Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Here’s another one of those recipes that takes 5 minutes to prepare the night before and 30 seconds to set the slow cooker the next morning.  I tossed this one together Sunday night, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, set the timer on the slow cooker before I left for work yesterday, and when we got home, not only was dinner ready, but the house smelled amazing!

Whip up a quick sauce with ingredients most of which you probably have on hand, toss it over some chicken thighs (though if you prefer, you could probably use breasts), and shred it when you get home – it’s that easy.  The sauce has that garlic-honey flavor we all (or at least we all should) love and though there’s some onion and red pepper flake in there, you’d never know – in fact, I might even kick it up another notch with the red pepper flakes next time.  And don’t be shy about adding that blackberry jam – it adds a certain sweetness and cuts the sharp garlic, onion, and soy – but doesn't make it too sweet even when paired with the honey.

I served this over some rice noodles and spinach, but this would surely make some good sliders for an upcoming party, say Super Bowl?

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

What You Need:

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c blackberry spreadable fruit
• 1/4 c hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 large pinch red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp cold water

How You Do It:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes.
2. Add chicken to bottom of slow cooker basin and top with sauce.
3. Cook on low 6-7 hours.
4. Using tongs, break apart the cooked chicken – this should happen very easily.
5. Combine cornstarch and water and add to slow cooker.  Carefully mix to combine, cover, and crank the heat to high for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken adapted from JustATaste.com.

Cranberry-Pinot Noir Meatballs

Here’s a recipe that only lasted on my Pinterest board a mere 3 days before making it into the weekly plan.  And with two great football games on last night, meatballs were just the thing to have for dinner.  That, and they involved a bottle of wine, which is always a win in my book.

The original recipe would have been just four ingredients – meatballs, wine, cranberry sauce, and brown sugar, but I chose to make my own meatballs.  I just prefer to control the ingredients that go into them.  I’m sure the recipe would have been just as good if you used packaged meatballs, and honestly, would have taken only about 15 minutes to prepare the entire dish.  My version took about 30 minutes, 20 of which was all bake time, and the meal was still done in no time with little effort.

The sauce for these meatballs was a little sweet, with a nice balance of cranberry and wine.  I did thicken it a little just before adding the meatballs, since mine was a little thin… but I’ll leave that up to you.  And don’t forget – use a bottle of wine you wouldn't mind drinking… especially since the sauce only calls for 1 cup, there’s more than enough for a glass (or two) with dinner (or while making it!). 

I served this over rice with a side of broccoli – a standard combo when I make meatballs.  I love how the rice soaks up the sauce and how the broccoli adds that freshness and green.  Oh and mom: no need to double the sauce, there was more than enough…

Cranberry-Pinot Noir Meatballs

 

Cranberry-Pinot Noir Meatballs

What You Need:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• ½ c seasoned breadcrumbs
• 6 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp dried minced onion
• 1 c Pinot Noir
• 1 (16 oz) can whole cranberry Sauce
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp deli (or spicy brown) mustard

How You Do It:

1. To make the meatballs, combine ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, and onion.  Mix until just combined.
2. Form into small balls and bake at 400* for 15 min or until cooked through.
3. While meatballs bake, in a saucepan combine cranberry sauce, brown sugar, Pinot Noir, and mustard. Whisk to combine over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from heat and add cooked meatballs.

Cranberry-Pinot Noir Meatballs adapted from Julie's Eats and Treats.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Talk about an easy recipe!  Three ingredients, the slow cooker, and then finish it off in oven just to melt the cheese - can't get much better!  Not only that, but the chances you have two, if not all three of these ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator/freezer, is pretty good.

It's as easy as popping some frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker, dumping a jar of your favorite salsa on top, and three hours later, the chicken is ready to be topped with cheese and transferred into the oven to melt.

That's it - it's that easy.   No hidden secrets, no fancy tools.  Just a slow cooker, a baking dish, and the oven and you're left with super moist chicken with great flavor from the salsa with as much heat as you desire, covered with gooey cheese.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

What You Need:

• 5 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 jar salsa
• 1 c shredded Mexican blend cheese

How You Do It:

1. Spray the basin of the slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add frozen chicken and cover with salsa.
2. Cook on high 3 hours.
3. Transfer chicken to baking dish and cover with salsa.  
4. Top with cheese and bake at 400* 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken recipe adapted from Jo Cooks.

Pancake Syrup Gone Wrong

No recipe to share tonight...

Why?  Because it was a flop. I could tell just by the smell I wasn't going to like it.  And I should have known better - every time I try a recipe that calls for maple/pancake syrup, I am always disappointed. I think it's because I use pancake syrup and not pure maple syrup (since I have some in the pantry), but at this point in the game, I'll probably forgo trying another, even with pure maple syrup instead. 

Does this ever happen to you - where you try and try again to the point where you just give up?

...and I'd better give a shout out to the hubs who, every time I attempt a recipe that ultimately fails, has to listen to me complain and apologize non-stop for the remainder of the night even though he wasn't upset or disappointed or complaining.  He's the best. He really is. 

...and in case you're curious as to what I tried tonight, it was this.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

Meeting with the trainer last night, I knew when I got home I was going to be much too exhausted to cook dinner, so I had totally planned on throwing something into the slow cooker yesterday morning.  But, much to my dismay, I had forgotten to pick up the key ingredient for the recipe when I went grocery shopping this weekend.  So I whipped together this one that had been sitting in my stack (ok, mountain) of recipes to try and luckily I had everything on hand. 

Now, I will admit, I would use a different jar of sauce next time since I didn't particularly care for the one I used, or even make my own and measure it out to the 24-oz needed, but overall this was really good, really easy, and a really balanced meal… especially since I about tripled the amount of spinach the original recipe called for.

A quick and easy meal to whip together, even after getting your ass kicked at the gym.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

 

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

What You Need:

• ½ box spaghetti
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 16 oz fresh baby spinach
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

How You Do It:

1. Cook pasta to desired doneness.
2. While pasta cooks, cook chicken in a deep skillet until no longer pink.
3. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.  Add sauce, stir to combine, and simmer 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
4. Add spinach in batches, and cook until wilted, stirring frequently.
5. Serve chicken/spinach mixture over pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet recipe adapted from KraftRecipes.com

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

Happy New Year, everyone!

I must say, it’s been a while since anything coming out of the kitchen was blog-worthy.  Probably cranked out some decent stuff in the last month or two if you ask my husband, but nothing I could rant or rave about.

Until last night… which I presume makes a good start for 2014.  Since everyone (including us) goes for a healthy start to the New Year, here’s a really easy and really healthy salmon recipe to start the year off right.

The best thing about this was not only did I have all the ingredients on hand, but it used some of our most prized flavors, and they really shined through.  The honey, ginger, and garlic married perfectly together to balance with the salmon and provided a great, but not too overbearing, flavor with a splash of acid from the lemon juice to cut the sharpness.

I served this over a whole-wheat couscous with peas and mushrooms – which soaked up some extra glaze and added a nice balance of protein, carb, and vegetable.  A good win to kick of the New Year indeed.

Wishing for only good things in 2014…

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

What You Need:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp warm water
• ¾ tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

How You Do It:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine honey, lemon juice, water, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.
3. Pour honey mixture into a small baking pan; arrange fish in pan, skinned side up, and let stand 20 minutes.
4. Turn fish over, baste with marinate, and bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon recipe adapted from Cooking Light.