Poached Chicken
Mary E. Wheatley
Mashpee, MA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4½-qt.
1 whole broiler-fryer chicken, about 3 lbs.
1 celery rib, cut into chunks
1 carrot, sliced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 cup chicken broth, seasoned, or water, or dry white wine
1. Wash chicken. Pat dry with paper towels and place in slow cooker.
2. Place celery, carrot, and onion around chicken. Pour broth over all.
3. Cover and cook on Low 7-8 hours, or until chicken is tender.
4. Remove chicken from pot and place on platter. When cool enough to handle, debone.
5. Strain broth into a container and chill.
6. Place chunks of meat in fridge or feezer until ready to use in salads or main dishes.
Herby Chicken
Joyce Bowman
Lady Lake, FL
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
2½-3½-lb. whole roaster chicken
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 bay leaf
2-4 sprigs fresh thyme, or ¾ tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1. Remove giblets from chicken.
2. Put lemon wedges and bay leaf in cavity.
3. Place whole chicken in slow cooker.
4. Scatter sprigs of thyme over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and cook on Low 5-7 hours, or until chicken is tender.
6. Serve hot with pasta or rice, or debone and freeze for your favorite casseroles or salads.
Betty Drescher
Quakertown, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 9-11 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
3-4-lb. roasting chicken, or hen
1½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes, divided
1 Tbsp. butter
½-1 cup water
1. Thoroughly wash chicken and pat dry.
2. Sprinkle cavity with salt, pepper, and ½ tsp. parsley flakes. Place in slow cooker, breast side up.
3. Dot with butter or brush with melted butter.
4. Sprinkle with remaining parsley flakes. Add water around the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on High 1 hour. Turn to Low and cook 8-10 hours.
Tips:
1. Sprinkle with basil or tarragon in Step 4, if you wish.
2. To make it a more complete meal, put carrots, onions, and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Easy Mushroom Chicken
Trish Dick
Ladysmith, WI
Janice Burkholder
Richfield, PA
Carol Shirk
Leola, PA
Carrie Darby
Wayland, IA
Sara Kinsinger
Stuarts Draft, VA
Clara Newswanger,
Gordonville, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
4-6 chicken legs and thighs (joined), skinned
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chicken broth, or dry white wine
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom or celery soup
4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each piece of chicken. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, mix broth and soup together. Pour over chicken.
3. Spoon mushrooms over top.
4. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or on High 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Optional Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced, added in Step 2.
Scant ¼ tsp. rosemary leaves, fresh or dried, added in Step 2.
— Carolyn Spohn
Shawnee, KS
Yummy Slow-Cooker Chicken
Teresa Kennedy
Mt. Pleasant, IA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
3 lbs. uncooked chicken pieces
1 onion, cut up
7-oz. can mushroom pieces, drained
10¾-oz. can condensed cream soup, your choice of flavors
your choice of fresh herbs
Optional ingredients:
6 carrots, sliced or cut into chunks
rib of celery, sliced or cut into chunks
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Mix all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8 hours, or until chicken is tender.
4. Fifteen minutes before serving, toss in your choice of fresh herbs. Blend in well.
5. Serve over cooked rice, potatoes, or noodles.
Slow-Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Betty Moore
Plano, IL
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
6-8 bone-in chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp. flour
½ cup water
paprika to taste
1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Pour soup over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 6 hours.
4. Remove chicken to a serving dish or platter. Cover to keep warm.
5. Turn slow cooker to High. In a small mixing bowl, blend flour into water until smooth. Stir into hot gravy in slow cooker.
6. Cook until thickened. Pour over chicken to serve.
7. Sprinkle with paprika just before serving.
Honey Baked Chicken
Mary Kennell, Roanoke, IL
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
4 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. curry powder
salt and pepper, optional
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and add chicken
2. Mix butter, honey, mustard, and curry powder together in a small bowl. Pour sauce over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on High 3 hours, or on Low 5-6 hours.
Variations:
1. Use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Drop the curry powder if you wish.
— Cathy Boshart
Lebanon, PA
2. Use a small fryer chicken, quartered, instead of breasts or thighs.
— Frances Kruba
Dundalk, MD
3. Instead of curry powder, use ½ tsp. paprika.
— Jena Hammond
Traverse City, MI
Honey Mustard Chicken
Jean Halloran
Green Bay, WI
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1½ cups honey mustard dressing
½ cup water
1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Cut chicken into approximately 2” pieces. Place in the slow cooker.
3. In a bowl, mix together the dressing and water. Pour over the chicken pieces.
4. Cover and cook on High 3-4 hours, or on Low 6-7 hours.
Tip: If you prefer a slightly milder flavor, add another ¼ cup water to Step 3.
Beth Shank
Wellman, IA
Karen Waggoner
Joplin, MO
Carol Armstrong
Winston, OR
Lois Niebauer
Pedricktown, NJ
Jean Butzer
Batavia, NY
Veronica Sabo
Shelton, CT
Charlotte Shaffer
East Earl, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
16-oz. jar Russian or Creamy French, salad dressing
12-oz. jar apricot preserves
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1. In a bowl, mix together the dressing, preserves, and dry onion soup mix.
2. Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker.
3. Pour the sauce over top of the chicken.
4. Cover and cook on High 3 hours, or on Low 4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Variations:
1. Serve over cooked brown rice. Top individual servings with broken cashews.
— Crystal Brunk
Singers Glen, VA
2. Substitute K.C. Masterpiece BBQ Sauce with Hickory Brown Sugar for the salad dressing. Add 1 cup pineapple chunks and/or 1 cup mandarin oranges, with or without juice, to Step 1.
— Jane Hershberger
Newton, KS
3. Drop the salad dressing and use 2 12-oz. jars apricot preserves. And substitute ham or turkey for the chicken breasts.
— Shirley Sears
Sarasota, FL
— Jennifer Eberly
Harrisonburg, VA
— Marcia S. Myer
Manheim, PA
Chicken, Sweet Chicken
Anne Townsend
Albuquerque, NM
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
2 medium-sized raw sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” thick slices
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8-oz. jar orange marmalade
¼ cup water
¼-½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1. Place sweet potato slices in slow cooker.
2. Rinse and dry chicken pieces. Arrange on top of the potatoes.
3. Spoon marmalade over the chicken and potatoes.
4. Pour water over all. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and cook on High 1 hour, and then turn to Low and cook 4-5 hours, or until potatoes and chicken are both tender.
Carlene Horne
Bedford, NH
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup chopped onion
12-oz. jar orange marmalade
½ cup Russian dressing
1 Tbsp. dried parsley, or to taste
1. Place chicken and onion in slow cooker.
2. Combine marmalade and dressing. Pour over chicken.
3. Sprinkle with parsley.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
5. Serve with rice.
Orange Glazed Chicken Breasts
Corinna Herr
Stevens, PA
Karen Ceneviva
New Haven, CT
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
12 ozs. orange juice concentrate, undiluted and thawed
½ tsp. dried marjoram leaves
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1. Combine thawed orange juice and marjoram in shallow dish. Dip each breast in orange juice mixture.
2. Sprinkle each breast with salt and pepper; then place in slow cooker. Pour remaining orange sauce over breasts.
3. Cover and cook on Low 6½-8½ hours, or on High 3½-4½ hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Half an hour before serving, remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and keep warm on a platter.
5. Mix water and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth. Turn slow cooker to High. Stir cornstarch water into liquid in slow cooker.
6. Place cover slightly ajar on slow cooker. Cook until sauce is thickened and bubbly, about 15-30 minutes. Serve sauce over chicken.
