Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Recipe

I had a chicken defrosting in the fridge for dinner yesterday that I planned to roast in the oven. Well it was far too hot to cook anything at all. Today I got to thinking about this chicken sitting there lying in wait. It's still too hot to cook, and take out or going out to eat is not an option. I could always BBQ it but it looks like rain, and I hate being caught in a downpour slaving over a hot grill. I might melt or drown. How the heck was I going to cook this chicken? Too big for the toaster oven, don't want to microwave it, then I thought why not put it in the crock-pot.

Chipotle Chicken on top of brown rice, carrots & onions, corn, and a side salad

After looking in the fridge to see what I had on hand that might taste okay with the chicken I found 1/2 bottle of Diana Spicy Southwest Chipotle marinade. This sauce is only available in Canada I believe but you could probably substitute it with another brand such as Kraft or Lawry's.

So onto the recipe .........


Ingredients

• 1 whole defrosted chicken
• 1/4 - 1/2 bottle of Diana Spicy Southwest Chipotle mainade or brand of your choice
• 3-4 large carrots peeled and cut into large pieces
• 2-3 cooking onions peeled and quartered  
• 1- 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

Instructions

1. Early in the day rinse off the chicken, and place it in either a large zip lock freezer bag or in a marinating dish.
2. Pour some of the marinating sauce into the cavity of the chicken and then on top of the chicken coating it.
3. Place the chicken in the refrigerator until you are ready to put it into the crockpot. I left it in the fridge for 5 hours.
4. In the bottom of the crock-pot place the carrots along with the onions.
5. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables.
6. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables along with any leftover marinade that's in the bag or marinating dish.
7. Set the crock pot on low and cook until done. My slow cooker tends to cook faster than some. It took a total of 5 hours for my 4 pound chicken to cook.
8. One or two times while the chicken is cooking open the lid and spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken.
9. Remove the chicken and veggies from the crockpot and serve over rice or noodles. I served the chicken over brown rice with the carrots & onions, corn, and a salad.

Preparing the chicken with the marinade sauce

Chop veggies and place in crockpot along with chicken broth and then the chicken

 Carrots with Onions                                        Chicken

I used to only use my crock pot or slow cooker during the months when it was cold outside. Using it in the summer is great because it doesn't really heat up the kitchen or house at all.

If you don't have a crock pot I highly recommend buying one. There are all kinds of great meals you can prepare with one.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow cookers are such a great little appliance to own. The thing I like the most about them is that it doesn't matter what you cook in them everything comes out delicious. It must be because of the slow cooking and the way the flavors intermingle. You put it on first thing in the morning, forget about it, the house fills with alluring aromas, making you ravenous by the time it is ready to eat.

Well onto the recipe.

Ingredients I used for Beef Stew

• 2 pounds of stewing beef cut into small bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup of flour
• Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper
• garlic powder
• 1-2 tbs. of olive oil
• 2 cooking onions cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 large sweet potato washed and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 large carrots chopped
• 2 pinches of thyme
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large can of tomatoes 
• 1 cup of frozen peas

 Instructions 

1. I use a plastic bread bag or Ziploc bag depending on what I have handy to coat the beef with flour. Put a 1/4 of a cup of flour into the bottom of the bag and add a few spices. Today I used Slap Ya Mama Cajun pepper seasoning along with garlic powder. Add the cut up stewing beef and give it a shake to coat the meat with the flour mixture.
2. Heat up a pan with olive oil and brown the beef. Add the browned beef to the bottom of your slow cooker.
3. On top of the beef add the onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, a few good pinches of thyme, and 2 bay leaves.
4. Mix 2 cups of beef broth with the Worcestershire sauce and pour over the top of the carrots.
5. Add 1 can of tomatoes to the top.
6. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours depending on how slow or fast your slow cooker works. Mine cooks faster than what most recipes call for.
7. 1/2 hour before you're ready to eat add 1/2 cup of frozen peas.
8. Serve and Enjoy!

Step by Step Photo Instructions

Shake the beef to coat with flour in a bread bag or Ziploc Bag

Brown the beef

Put browned beef into the slow cooker

Add the onions

Add the sweet potatoes

Add the carrots

Bay leaves, broth and thyme added

Add the tomatoes

Serve alone with a salad and or crusty bread.

There's nothing like a homemade beef stew to warm and fill you up on a cold winters day.