Yeah, no, that’s not a typo. This is not your average chicken divan, it’s Chicken Divine, people. It’s cheesy and starchy and warm, and even though I lightened up the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, it’s decadent. If you wanted to mess around with this and try the pre-cooked brown rice from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, you could, but I wonder if it’d be starchy enough. But me? I’m not going to bother. Because the alchemy of the instant white rice (yes, you read that right, had to make a special trip to Stah Mahket for that one) and the sauce and the cheese . . . well, you better hustle up to make this before the thermometer slides back up to 50, ’cause what we have here, folks, is certified winter comfort food. Just enjoy it.

Chicken Divine (adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and the thyme and cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and smoothing out any lumps. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir the 1/2 and 1/2 and the dry mustard into the mixture in the slow cooker. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add it to the slow cooker, coating it evenly with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Break up the chicken into bite-sized pieces with a spoon (don’t be over-zealous – the chicken will break up more as you stir in the other ingredients). Stir in the rice and cheeses, cover, and cook on high until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Microwave the broccoli in a covered glass dish, stirring occasionally, until tender; about 3 minutes total. At this point, you can either 1) stir the broccoli into the casserole, re-cover the slow-cooker and let stand until heated through (about 5 minutes); or 2) serve up some broccoli-free casserole for your veg-haters (you KNOW who you are) and then serve up casserole atop broccoli for those of the veg persuasion.

Serves 4 generously.

A note: Fear not the 5 cloves of garlic. Remember, the slow-cooker dumbs everything down, flavor-wise. Neither D. nor I would describe this as garlicky at all, just flavorful. Besides, garlic and onions are GREAT for your immune system, and it is winter, after all.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
2. Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew
3. Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken

Let me just preface this by saying, “I know.” I know this is not a dump-n-go slow cooker recipe, and yes, I know I bill myself as a dump-n-go kinda girl, but I think this one is worth the effort. Because although, yes, there is some pre-cooking involved (am I at shock & awe yet?), you will be richly rewarded with a stew that does not taste like it came out of your slow cooker. Nope. This is more of the “simmering all day on the stovetop in a wildly expensive Dutch oven” taste. Does this appeal to you? Read on.

Before my surgery, I decided to torture myself by picking up the America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook. Just to make myself feel bad, you know? I couldn’t resist this when I saw it at Costco – I love my Crock-Pot and am constantly looking for new, tasty material. ATK tests the hell out of every recipe, and although, yes, many of their recipes involve machinations, they are usually worth it (See, for example, cooking the apples before you put them in your apple pie crust. This is to prevent shrinkage so that your pie is filled to the brim with sweet juicy apples. Genius.).

So the other day, I embarked on this recipe with an open mind. I grumbled as I browned and cooked the veggies, but this came out great. And to bolster my case – I did all the cleanup after I got the ingredients in the Crock-Pot, so all I had to do post-dinner was load the bowls & plates into the dishwasher and wipe up. Ta-daaa!

Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew (adapted from the ATK Slow Cooker Revolution)

Dry the chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the chicken on both sides. Transfer to the slow cooker. You will probably have to do this in two batches.

Add the sausage to the skillet, brown it well, and transfer it to the slow cooker.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the onions, fennel, garlic, tomato paste, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned. Add those to the slow cooker.

Lower the heat to low, and add the flour to the skillet. Stir it for about 30 seconds, and then slowly whisk in the wine/vermouth, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Whisk in 1 cup of broth, smooth out any lumps, and transfer this to the slow cooker. Stir the remaining 3 cups of broth and bay leaves into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook for 6 hours on low.

Skim the fat off the top of the stew using a large spoon and discard the bay leaves.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, and also add the beans and kale (You will need to stir in the kale ’til wilted – it will dramatically decrease in volume. You may need additional broth here to thin the consistency of the stew). Turn the cooker up to high and let warm through, about 30 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with Parmesan (and a lot of crusty bread, if you like that sort of thing).

Serves 6 to 8.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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Couldn’t resist that one . . . And you won’t be able to resist this easy slow-cooker chicken molé. It’s got a deep, smoky, slightly spicy flavor and is great served over rice. Pair with a crisp green salad and cuddle up for a delicious dinner that’s ready when you are.

Slow Cooker Chicken Mole (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food)

Season the chicken with salt and place in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Place the tomatoes through the cinnamon in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the mixture to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high until chicken is tender, 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Serve chicken and sauce over rice and topped with cilantro.

Serves 6.

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. Slow Cooker Taco Soup
2. It’s Time to get Crockin’ Again . . . .
3. Another Slow Cooker Soup: Escarole With Turkey Meatballs

OMG, this is so tasty, so easy . . . I thought my dear friend Lindsay made this one up – you should hear her talk about this dish – her eyes light up, her hands flutter, she smiles dreamily as she describes how easy it is and how it’s “the ultimate comfort food.” So why did it take me SO LONG to get around to making this? Dunno. What inspired me last weekend was again, my Shared Harvest CSA share. I had 5 pounds of Empire apples, beautiful leeks and fresh rosemary staring at me. How could I let this opportunity slide by?