Picnic Chicken
Anne Townsend
Albuquerque, NM
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
2 lbs., or 4 large, chicken thighs
¼ cup dill pickle relish
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chicken broth
1. Rinse chicken well. Pat dry. Place in slow cooker with the skin side up.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the relish, mustard, and mayonnaise. When well blended, stir in chicken broth. Mix well.
3. Pour sauce over chicken.
4. Cover cooker and cook on Low 6-7 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry or mushy.
Susan Kasting
Jenks, OK
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
6 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves
1½ tsp. dry thyme
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup orange juice concentrate
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1. Rub thyme and garlic over chicken. (Reserve any leftover thyme and garlic.) Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Mix orange juice concentrate and vinegar together in a small bowl. Stir in reserved thyme and garlic. Spoon over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 5-6 hours, or on High 2½-3 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Tip: Remove chicken from slow cooker and keep warm on a platter. Skim fat from sauce. Bring remaining sauce to boil in a saucepan to reduce. Serve sauce over chicken and cooked rice.
Oregano Chicken
Tina Goss
Duenweg, MO
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
3½-4 lbs. chicken, cut-up
half a stick (¼ cup) butter, or margarine, melted
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Mix butter, dressing mix, and lemon juice together and pour over top.
2. Cover and cook on High for 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
3. Baste occasionally with sauce mixture and sprinkle with oregano 1 hour, or just before, serving.
A Tip —
Liquids don’t boil down in a slow cooker. At the end of the cooking time, remove the cover, set dial on High and allow the liquid to evaporate, if the dish is soup-ier than you want.
John D. Allen
Rye, CO
Greek Chicken Pita Filling
Judi Manos
Wist Islip, NY
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. lemon pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ cup plain yogurt
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender.
2. Just before serving, remove chicken and shred with two forks.
3. Add shredded chicken back into slow cooker and stir in oregano and yogurt.
4. Serve as a filling for pita bread.
Colleen Konetzni
Rio Rancho, NM
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
6-8 skinless chicken thighs
½ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1. Wash and dry chicken. Place in slow cooker.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on High 1 hour. Reduce heat to Low and cook 6-7 hours.
4. Serve over rice with a fresh salad.
Tangy Chicken Legs
Frances L. Kruba
Dundalk, MD
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt. (oblong is best)
8 chicken drumsticks
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
scant ⅛ tsp. ground ginger
¼ cup water
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and spoon over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Simple Chicken
Norma Grieser
Clarksville, MI
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.
½ cup water
4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
garlic salt
1¾ cups (14 ozs.) barbecue sauce
1. Put water in bottom of slow cooker. Layer in chicken pieces, sprinkling each layer with garlic salt.
2. Pour barbecue sauce over all.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8 hours, or on High 4 hours, until chicken is tender but not dry or mushy.
Tips:
1. You can add slices of onion to each layer if you wish.
2. You can use legs and thighs in place of breasts, if you wish.
Mary Lynn Miller
Reinholds, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
3-4-lb. broiler/fryer chicken, cut up
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized lemon, thinly sliced
18-oz. bottle barbecue sauce
¾ cup cola
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with onion and lemon slices.
2. Combine barbecue sauce and cola. Pour over all.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Herby Barbecued Chicken
Lauren M. Eberhard
Seneca, IL
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
1 whole chicken, cut up, or 8 of your favorite pieces
1 onion, sliced thin
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Mix onion slices, sauce, oregano, and basil together in a bowl. Pour over chicken, covering as well as possible.
3. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Come-Back-for-More Barbecued Chicken
Leesa DeMartyn
Enola, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
6-8 chicken breast halves
1 cup ketchup
⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
½ cup water
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Whisk remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour sauce mixture over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not overcooked.
Tip: If the sauce begins to dry out as the dish cooks, stir in another ½ cup water.
Carol Sherwood
Batavia, NY
Sharon Shank
Bridgewater, VA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¾ cup chicken broth
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir gently.
2. Cook on High 3 hours, or on Low 6-7 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
3. Serve the breast pieces whole, or cut up and stir through the sauce.
Chicken and Potatoes Barbecue
Betty B. Dennison
Grove City, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided
8 small or medium-sized potatoes, quartered, divided
1 cup honey barbecue sauce
16-oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place 4 chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. Top with 4 cut-up potatoes.
3. Mix barbecue sauce and cranberry sauce together in a bowl. Spoon half the sauce over the chicken and potatoes in the cooker.
4. Place remaining breasts in cooker, followed by the remaining potato chunks. Pour rest of sauce over all.
5. Cover and cook on Low 8-9 hours, or on High 4 hours, or until chicken and potatoes are tender but not dry.
Tip: You may peel the potatoes or leave the skins on. Red potatoes are especially appealing with their skins on.
Gladys M. High
Ephrata, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
4 lbs. chicken pieces, divided
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
16-oz. can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
Optional ingredients:
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
1. Place ⅓ of the chicken pieces in the slow cooker.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Spoon ⅓ of the sauce over the chicken in the cooker.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 twice.
4. Cover and bake on High 4 hours, or on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Cranberry Chicken
Janie Steele
Moore, OK
Sheila Soldner
Lititz, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
6 chicken breast halves, divided
8-oz. bottle Catalina or creamy French, salad dressing
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
16-oz. can whole cranberry sauce
1. Place 3 chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. Mix other ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Pour half the sauce over chicken in the cooker.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2.
4. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
A Tip —
Keep a supply of cream of mushroom soup in your pantry. It is a quick and convenient staple for beef, veal, and pork roasts and casseroles. It makes a good sauce or gravy, with just a few additional seasonings or some sour cream.
Bacon-Feta Stuffed Chicken
Tina Goss
Duenweg, MO
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 14½-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1. In a small bowl, mix bacon and cheese together lightly.
2. Cut a pocket in the thicker side of each chicken breast. Fill each with ¼ of the bacon and cheese. Pinch shut and secure with toothpicks.
3. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with basil.
4. Cover and cook on High 1½-3 hours, or until chicken is tender, but not dry or mushy.
Chicken Supreme
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 6 servings
Pep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 6-qt.
3 slices bacon
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4-oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
1. In a large non-stick skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon well on paper towels, but reserve drippings. Crumble bacon. Set aside.
2. In bacon drippings, cook 3 chicken breasts over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until light brown, turning once. Place chicken in slow cooker. Repeat with remaining 3 breasts.
3. Top with mushrooms.
4. Heat soup in skillet until creamy. Pour over mushrooms and chicken.
5. Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
6. Top chicken with shredded cheese. Sprinkle with bacon.
7. Cover and cook on High 10-15 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Carol Eberly
Harrisonburg, VA
Ruthie Schiefer
Vassar, MI
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup (8 ozs.) sour cream
7-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained, optional
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, or ¼ cup pre-cooked bacon crumbles
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine soup and sour cream, and mushroom pieces if you wish. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until chicken is tender, but not dry.
4. Sprinkle with bacon before serving.
5. Serve over cooked rice or pasta.
Variations: If you like, add 2 cloves crushed garlic to Step 2. And lay 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary over the chicken and sauce in Step 2. Add a sprinkling of paprika and freshly snipped parsley to the bacon topping, just before serving.
— Stanley Kropf
Elkhart, IN
Simply Delicious Chicken Breasts
Donna Treloar
Hartford City, IN
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, or chicken legs and thighs
10¾-oz. can golden mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Pour soup over chicken. Sprinkle with dry soup mix.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Quilters’ Chicken
Sara Harter Fredette
Goshen, MA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
¼ -½ cup sour cream
4-oz. can mushrooms, drained, optional
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Blend mushroom soup and onion soup mix together in a small bowl. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in sour cream and mushrooms. Cover and continue cooking. Serve over rice or noodles.
Norma Grieser
Clarksville, MI
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.
