Crockpot--d'ya have any really GOOD recipes?
 

I've been generally disappointed in the slow cooker/crockpot recipes I've tried.

Sure, it cooks the food, but every time I make something, it seems to concentrate the flavors weirdly. There's always something "off" - either in the flavor or the texture.

Do you have any sure-fire crockpot recipes that come out tasting good?

Fiesta Chicken
 

This is a staple at our house. We make the whole batch and then portion the leftovers into single-serve Tupperware. Reheats pretty well!

• 3 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 large green bell peppers, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5oz cans of Mexican style diced tomatoes (tomatoes with mild green chilies)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano

1. Place the tomatoes, garlic, cumin and oregano into the Crock Pot and stir to combine.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute the onions and green peppers until slightly cooked. (Onions should not be fully clear.) Add the onions and peppers to the Crock Pot.
3. In the same skillet, cook the chicken until browned.
4. Add the chicken to the Crock Pot. Stir until combined.
5. Cook on High for 4 hours.
6. Serve on a bed of rice or as a soup with a side of tortilla chips.

Try this slowcooker thread from awhile back. ;) I recommend a very very good cookbook.


ETA damn Choco, you are faaaaaaast.

Cloud,

While on my diet, someone gave me a huge Word document with about 100 pages of low fat crock pot recipes. There are an average of 2-3 recipes per page. PM me your address and I will e-mail it to you.

I can convert to TXT or RTF if you can't view/print Microsoft Word.

I can vouch for LR's thread - lotta good stuff there.
I find the trick is to mix the wet/supporting other ingredients well and then put them into the pot. It seems to evenly distribute the spices flavors and textures better.

I have recipes. I have recipes galore. On the interwebs, on my cookbook shelf. As I said, I've been trying them, to disappointing results.

I'm looking for proven recipes that don't make the flavors or textures weird.

I'll try yours, choco. and your tip, too, Classic. thanks!

:D As soon as I saw the thread title I was reaching for the recipe box. Fiesta chicken is the official title, but we usually just call it "CrockPot chicken" because it's essentially the only thing we use the CrockPot for and it's one of our favorites. For a while it was on rotation so that we were having it every other week or so.

Hope you like it, Cloud. Let us know how it turns out!

So far the only thing I have used my crockpot for is to make a really rich chicken broth from the left over rotisserie chickens (the ones you get already cooked at the grocery store) that I put in the freezer. I usually use about three...they are really pretty small. My husband loves chicken and noodles. but I'm not a fan, so to be motivated I like to make my own broth for it.

I made baked beans with spam in the crock pot just last night (started them last night, they're still in there).

1 chopped onion
1 bag soaked white beans
1 big can whole tomatoes (crushed would be better but I was out)
1 box chicken stock
some minced garlic
some yellow mustard
some spicy mustard
some molasses
1 can of cubed, browned spam I wouldn't let jim eat when he bought it at xmas for some reason...
pepper, salt, garlic salt... I forget what else, I was drinking, it was late...

Here's a fav at House of Beestie:

1.5 cups of water + 1 chopped onion + some orange peel (just the outer part) + 3 - 5 whole cloves.
Put in bottom of crock pot.
Then add a 3-4 pound beef brisket - fat side up
Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Baste meat from time to time.

30 minutes before dinner time...
Combine equal measures of honey, frozen OJ and mustard together (enough to make a glaze).
Remove brisket and apply glaze
Bake for 375° for about 30 minutes - baste frequently.

While that's going on, pour liquid from crock pot into blender and liquify.
Pour in pan, add some butter and starch and turn it into gravy.

Serve brisket with favorite sides (mashed potatoes for me). Use gravy.

I'm getting hungry

#2 post this thread. Don't go too heavy on the salt pork and it works every time. It was years and years before we ever bought canned baked beans again.

so, i had these beans tonight ( a day later) for dinnner with 3 hot dogs.

this recipe gets a:
fucken good
seal of approval

hmmm... I have a few recipes, but mostly I use my crock pot as a roaster. I do hams, whole chickens, pork roasts... well anything but beef as we like that rare. I find cooking from frozen helps with the flavours/textures issue as well as making sure the meat is on the bottom and the veggies are either around the sides or on top of the meat.

What kind of things do your like? soups, stews, roasts, veggies, casseroles??? What don't you like? then I can tailor some recipes for you. Also what size crock pot do you have.. mine is HUGE lol