Turns out, this was originally a Real Simple recipe . . . but to call it a recipe is overstating it. It’s a method, and you can tweak this to your needs in terms of quantity and taste. No matter what, it’s a hands-off preparation that yields a healthful dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight.

Roast Chicken With Apples & Leeks (adapted from Lindsay, who adapted it from Real Simple)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large roasting pan, toss the apples, leeks, rosemary, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and nestle it among the vegetables (if using skin-on, bone-in chicken, place it skin-side-up). Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the apples and leeks are tender, 40 to 45 minutes, tossing the apple and leek mixture about every 15 minutes.

Serve the chicken, apples and leeks, along with some of the pan juices, over hot cooked rice . . . and in this instance, I have to say I think white rice is better. So shoot me.

Serves 4.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. A Roast Chicken Twofer
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This, my friends, might be your favorite slow cooker recipe – if you like the flavors of Indian food, that is. It’s rich and silky and perfect either over rice, or with naan. Enjoy a crisp salad on the side, or better yet, steam up some fresh green veg and season with a splash of lemon juice – you’ll want something light and a little bit acidic to counteract the lusciousness of the chicken.

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken (adapted from food.com)

3/4 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt (see note below)

Put chicken in the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, and all of the dry spices. Add the butter, tomato paste, lemon juice and coconut milk. Give it a little stir and ensure that the mixture is covering the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. The chicken should shred easily with 2 forks when fully cooked. Shred the chicken and if you’ve been cooking on high, turn the heat to low or warm. Stir in the yogurt 15 minutes before serving. Salt to taste and serve.

Serves 4.

A note regarding Greek yogurt: You could certainly use fat-free Greek yogurt here, but your sauce won’t be as silky. I used home-made Greek yogurt from Sophia’s Greek Pantry in Belmont . . . I have mentioned this stuff on Facebook, and if you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a trip to Belmont to get yourself a tub. Sophia says it’s made from 2% milk – I say it is the tangy cousin of creme fraiche and is fabulous in both sweet and savory applications. I am undeniably addicted to the stuff.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. TJ’s Lemon Chicken With Creamy Spinach Sauce
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3. Arugula Salad With Chicken & Mango

Today’s recipe is a simple, hearty  and healthy dinner salad that boasts high protein and high fiber.  If you skip the added chicken, you could serve this as a pretty and creative side dish.  Or sub tofu for chicken, and create a vegan one-dish meal.  In any case, this’ll cost you only 30 minutes of your time, counter to table.

Orange Chicken Quinoa

Boil 1 1/4 c. water in a small saucepan.  Add rinsed quinoa, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed by the quinoa.  Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff.

While the quinoa is cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Trim the scallions and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Saute the chicken and scallions in a skillet with 1 t. of olive oil, until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Cut 1 inch off each end of the orange.  Squeeze the orange ends into a small bowl, to get about 2 T. of juice.  Whisk together the orange juice, the lemon juice, 3 T. olive oil, salt and pepper.  Peel the remainder of the orange and slice it very thinly.

Add the chicken mixture, the dressing, sliced orange and the pistachios to the quinoa and toss.  Taste for seasoning – add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper if desired.  Arrange 1 c. of salad greens on each of four plates, garnish each with 1/4 of the chicken mixture.

Serves 4.

Adapted from the Nutrition Action Healthletter, April 2009

Tip: Are you using non-stick cookware?  It’s more than suspect from a health-standpoint, it could be downright dangerous.  Did you know that a properly seasoned cast iron frying pan is virtually non-stick?  The secret is to heat it up before you begin cooking your food.  The 1 teaspoon of oil in this recipe more than coated my cast iron frying pan and created a non-stick surface for my chicken – all for only 10 extra calories per serving.  And bonus!  If you use cast iron cookware, you’ll get a little extra iron in your diet.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. Mexican Quinoa
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3. An Antidote For Holiday Bloat: Warm Bean & Quinoa Salad

There’s lots of citrus in the market now – why not use some of those tasty navel oranges you see in a new way?  This super-fast and creative take on the usually ho-hum boneless, skinless chicken breast takes it from drab to fab in 30 minutes!

Chicken With Oranges & Feta (adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook)

4 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat (don’t use your cast-iron for this one, ’cause you’re going to do the oranges in here too and the acid will react with the iron).  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.  When the oil is just smoking, add the chicken and cook until it’s well browned on the first side, approximately 6-8 minutes.  Turn the chicken and continue to cook until it’s no longer pink in the middle, approximately 6-8 more minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the garlic and fennel seed. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the oranges and the water and cook, stirring up any browned bits, until the oranges are just softened, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in any accumulated chicken juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the relish over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with the feta and scallions, and serve.