8-10 chicken breast halves, divided
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
10¾-oz. can cream of celery, or mushroom, soup
½ cup cooking wine or sherry
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Place half the chicken in your slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, mix the soups and wine together. Pour half the sauce over the chicken.
3. Place the other half of the chicken in the slow cooker. Pour the remaining sauce over that layer.
4. Cover and cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is tender.
5. Ten minutes before serving, sprinkle with cheese.
Variations:
1. Stir your favorite seasonings into Step 2—parsley, thyme, basil, lemon pepper.
2. Add ½ cup toasted almonds to Step 5.
3. Serve over cooked rice or mashed potatoes.
— Carol Armstrong
Winston, OR
Easy Chicken
Jennifer Kuh
Bay Village, OH
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, fresh or frozen
10¾-oz. can low-fat cream of chicken soup
10¾-oz. can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
½ cup low-fat sour cream
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Mix soups well in a mixing bowl, and then pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Stir in sour cream ½ hour before serving.
Cheesy Chicken
Susan Tjon
Austin, TX
Katrina Eberly
Stevens, PA
Betty Moore
Plano, IL
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste, or 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of chicken soup
10¾-oz. can cheddar cheese soup
1. Rinse chicken, pat dry, and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder or garlic.
2. Place 3 breasts in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Combine the undiluted soups in a mixing bowl. Pour half the soup mixture over the 3 breasts.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3.
5. Cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Tips: If the sauce looks too thick 30 minutes before serving, add a little water.
Karen Waggoner
Joplin, MO
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
lemon pepper to taste
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
8-oz. carton sour cream
1. Place 4 breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.
2. Mix soup and cream cheese together in a bowl. When blended, fold in sour cream.
3. Pour half the sauce over the breasts in the cooker.
4. Repeat Steps 1 and 3.
5. Cover and cook on High for 2-4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Tip: This is good served over cooked rice.
Creamy Italian Chicken
Kathy Esh
New Holland, PA
Mary Ann Bowman
East Earl, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
¼ cup water
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken, or celery, soup
4-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained, optional
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine salad dressing and water. Pour over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on Low 3 hours.
3. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms if you wish. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover and cook on Low 1 hour, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Tips:
1. Remove chicken from sauce and serve on a platter. Serve the sauce over cooked noodles.
2. Shred chicken after cooking, and then stir into the sauce. Serve over cooked noodles
Creamy Chicken Curry
Gloria Frey
Lebanon, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can water
2 tsp. curry powder
⅓-½ cup chopped almonds, toasted
4 skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1. Combine ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 2-4 hours. Stir occasionally.
3. Serve over cooked rice.
Orpha Herr
Andover, NY
Makes 10 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
10 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of celery soup
⅓ cup sherry or wine, optional
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place chicken in slow cooker in layers. Season each layer with a sprinkling of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix soups with sherry or wine if you wish. Pour mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or on High 4-5 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry or mushy.
Savory Chicken Meal #1
Shari Mast
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 skinless chicken quarters
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp. water
¼ cup chopped sweet red peppers
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp. dried parsley, optional
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. paprika, optional
1. Layer chicken in slow cooker.
2. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Make sure all pieces are covered with sauce.
3. Cover. Cook on High 4-5 hours.
Savory Chicken, Meal #2
Shari Mast
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3¼-4¼ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
leftover chicken and broth from Savory Chicken Meal #1
2 carrots
1 rib celery
2 medium-sized onions
2 Tbsp. flour or cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
1. For a second Savory Chicken Meal, pick leftover chicken off bone. Set aside.
2. Return remaining broth to slow cooker and stir in thinly sliced carrots and celery, and onions cut up in chunks. Cook 3-4 hours on High.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour or cornstarch with cold water. When smooth, stir into hot broth.
4. Stir in cut-up chicken. Heat 15-20 minutes, or until broth thickens and chicken is hot.
5. Serve over rice or pasta.
Creamy Chicken with a Touch of Broccoli
Stacy Petersheim
Mechanicsburg, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
4 bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves
10¾-oz. can cream of broccoli soup
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
¼ cup finely chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1. Line your slow cooker with aluminum foil. Place chicken on top of foil.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Seal foil shut.
3. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender.
Tip: Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
Elegant Chicken with Gravy
Leesa Lesenski
South Deerfield, MA
Makes 6 serving
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
6 boneless chicken breast halves
10¾-oz. can cream of broccoli, or broccoli cheese, soup
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
½ cup white wine
4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained, optional
1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. In bowl mix together soups, wine, and mushroom slices. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on High 3 hours, or on Low 6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Serve over rice or noodles.
Creamy Baked Chicken with Stuffing
Vera Martin
East Earl, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
8 boneless chicken breast halves, divided
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
¼ cup water
1 cup crushed stuffing, herb-seasoned
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) melted butter
7 slices white American cheese
1. Lightly grease slow cooker. Layer half the chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, mix soup and water together. Spoon half of the sauce over the chicken in the cooker.
3. Layer 4 breasts into cooker. Top with remaining sauce.
4. Sprinkle crumbs over top. Drizzle with melted butter.
5. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, or until chicken is tender.
6. Place cheese slices over crumbs. Cover and cook another 30 minutes.
Karen Waggoner
Joplin, MO
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-2½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6-oz. box stuffing mix for chicken
16-oz. pkg. frozen whole-kernel corn
half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted
2 cups water
1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Spoon over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on High 2-2½ hours, or until chicken is tender and the stuffing is dry.
Scalloped Chicken
Brenda Joy Sonnie
Newton, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 cups cooked chicken
1 box stuffing mix for chicken
2 eggs
1 cup water
1½ cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1. Combine chicken and dry stuffing mix. Place in slow cooker.
2. Beat eggs, water, and milk together in a bowl. Pour over chicken and stuffing.
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours.
4. Add frozen peas during last hour of cooking.
Variations: For more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water.
Apricot Stuffing and Chicken
Elizabeth Colucci
Lancaster, PA
Makes 5 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-3½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, divided
1 box cornbread stuffing mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6-8-oz. jar apricot preserves
1. In a mixing bowl, make stuffing, using ½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter and amount of water called for in instructions on box. Set aside.
2. Cut up chicken into 1” pieces. Place on bottom of slow cooker. Spoon stuffing over top.
3. In microwave, or on stovetop, melt remaining ½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter with preserves. Pour over stuffing.
4. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours, or on Low for 3½ hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Beth Peachey
Belleville, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ lb. deli-sliced cooked ham
½ lb. baby Swiss cheese, sliced
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 box dry stuffing mix, prepared according to box directions
1. Layer all ingredients in the order they are listed into your slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Slow-Cooker Dried Beef and Chicken
Martha Bender
New Paris, IN
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
6-8 ozs. dried beef
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup flour
1. Arrange dried beef on the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Layer chicken breasts on top of the dried beef.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, blend together soup, sour cream, and flour. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover and cook on Low 7-9 hours, or on High 3-5 hours.
5. To serve, arrange chicken on platter. Top with the dried beef. Spoon sauce over top. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.
A Tip —
A slow cooker is great for taking food to a potluck supper, even if you didn’t prepare it in the cooker.
Irma H. Schoen
Windsor, CT
Creamy Chicken and Carrots
Ruth Ann Bender
Cochranville, PA
Audrey L. Kneer
Williamsfield, IL
Makes 2 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½-qt.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ozs. each
8-oz. pkg. fresh baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
4-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients.
