate is solid and rollable; roll into 24 balls, stuffing a mini marshmallow into the center of each. Chill truffles a few minutes before rolling in graham cracker crumbs; chill for a few minutes again so they solidify a little more.

Antipasta Chopped Salad

I’ve been craving artichokes lately. They seem to go good with just about everything. I made this salad one night to go with some grilled chicken. Cancy really liked it as well. You really could add whatever you like to this. I will probably add some Kalamata olives next time. I hope you like it.

Antipasta Chopped Salad

1 heart of romaine, chopped
about 6 ounces mozzarella, diced
6 ouces of salami or pepperoni, chopped small
banana peppers, diced
12 ounce jar of marinated artichokes, drained & chopped

Combine lettuce, cheese, meat, peppers, & artichokes into a bowl. Toss to combine.

Use a little bit of the reserved liquid from the artichoke jar to dress the salad. Season with salt & pepper.

Jalapeno Chile Coleslaw

I have been making this side dish this summer and it has gone over well each time. It’s a nice side to take to any potluck or bbq since it makes so much. If you like things with a little heat in them, you will appreciate this. My husband’s friends have asked for it a few times since they first tried it. Try it, You’ll love it.

Jalapeno Chile Coleslaw
2 (8 oz) packages broccoli coleslaw
1 Napa cabbage, cut into 1/4” strips
5 jalapenos, cut out the ribs & seeds, then chop
1 bottle of Jalapeno Ranch Dressing (this is important)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. cayenne

Combine broccoli slaw, cabbage, and jalapenos.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan on medium heat. Just warm them up a little bit so they are more fragrant. Let cool.

Pour dressing over top, sprinkle cayenne & toss to coat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to let everything combine. Just before serving, top with cumin seeds.