Serves 4.

© 2011, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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It’s the holidays, and for us, that means cookie baking, gingerbread house making, partying with friends and family, and, unfortunately, fatigue.  Despite my best intentions, I’m always “too busy” at this time of year.  I’m so looking forward to that stretch of time between Christmas and New Year’s, when our family unplugs and unwinds for the week . . . jammies ’til noon, lazy lunches of leftovers, puzzles, games, and catching up casually with friends we don’t see often enough.

So I’ve been in a cooking rut, which is why you’ve not seen much that’s inspiring here.  Lots of Crock-Pot items – and while they’re certainly convenient and can be tasty, I’ve never had a knock-your-socks-off meal from the Crock.

But last night I got crazy and tried a new recipe, and it was a winner, I tell you!  I stumbled upon this blog last week, and I’m so excited to keep cooking her recipes.  I happened to have local sweet potatoes, onions and garlic in the house, along with a bunch of cilantro, so this was kismet! This recipe does involve some chopping, so I’d say it clocks in around 45 minutes, but your efforts will be rewarded with a blast of interesting and luscious flavors that’ll make your taste buds stand up and take notice. Trust me.  D. and I both sat back after a forkful and said “wow! this is one of the best dinners we’ve had in a loooong time!”  In fact, we were so hot to dig in, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product – so here’s L’s photo of D’s plate, which was more presentable than mine.

Enjoy!

Chicken With Potatoes, Onions & Cilantro Pesto (adapted from Taste of Beirut)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet (cast iron is great here) and brown the chicken a few minutes on each. Set aside.

Add a little more oil if necessary and fry the onions and potatoes until browned. Add the chicken, along with any accumulated juices and the broth to the skillet, cover and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the veggies are soft and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over low heat and add the mashed garlic and chopped cilantro.  Fry for approximately  one minute, or just until fragrant but not browned.  Add the cilantro pesto to the chicken and veggies and mix.

Taste for seasoning, add salt & pepper as desired.  Add the juice of one lemon and serve.

Serves 4.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. Tasting Fall: Chicken With Apples And Onions
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Another Everyday Food knockoff for you today!  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here, but I’d estimate that Everyday Food Magazine is the source of more of my “keeper” recipes than any other food pub I read.  And believe me, I read a lot of food-related publications.  I’d venture to say that if you want to add one mag to your repertoire in the upcoming year, it should be this one.  The recipes are consistently easy and delicious, and they emphasize all-natural and seasonal ingredients.  This is NOT the fancy froo-froo Martha Stewart Living Magazine . . . nope, a sister publication that’s as down-to-earth as you and me.  Nothin’ fancy.  Just good vittles.

OK, off soapbox and into the kitchen.  I found this cruisin’ on the iPhone app. while I was waiting for L. at dance class.  I’d intended to throw things in the Crockpot earlier in the day, but hadn’t had time, so I need fresh, easy and fast.  This fit the bill – really only 30 minutes to plating and it was scrumptious.  The perfect foil to all that turkey you ate last weekend!

Olive-Lemon Chicken (adapted from Everyday Food)

Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. In two batches, sear the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Cut lemons in half lengthwise and then into thin slices crosswise. If the skillet is dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and garlic, and cook over medium heat until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon slices, olives, stock, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, pour in any accumulated juices from the plate, and sprinkle with thyme and crushed red pepper. Cover, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

A note from the original recipe:  After preparing the recipe, you can store the chicken frozen for up to 6 weeks; when you’re ready to serve, thaw the chicken, place in a pan with water to coat the bottom, cover, and simmer until hot.

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. TJ’s Lemon Chicken With Creamy Spinach Sauce
2. Cooking For One: Lemon-Tarragon Chicken and Spinach Salad With Beets & Oranges
3. Roasted Potato Salad With Chicken & Chutney

Now here’s a frugal dish:  chicken thighs and dried beans.  Sure, there’s jarred salsa, and I’d encourage you to buy a good brand because the flavor will take center stage, but really, this is a cheap and easy one today, folks.  And so tasty!  I served this on top of rice, but you could serve it with tortillas, or even over polenta for a twist.  Pair it up with a crisp side salad and you’ve got a filling meal with lots of warm-you-up spice.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken & Beans (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine - I go this off their iPhone app.!)

Place the beans in a small saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Drain.  In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chiles, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.)

Remove chicken from stew; shred into large pieces and return to stew. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Serves 4.

**Wow! An edit** In the “who knew?” category of information, a gentle reader tipped me off to “red kidney bean poisoning” . . . . ?  Check out this link for more information.  What to do?  Boil your kidney beans for 10 minutes before you put ‘em in the slow-cooker . . . we had no issues after eating this (or the leftovers) but I’d hate to poison you good people!

© 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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1. Slow Cooker Cassoulet Soup
2. Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken
3. Slow Cooker Artichoke Salsa “Chicken”