2. Cover and cook on High 4-5 hours or until chicken pieces are tender.
3. Serve over rice if you wish.
Chicken with Dried Beef and Bacon
Rhonda Freed
Lowville, NY
Darlene G. Martin
Richfield, PA
Sharon Miller
Holmesville, OH
Jena Hammond
Traverse City, MI
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
4-6 slices bacon
8-12 slices low-sodium dried beef, divided
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, divided
10¾-oz. can low-fat, low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1. Place a paper towel on a paper plate. Top with 4-6 slices of bacon. Cover with another paper towel. Microwave on High for 2 minutes, until bacon is partially cooked. Lift bacon onto fresh paper towel and allow towel to absorb fat.
2. Line slow cooker with half the slices of dried beef.
3. Wrap a slice of bacon around each chicken breast and place the first layer of chicken into the slow cooker. Cover first layer of chicken breasts with the remaining slices of dried beef. Add second layer of chicken.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine soup and sour cream well. Pour over the chicken and dried beef.
5. Cover and cook on Low 7-8 hours, or on High 3-4 hours.
6. Serve over cooked noodles or rice.
Variation: Peel and cube 6 large potatoes. Add half the cubed potatoes after placing the first layer of chicken into the slow cooker (Step 3). Add the other half of the potatoes after the second layer of chicken (Step 3.) Add another can of mushroom soup to Step 4.
— Janie Steele,
Moore, OK
Mix-It-and-Run Chicken
Shelia Heil
Lancaster, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
2 15-oz. cans cut green beans, undrained
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ tsp. salt
1. Drain beans, reserving juice in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Stir soups into bean juice, blending thoroughly. Set aside.
3. Place beans in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Place chicken in cooker. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Top with soup.
6. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is tender, but not dry or mushy.
Carol Eberly
Harrisonburg, VA
Sarah Miller
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
1. Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Use garlic salt if you wish. Place chicken in slow cooker and start cooking on High.
2. Prepare carrots and place on top of chicken. Add limas on top. Pour water over all.
3. Cover and cook on Low 3-4 hours, or until chicken and vegetables are tender but not dry or mushy.
4. This is good served over rice.
One-Pot Chicken Dinner
Arianne Hochstetler
Goshen, IN
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
12 chicken drumsticks or thighs, skin removed
3 medium-sized orange sweet potatoes, cut into 2” pieces
12-oz. jar chicken gravy, or 10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp. unbleached flour, if using chicken gravy
10-oz. pkg. frozen cut green beans
Optional ingredients:
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
½ tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with sweet potatoes chunks.
2. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except beans, and mix until smooth. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on High 1½ hours, or on Low 3½ hours.
4. One and one-half hours before serving, stir green beans into chicken mixture. Cover and cook on Low 1-2 hours, or until chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans are tender, but not dry or mushy.
Tips:
1. If you want to include the parsley, rosemary, and/or salt and pepper, add to Step 2.
2. Instead of adding the green beans into the slow cooker, stir-fry 1 lb. French-cut green beans with 1 chopped onion. Serve alongside chicken and sweet potatoes.
Chicken with Vegetables
Janie Steele
Moore, OK
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
1 small head of cabbage, quartered
1-lb. pkg. baby carrots
2 14½-oz. cans Mexican-flavored stewed tomatoes
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker in order listed.
2. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken and vegetables are tender.
Maryann Markano
Wilmington, DE
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
2 16-oz. cans sauerkraut, rinsed and drained, divided
1 cup Light Russian salad dressing, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard, divided
6 slices Swiss cheese
fresh parsley for garnish, optional
1. Place half the sauerkraut in the slow cooker. Drizzle with ⅓ cup dressing.
2. Top with 3 chicken breast halves. Spread half the mustard on top of the chicken.
3. Top with remaining sauerkraut and chicken breasts. Drizzle with another ⅓ cup dressing. (Save the remaining dressing until serving time.)
4. Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours, or until the chicken is tender, but not dry or mushy.
5. To serve, place a breast half on each of 6 plates. Divide the sauerkraut over the chicken. Top each with a slice of cheese and a drizzle of the remaining dressing. Garnish with parsley if you wish, just before serving.
Uncle Tim’s Chicken and Sauerkraut
Tim Smith
Rutledge, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1-lb. bag sauerkraut
12-oz. can beer
8 medium-sized red potatoes, washed and quartered
salt and pepper to taste
water
1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Spoon sauerkraut over chicken.
3. Pour beer into slow cooker.
4. Add potatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
5. Pour water over all until everything is just covered.
6. Cover and cook on High for 5 hours, or on Low for 8 hours, or until chicken and potatoes are tender, but not dry.
Sunday Chicken Dinner
Beverly Flatt-Getz
Warriors Mark, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
1 large onion, sliced
4-5 potatoes, peeled and sliced about ¼” thick
3-4 lbs. chicken, cut up
10¾ oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
garlic powder to taste, optional
1. Line bottom of your slow cooker with onion slices.
2. Spread potatoes over top of onions. Then add chicken.
3. Mix together soup and milk. Pour over chicken.
4. If you wish, sprinkle with garlic powder.
5. Cook on High 4 hours or on Low 8 hours, or until potatoes and chicken are tender.
Tip: Add up to a second can of milk if you’d like to have more sauce.
Lemon Pepper Chicken and Veggies
Nadine Martinitz, Salina KS
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
4 carrots, sliced ½” thick
4 potatoes, cut in 1” chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, optional
4 whole chicken legs and thighs, skin removed
2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
¼ -½ tsp. poultry seasoning, optional
14½-oz. can chicken broth
1. Layer vegetables and chicken in slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and poultry seasoning if you wish. Pour broth over all.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 4-5 hours.
Variations:
1. Use a 10¾-oz. can cream of chicken or mushroom soup instead of chicken broth.
— Sarah Herr
Goshen, IN
2. Add 2 cups frozen green beans to the bottom layer (Step 1) in the cooker.
— Earnest Zimmerman
Mechanicsburg, PA
Curried Chicken Dinner
Janessa Hochstedler
East Earl, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, about 2 cups
1 apple, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
14½-oz. can chicken broth
1 medium-sized onion, chopped, optional
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix together gently.
2. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 5 hours, or until chicken is tender, but not dry.
3. Serve over cooked rice.
Chicken Divan
Kristin Tice
Shipshewana, IN
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 cups chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
½-1 tsp. curry powder, depending upon your taste preference
1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
2. Top with broccoli.
3. In a small mixing bowl, blend soup, mayonnaise, and curry powder together. Pour over top of chicken and broccoli.
4. Cover and cook on High 3-4 hours, or until chicken and broccoli are tender but not mushy or dry. Serve with rice.
Sweet ‘N Sour Chicken with Veggies
Jennifer Eberly
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12), cut into 1½” pieces
25-28-oz. jar sweet and sour simmer sauce
1-lb. pkg. San-Francisco vegetables (frozen broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, and red peppers), thawed
1. Combine chicken chunks and cooking sauce in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
3. Ten minutes before serving, stir in vegetables. Cover and increase heat to High. Cook 10 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4. Serve over hot cooked rice.
Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
Beverly Flatt-Getz
Warriors Mark, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
3-4 lbs. chicken, cut up
6 raw sweet potatoes, julienned
20-oz. can pineapple chunks, in juice
14½-oz. can chicken broth
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
1. Place the cut-up chicken into the slow cooker.
2. Top with sweet potatoes.
3. Pour pineapples and juice over the potatoes.
4. Then pour the chicken broth over all ingredients.
5. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, or until chicken and potatoes are tender but not dry or mushy.
6. Just before serving, mix cornstarch and cold water together until smooth. Turn cooker to High. Stir cornstarch paste into cooker and cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens.
7. Place chicken and potatoes on serving dish or platter. Top with sauce.
Tip: I sprinkle chives over the chicken when I serve it.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Kay Kassinger
Port Angeles, WA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, approximately 12 pieces
14-oz. can pineapple chunks in juice
medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
1¼ cups bottled sweet-and-sour sauce
garlic salt
pepper to taste
¼ cup water, optional
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Layer chicken in slow cooker. Pour pineapple chunks and juice over chicken. Spread onion over pineapple.
3. Pour sweet-and-sour sauce over all. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. If you’d like plenty of sauce, add water.
4. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is tender, but not dry.
Tip: Wonderful served over jasmine rice.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
Ruth Fisher
Leicester, NY
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 20-65 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-3 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1¾ cups ketchup
10¾-oz. can tomato soup
¼ cup brown sugar
8-oz. can pineapple chunks with juice
sliced green pepper, optional
1. Place chicken breasts in a large non-stick skillet on your stove. Add ¼ cup water. Cover and cook gently until tender, about 15 minutes. Or place in a baking dish, add ¼ cup water, cover, and bake at 350° until they are tender, about 40-60 minutes.
2. While chicken is cooking, combine ketchup, soup, sugar, and pineapples. Mix well. Stir in green pepper slices if you wish.
3. Cut cooked chicken into chunks. Place in slow cooker.
4. Pour sauce over chicken. Stir slightly.
5. Cover and cook on High 2 hours.
Tips:
1. This dish is versatile and can be prepared to match your schedule. You can do Step 1 the day before you want to serve the dish. Just refrigerate the cooked meat overnight. Or prepare Step 1 2-4 weeks in advance of serving the chicken and freeze it until you need it.
On the day you want to serve Sweet and Sour Chicken, thaw the chicken if it’s been frozen, and then begin with Step 2.
2. When I make this dish, I cook rice, and then arrange the rice in the center of a large platter. I spoon the chicken around the rice for an attractive presentation of the dish.
Chicken A La Fruit
Teresa Kennedy
Mt. Pleasant, IA
Makes 5-6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
½ cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 whole peaches, mashed
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 chicken, cut up
Optional ingredients:
½-¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Mix pineapple, peaches, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a large bowl. (Add salt and pepper if you wish).
3. Dip chicken pieces in sauce and then place in slow cooker. Pour remaining sauce over all.
4. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Sandy Clugston
St. Thomas, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup sour cream
10-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
large red bell pepper, cut into strips
Optional ingredients:
1 small red onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In bowl, mix soup and sour cream and pour over chicken.
3. Place pineapple tidbits and sliced red pepper over mixture. Add onion and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, if you wish.
4. Cover and cook on Low 7-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
5. Serve over cooked rice.
Stewed Oriental Chicken
Stanley Kropf
Elkhart, IN
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
1 whole chicken, cut up
3 Tbsp. hot sweet mustard, or 2 Tbsp. hot mustard and 1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cumin
1. Wash chicken and place in slow cooker. Pat dry.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if you want. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on High for at least 4 hours, or until tender. If it’s more convenient, you can cook the meat an hour or so longer with no negative effect.
Tips:
1. This is a folk recipe so the cook should experiment to taste. I often use a variety of optional ingredients, depending on how I’m feeling. These include teriyaki sauce, oyster sauce, cardamom, sesame and olive oil, dry vermouth, and garlic, in whatever amount and combination seems right.
2. If you cook the dish longer than 4 hours, the chicken tends to fall apart. In any event, serve it in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken and broth.
3. I like to serve this with cooked plain or saffron rice.
Chicken Oriental
Anne Townsend
Albuquerque, NM
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 Tbsp. hot chile sesame oil
4 large chicken thighs
3 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1. Spread oil around the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Rinse chicken well and remove excess fat. Pat dry. Place in your slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle garlic slices over top of the chicken. Crumble brown sugar over top. Drizzle with soy sauce.
4. Cover and cook on Low 4-8 hours, or until thighs are tender, but not dry.
5. Serve over rice, prepared with the juice from the cooked chicken instead of water.
Clara Yoder Byler
Hartville, OH
Makes 5-6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs, cubed
2 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 cups water
½ tsp. salt, optional
½ tsp. pepper, optional
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup water
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add celery, onion, soy sauce, 2 cups water, and salt and pepper, if you wish.
2. Cover and cook on High 4 hours.
3. Just before serving, mix cornstarch with ¼ cup water in a small bowl. When smooth, add to slow cooker to thicken the sauce a bit. Heat for a few more minutes.
4. I like to serve this over cooked rice, or chow mein noodles, or both.
A Tip —
When buying bakeware and kitchen tools, spend the extra money for good quality.
Thai Chicken
Joanne Good
Wheaton, IL
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
6 skinless chicken thighs
¾ cup salsa, your choice of mild, medium, or hot
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Optional ingredients:
1 tsp. gingerroot, grated
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
1. Put chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients together, except cilantro and chopped peanuts.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8-9 hours, or until chicken is cooked through but not dry.
4. Skim off any fat. Remove chicken to a platter and serve topped with sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro, if you wish.
5. Serve over cooked rice.
Variation: Vegetarians can substitute 2 15-oz. cans of white beans, and perhaps some tempeh, for the chicken.
Raspberried Chicken Drumsticks
Pat Bechtel
Dillsburg, PA
Makes 3 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5¼-6¼ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
⅓ cup red raspberry fruit spread or jam
5 chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
1. Mix soy sauce and raspberry spread or jam together in a small bowl until well blended.
2. Brush chicken with the sauce and place in slow cooker. Spoon remainder of the sauce over top.
3. Cook on Low 5-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Mix together cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Then remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Turn slow cooker to High and stir in cornstarch and water to thicken. When thickened and bubbly, after about 10-15 minutes, spoon sauce over chicken before serving.
Elaine Vigoda
Rochester, NY
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
10-oz. bottle teriyaki sauce
½ lb. snow peas, optional
8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained, optional
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover with sauce. Stir until sauce is well distributed.
2. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until chicken is tender. Add snow peas and water chestnuts, if you wish.
3. Cover and cook another hour on Low.
4. Serve over cooked white rice or Chinese rice noodles.
Tomato-y Chicken
Joyce Shackelford
Green Bay, WI
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 envelope dry spaghetti sauce mix
1 cup water
4-oz. can mushrooms, undrained
2-3 lbs. chicken parts
1. Mix tomato sauce, dry spaghetti mix, water, and mushrooms together in a bowl.
2. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour sauce over.
3. Cover and cook on High 3 hours, or on Low 4-5 hours, or until chicken is tender.
Chicken Marengo
Marcia Parker
Lansdale, PA
Makes 4-5 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
2½-3-lb. frying chicken, cut-up and skinned
2 envelopes dry spaghetti sauce mix
½ cup dry white wine
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
¼ lb. fresh mushrooms
1. Place chicken pieces in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry spaghetti sauce mix with the wine. Pour it over the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on Low 5½-6½ hours.
4. Turn temperature to High. Then add tomatoes and mushrooms.
5. Cover and cook on High 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are hot.
6. Serve with cooked noodles or your favorite other pasta.
Lois Ostrander
Lebanon, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.
1 egg
1 cup dry bread crumbs
6 bone-in chicken breast halves, divided
10½-oz. jar pizza sauce, divided
6 slices mozzarella cheese, or ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Beat egg in a shallow, oblong bowl. Place bread crumbs in another shallow, oblong bowl. Dip chicken halves into egg, and then into the crumbs, using a spoon to coat the meat on all sides with crumbs.
2. Saute chicken in a large non-stick skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Arrange 1 layer of browned chicken in slow cooker. Pour half the pizza sauce over top. Add a second layer of chicken. Pour remaining pizza sauce over top.
4. Cover and cook on Low 5¾-7¾ hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
5. Add mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook 15 more minutes.
Tips:
1. You can remove the chicken from the slow cooker after Step 4 and place the breasts on a microwave-proof serving platter. Put a slice of mozzarella on each chicken piece and then sprinkle each with Parmesan. Cook in microwave on High for 1 minute to melt cheese.
2. Serve any extra sauce over pasta.
Italian Chicken
Starla Kreider, Mohrsville, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce, your choice of special seasonings and ingredients
4 ozs. shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Place the chicken in your slow cooker.
2. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on High 2½-3½ hours, or on Low 6-8 hours
4. Place chicken on serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Serve with cooked rice or spaghetti.
That’s Amore Chicken Cacciatore
Carol Sherwood
Batavia, NY
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided
28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, minced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1. Place a layer of chicken in your slow cooker.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon half of the sauce over the first layer of chicken.
3. Add remaining breast halves. Top with remaining sauce.
4. Cover and cook on Low 7-9 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
5. Serve with cooked spaghetti or linguine.
Tina Goss
Duenweg, MO
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
13½-oz. pkg. frozen chicken nuggets
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
28-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
4 ozs. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1. Put nuggets in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
2. Layer in spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning.
3. Cover and cook on High 1 hour, or until chicken is tender but not dry or mushy.
Italian Chicken
Colleen Heatwole
Burton, MI
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1 cup chicken broth
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with dry Italian dressing mix.
2. Spoon chicken broth over top.
3. Cover and cook on High for 6 hours, or on Low for 8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
A Tip —
Leave the lid on while the slow cooker cooks. The steam that condenses on the lid helps cook the food from the top. Every time you take the lid off, the cooker loses steam. After you put the lid back on, it takes up to 20 minutes to regain the lost steam and temperature. That means it takes longer for the food to cook.
Pam Hochstedler
Kalona, IA
Chicken Stroganoff
Mary C. Wirth
Lancaster, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5½-6½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 or 2 envelope(s) dry Italian dressing mix
8-oz. pkg. light cream cheese, softened
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
1. Put chicken, melted butter, and dressing mix in slow cooker. Stir together gently.
2. Cover and cook on Low 5-6 hours.
3. Stir in cream cheese and soup. Cover and cook on High 30 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
Yvonne Kauffman Boettger
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
16-oz. bottle Italian dressing
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker and pour dressing over chicken. Stir together gently.
2. Sprinkle cheese on top.
3. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for 8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Serve over cooked rice, along with extra sauce from the chicken.
Chicken Cacciatore with Green Peppers
Donna Lantgen
Chadron, NE
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. dry Italian seasoning
15½-oz. can diced tomatoes
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, divided
1. In a small bowl, mix together green pepper, onion, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Place ⅓ in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Layer 3 chicken breasts over top. Spoon in ⅓ of tomato sauce.
3. Layer in 3 remaining chicken breasts. Top with remaining tomato mixture.
4. Cover and cook on Low 6 hours, or until chicken is done, but not dry.
Variation: Top with grated mozzarella or Parmesan cheese when serving.
Can-You-Believe-It’s-So-Simple Salsa Chicken
Leesa DeMartyn
Enola, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
16-oz. jar chunky-style salsa, your choice of mild, medium, or hot
2 cups shredded cheese, your choice of flavor
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour salsa over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on Low 5-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
3. Top individual servings with shredded cheese.
4. Serve this over cooked rice, or in a whole wheat or cheddar cheese wrap.
Chicken Cacciatore With Mushrooms
Lucy O’Connell
Goshen, MA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
3-lb. broiler/fryer chicken, cut up
2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
48-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
½ cup red or white wine
Optional ingredients:
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1. Remove skin from chicken.
2. Place chicken, onions, and mushrooms in slow cooker.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine spaghetti sauce, wine, and salt and pepper if you wish. Pour over chicken.
4. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, and then on Low for 4 hours.
5. Serve over spaghetti.
Honey Chicken Wings
Bonnie Whaling
Clearfield, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½-4½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
3 lbs. chicken wings, tips cut off, divided
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup honey
½ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1. Cut each wing into two parts. Place about ⅓ of the wings in a large non-stick skillet and brown in oil. (If the skillet is crowded, the wings will not brown.) Place in slow cooker.
2. Mix remaining ingredients and pour ⅓ of the sauce over the wings in the cooker.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 twice.
4. Cover and cook on High 3-4 hours, or until wings are tender but not dry.
Five-Spice Chicken Wings
Marcia Parker, Lansdale, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 2½-5½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3½- to 4-qt.
3 lbs. (about 16) chicken wings
1 cup bottled plum sauce (check an Asian grocery, or the Asian food aisle in a general grocery store)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. five-spice powder (check an Asian grocery, or the Asian food aisle in a general grocery store)
thinly sliced orange wedges, optional
pineapple slices, optional
1. In a foil-lined baking pan arrange the wings in a single layer. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, combine the plum sauce, melted butter, and five-spice powder in your slow cooker. Add wings. Then stir to coat the wings with sauce.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours, or on High 2-2½ hours.
4. Serve immediately, or keep them warm in your slow cooker on Low for up to 2 hours.
5. Garnish with orange wedges and pineapple slices to serve, if you wish.
Variation: For Kentucky Chicken Wings, create a different sauce in Step 2. Use ½ cup maple syrup, ½ cup whiskey, and 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Then stir in the wings. Continue with Step 3.
Chicken with Broccoli Rice
Maryann Markano
Wilmington, DE
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1¼ cups uncooked long-grain rice
pepper to taste
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pkg. Knorr’s cream of broccoli dry soup mix
2½ cups chicken broth
1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place rice in cooker. Sprinkle with pepper.
2. Top with chicken pieces.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine soup mix and broth. Pour over chicken and rice.
4. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until rice and chicken are tender but not dry.
Chicken and Rice in a Bag
Dorothy VanDeest
Memphis, TN
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
3-lb. fryer, cut into serving pieces, or 3 lbs. legs and thighs
1½ cups raw long-grain rice
10¾-oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
1¾ cups water
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Combine rice, cream of chicken soup, and water in slow cooker. Stir until well blended.
3. Place chicken pieces in see-through roasting bag. Add onion soup mix. Shake bag to coat chicken thoroughly. Puncture 4 to 6 holes in bottom of bag. Fold top of bag over chicken and lay in slow cooker on top of rice.
4. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is tender and rice is cooked but not dry. Serve chicken and rice together on a large platter.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Dale Peterson
Rapid City, SD
Joyce Shackelford
Green Bay, WI
Makes 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of celery soup, divided
2-oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained
½ cup raw long-grain rice
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked and cubed
1 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix
½ soup can water
1. Spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine 1 can of soup, mushrooms, and rice in greased slow cooker. Stir until well blended.
2. Lay chicken on top. Pour 1 can of soup over all.
3. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Add ½ soup can of water.
4. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until both chicken and rice are fully cooked but not dry.
Chicken with Brown or Wild Rice
Carol Eveleth
Wellman, IA
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
1½ cups raw brown, or wild, rice
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
10¾ -oz. can mushroom soup
10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup
3½ cups water
8-10 pieces of chicken
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pour rice, soup mix, and soups into slow cooker and mix thoroughly. Pour water on top.
3. Add chicken pieces.
4. Cook on Low 6-8 hours, or on High 3-4 hours, or until chicken and rice are tender but not dry.
Chicken Curry with Rice
Jennifer Yoder Sommers
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered
1 onion, chopped
2 cups uncooked, long-grain rice
2 Tbsp. curry powder
14½-oz. can chicken broth
1. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours, or on High 5 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Variation: Add 1 chopped apple to Step 1. Thirty minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in 2 cups frozen peas.
A Tip —
When camping, always prepare extra food. You’ll likely need six servings to feed four ravenous campers!
Chinese Chicken with Rice
Sharon Anders
Alburtis, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3½-6½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
⅔ cup soy sauce
½ cup honey
½ tsp. granulated garlic
2 cups hot water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup raw, long-grain rice
1. Mix soy sauce, honey, and garlic with hot water in slow cooker.
2. Add chicken breasts, submerging them as much as possible in the sauce.
3. Cover and cook on Low 5-6 hours, or on High 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Remove chicken to platter and keep warm. Stir uncooked rice into sauce. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add to platter with chicken and serve.
Dawn Hahn
Lititz, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa, your choice of mild, medium, or hot
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pour rice into bottom of slow cooker.
3. Add chicken broth and salsa. Stir together well.
4. Place chicken breasts on top.
5. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on Low, or until chicken and rice are tender but not dry.
6. Garnish with cheese just before serving.
Fiesta Chicken
Stacie Skelly
Millersville, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 6½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
16-oz. jar salsa
2 cups instant rice
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour salsa over chicken.
2. Cover and cook on Low 6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
3. Remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.
4. Add rice to hot salsa in slow cooker and cook on High 30 minutes. Serve chicken and rice together on a large platter.
Spicy Chicken Curry
Joan Miller
Wayland, IA
Makes 10 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-4½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.
10 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves, divided
16-oz. jar salsa, mild, medium, or hot
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 cup sour cream
1. Place half the chicken in the slow cooker.
2. Combine salsa, onion, and curry powder in a medium-sized bowl. Pour half the sauce over the meat in the cooker.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2.
4. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours. Or cook on High for 1½ hours, and then turn cooker to Low and cook 3 more hours.
5. Remove chicken to serving platter and cover to keep warm.
6. Add sour cream to slow cooker and stir into salsa until well blended. Serve over the chicken.
Jennifer Kuh
Bay Village, OH
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
16-oz. jar salsa, your choice of spiciness
2 16-oz. cans great northern beans, drained
8 ozs. shredded Colby Jack, or Pepper Jack, cheese
1. Place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Cover with salsa.
3. Cover and cook on Low 5½-7½ hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
4. Shred or cube chicken in the sauce.
5. Stir in beans and cheese.
6. Cover and cook another 30 minutes on Low.
7. Serve over cooked rice or noodles.
Spanish Chicken
Natalia Showalter
Mt. Solon, VA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 6-qt.
8 chicken thighs, skinned
½-1 cup red wine vinegar, according to your taste preference
⅔ cups tamari, or low-sodium soy, sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 6” cinnamon sticks
1. Brown chicken slightly in non-stick skillet, if you wish, and then transfer to greased slow cooker.
2. Mix wine vinegar, tamari sauce, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Pour over chicken.
3. Break cinnamon sticks into several pieces and distribute among chicken thighs.
4. Cover and cook on Low 5-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
Tip: You can skip browning the chicken if you’re in a hurry, but browning it gives the finished dish a better flavor.
Chicken Enchiladas
Jennifer Yoder Sommers
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
2 10¾-oz. cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
4½-oz. can diced green chilies
2-3 boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts, cut into pieces
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 6” flour tortillas
1. In a mixing bowl, combine soups, chilies, and chicken.
2. Spray the interior of the cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Put foil handles in place (see Tip on page 114 for instructions).
3. Spoon in 1/5 of the sauce on the bottom. Top with 1/5 of the cheese and then 1 tortilla. Continue layering in that order, and with those amounts, 4 more times, ending with cheese on top.
4. Cover cooker and cook on Low 4 hours.
Jennifer Yoder Sommers
Harrisonburg, VA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
2 10-oz. cans green enchilada sauce, divided
8 large tortillas, divided
2 cups cooked chicken, divided
1½ cups mozzarella cheese
1. Pour a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Layer 1 tortilla, ¼ cup of chicken, and ¼ cup of sauce into slow cooker.
3. Repeat layers until all 3 ingredients are used completely.
4. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.
5. Cover and cook on Low 2-4 hours.
Tip: Green enchilada sauce can be found in the Mexican foods section in most grocery stores.
Hot Chicken Salad
Audrey Romonosky
Austin, TX
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.
2 Tbsp. onion, minced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1½ cups shredded cooked chicken
½ cup slivered almonds or pecans
1. Mix together all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 2 hours, or until heated through.
3. Serve hot, or allow to cool and serve on lettuce leaves, along with sliced tomatoes.
Chicken and Noodles
Elena Yoder
Carlsbad, NM
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
1 qt. chicken broth
1 qt. hot water
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
10-oz. pkg. dry noodles
salt and pepper to taste
10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1. Combine all ingredients except soup in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours.
3. Ten minutes before serving, stir in cream of mushroom soup.
Clara Yoder Byler
Hartville, OH
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½-2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
10¾-oz. can cream of celery soup
10¾-oz. can chicken noodle soup
⅔ cup half-and-half
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
10½-oz. can (or larger) chow mein noodles
1. Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix together gently until well mixed.
2. Cook on High 1½-2 hours, or until bubbly and hot.
Tip: For a light meal, serve this with raw veggies. For a more stick-to-the-ribs meal, serve the creamy meat over rice or mashed potatoes.
Chicken Plus Stuffing
Betty B. Dennison
Grove City, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
12-serving-size pkg. chicken stuffing mix
4 cups cooked chicken
3 10¾-oz. cans cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package and put in slow cooker.
2. Add chicken, soup, and milk to slow cooker. Blend all ingredients together.
3. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
4. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours or on High 2-3 hours.
Chicken Dressing
Mrs. Mahlon Miller
Hutchinson, KS
Makes 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½-qt.
1 cup potatoes, diced and boiled
1 cup cooked chicken with some broth
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup milk
3 slices bread, cubed
Optional ingredients:
¼ -½ tsp. salt
⅛ -¼ tsp. pepper
1 small onion, chopped fine
1. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 2 hours.
Becky Gehman, Bergton, VA
Makes 10 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
6-lb. turkey breast, boneless or bone-in
2-3 Tbsp. water
1. Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker. Add water.
2. Cover and cook on High for 2-4 hours, or on Low for 4-9 hours, or until tender but not dry and mushy.
3. Turn over once during cooking time.
4. If you’d like to brown the turkey, place it in your oven and bake it uncovered at 325° for 15-20 minutes after it’s finished cooking in the slow cooker.
Tips:
1. Save the drippings in the bottom of the slow cooker when you remove the meat. Transfer them to a non-stick skillet. Add ½ cup water to ½ cup drippings. Heat until simmering.
In a small jar, blend 2 Tbsp. flour into 1 cup water. When smooth, stir into simmering broth, continuing to heat and stir until smooth and thickened. Use as gravy over sliced hot turkey.
2. Slice cooked turkey and serve hot. Or allow to cool and then either shred, slice, or cut into chunks for making salads or sandwiches. Freeze any leftovers.
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
Liz Ann Yoder, Hartville, OH
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 9-10 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6- to 7-qt.
6-lb. turkey breast
2 tsp. oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 medium onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup water
1. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Rub oil over turkey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place, meaty side up, in large slow cooker.
3. Place onion and garlic around sides of cooker.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 9-10 hours, or until meat thermometer stuck in meaty part of breast registers 180°.
5. Remove from slow cooker and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
6. Serve with mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, and corn or green beans.
Variations:
1. Add carrot chunks and chopped celery to Step 3 to add more flavor to the turkey broth.
2. Reserve broth for soups, or thicken with flour-water paste and serve as gravy over sliced turkey.
3. Freeze broth in pint-sized containers for future use.
4. Debone turkey and freeze in pint-sized containers for future use. Or freeze any leftover turkey after serving the meal described above.
Earnest Zimmerman
Mechanicsburg, PA
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.
3-5-lb. bone-in turkey breast
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, cut in chunks
1 onion, cut in eighths
2 ribs celery, cut in chunks
1. Rinse turkey breast and pat dry. Season well inside with salt.
2. Place vegetables in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with pepper. Place turkey breast on top of vegetables.
3. Cover and cook on High for 1-3 hours, on Low for 4-5 hours, or until tender but not dry or mushy.
Tips:
1. Strain broth and reserve it. Discard vegetables. The broth makes excellent gravy or base for soups. You can freeze whatever you don’t need immediately.
2. Debone the turkey. Slice and serve hot, or chill and use for turkey salad or sandwiches.
Maple-Glazed Turkey Breast with Rice
Jeanette Oberholtzer
Manheim, PA
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.
6-oz. pkg. long-grain wild rice mix
1½ cups water
2-lb. boneless turkey breast, cut into 1½-2” chunks
¼ cup maple syrup
1 onion, chopped
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Optional ingredient:
½ tsp. salt
1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until turkey and rice are both tender, but not dry or mushy.
Saucy Turkey Breast
Kelly Bailey
Mechanicsburg, PA
Michele Ruvola
Selden, NY
Ruth Fisher
Leicester, NY
Makes 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 6-qt.
3-5-lb. turkey breast, bone-in or boneless
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste
16-oz. can cranberry sauce, jellied or whole-berry
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water
1. Sprinkle salt and pepper and soup mix on the top and bottom of turkey breast. Place turkey in slow cooker.
2. Add cranberry sauce to top of turkey breast.
3. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours or on High 1-3 hours or until tender but not dry and mushy. (A meat thermometer should read 180°.)
4. Remove turkey from cooker and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (Keep sauce in cooker.)
5. Meanwhile, cover cooker and turn to High. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and cold water until smooth. When sauce is boiling, stir in cornstarch paste. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens.
6. Slice turkey and serve topped with sauce from cooker.
Sage Turkey Thighs
Carolyn Baer
Conrath, WI
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
4 medium-sized carrots, halved
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
½ cup water
1½ tsp. dried sage, divided
2 skinless turkey thighs or drumsticks, about 2 lbs.
Optional ingredients:
1 tsp. browning sauce
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup water
1. In a slow cooker, combine the carrots, onion, water, and 1 tsp. sage. Top with the turkey. Sprinkle with the remaining sage.
2. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 180°.
3. Remove turkey and keep warm. Remove vegetables from the cooker with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking juices.
4. Keep vegetables warm until ready to serve. Pour cooking juices into a saucepan.
5. Or, place vegetables in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Place in a saucepan. Add cooking juices.
6. Bring mixture in saucepan to a boil. Add browning sauce, salt, and pepper, if you wish.
7. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into boiling juices. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Serve over turkey.
8. If you’ve kept the vegetables warm, add to the serving platter with the turkey.
Tip: Add a little minced garlic to Step 1 if you wish.
Sauerkraut and Turkey
Carol Leaman
Lancaster, PA
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
1 large boneless turkey breast, whole or half
32-oz. bag or can of sauerkraut
1. Place turkey in slow cooker. Top with sauerkraut.
2. Cover and cook on Low 7-8 hours, or until turkey is tender but not dry or mushy.
This is a great recipe to use if you prefer not to eat pork. Believe it or not, most people who eat this dish think they are eating pork!
A Tip —
I like to slow-cook a turkey in advance of needing it. I slice the cooked breast meat into serving pieces and freeze it. And I chop all the rest of the meat and freeze it in 3-cup batches. The chopped turkey is ready for any recipe calling for cooked turkey or chicken, such as turkey or chicken salad, turkey pot pie, and so on.
Vera F. Schmucker
Goshen, IN
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-6 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 large can sauerkraut
¼ -½ cup brown sugar, according to your taste preference
8” link spicy or smoked turkey sausage
1. Pour sauerkraut into slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Cut turkey sausage into ¼” slices and arrange over sauerkraut.
4. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
Indonesian Turkey
Elaine Sue Good, Tiskilwa, IL
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3½-qt.
3 turkey breast tenderloins (about 1½-2 lbs.)
6 cloves garlic, pressed and chopped
1½ Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce, optional
½ tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
⅓ cup peanut butter, your choice of chunky or smooth
1. Place the turkey on the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle with garlic, ginger, and sesame oil.
3. Cover and cook on Low 8 hours or until meat thermometer registers 180°.
4. With a slotted spoon, remove turkey pieces from slow cooker. Stir peanut butter into remaining juices. If the sauce is thicker than you like, stir in ¼-⅓ cup water.
5. Spoon peanut butter sauce over turkey to serve.
Tips:
1. If you like spicier foods, be sure to include the cayenne pepper and add it as part of Step 2. And, if your diet allows, add the soy sauce during Step 2 also.
2. You may substitute 4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the 3 turkey breast tenderloins. I have used both and was pleased with the results.
3. The more meat you have the more evenly it will cook, especially if your slow cooker cooks hot.
A Tip —
Milk products such as cream, milk, and sour cream can curdle and separate when cooked for a long period. Add them during the last 10 minutes if cooking on High, or during the last 20-30 minutes if cooking on Low.
Mrs. J.E. Barthold
Bethlehem, PA
Marilyn Yoder
Archbold, OH
Ground Turkey with Stuffing and Veggies
Brenda Hochstedler
East Earl, PA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
1 lb. lean ground turkey
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, your choice of combination
¼ cup Italian dressing
1 tsp. steak sauce, optional
16-oz. can wholeberry cranberry sauce
6-oz. pkg. stuffing mix for turkey
1. Combine ground turkey, vegetables, Italian dressing, and steak sauce, if you wish, in the slow cooker.
2. Pour cranberry sauce over top. Sprinkle with dry stuffing mix.
3. Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours, or on High 3-4 hours.
Cran-Orange Turkey Roll
Barbara Smith
Bedford, PA
Clarice Williams
Fairbank, IA
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-9 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4½-qt.
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¾ cup orange marmalade
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped or finely ground
2-2½-lb. frozen turkey roll, partially thawed
salt and pepper to taste, optional
1. Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a 1- to 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl. Stir in marmalade and cranberries.
2. Cover with waxed paper and cook on High for 1½ minutes. Stir. Cook on High 1 more minute. If the sauce is slightly thickened, stop microwaving. If the sauce is still thin, stir, cover, and cook another minute on High.
3. Place turkey in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish. Pour sauce over turkey.
4. Cover and cook on Low 7-9 hours, or until turkey reads 180° on a meat thermometer.
Barbecued Turkey for Sandwiches
Joanna Bear
Salisbury, MD
Makes 4-5 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Ideal slow cooker size: 1½- to 2-qt.
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups turkey, cooked and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 small onion, finely chopped, optional
1. Mix ketchup, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce together in the slow cooker. Add turkey and onion, if you wish. Toss to coat well.
2. Cover and cook on High 1 hour, or until heated through.
3. Serve on buns.
Tracey Hanson Schramel
Windom, MN
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.
6 cups cooked turkey, cut into bite-sized chunks
1½ cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1½ cups celery, chopped
Optional ingredients:
1 small onion, minced
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
1. Combine all ingredients and place in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 4-5 hours.
3. Serve in rolls.
Chipped Barbecued Turkey Ham
Velma Sauder
Leola, PA
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.
2 lbs. chipped turkey ham or regular deli ham
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low 4 hours. If you’re home, stir occasionally.
3. Serve in hamburger buns.
Tip: Add a slice of your favorite cheese to the top of each filled bun, if you wish.
A Tip —
If there is too much liquid in your cooker, stick a toothpick under the edge of the lid to tilt it slightly and to allow the steam to escape.
Carol Sherwood
Batavia, NY