Sunday, January 27, 2013

Crockpot Cheesy Taco Chicken

I've been making huge meals lately so there will be plenty of leftovers because Josh's shift has changed and he isn't able to grab anything for lunch. Of course that means a lot of casseroles and crockpot dishes, which is fine because those are my favorite type of recipes to post here. I know I haven't posted a lot lately, but trust me, I'm still cooking up a storm.

Anyhoo, we all know I love a versatile recipe, and this sure is it!


Ingredients
7oz canned sliced jalapenos, drained
1 medium onion, sliced (I know, another recipe with onions... I love them, what can I say?)
2lbs chicken breasts
1, 16oz jar taco sauce
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin
1 pkg. four cheese Mexican shredded cheese
Tepatio (Mexican hot sauce) to taste


**the pepper on the left side is a bahut jolokia (ghost) pepper... we like stuff hot, as always**

Instructions
Trim fat off chicken and place whole breasts in bottom of crockpot, layer on top: sliced onions, jalapenos, taco seasoning, cumin, taco sauce, Tepatio, and cream cheese cut into chunks. Cook on high for 4 hours (low for 8). Stir once or twice to make sure the cream cheese doesn't get burnt on the sides.

Switch over to warm setting, shred each chicken breast with two forks (hold with one fork, shred with the other) while in the crockpot. If it is easier for you to take the chicken out to shred it, that would work as well, just return the chicken to the crockpot after shredding. Stir in shredded cheese until mixed/melted. 

Serve over rice or with tortillas.

Dijon Chicken

This recipe is a favorite of mine from years ago. It's rather versatile, and really easy... plus, the dijon flavor is out of this world! The sauce itself is so creamy with a great zing; it would be perfect alone, but adding vegetables into the mix, served over some linguine makes this dish 100% satisfying.



This dish serves 4, and since it is all made in the same pan (aside from the linguine , you will need a very large skillet/pan. I used this awesome electric skillet that Josh's mom sent over for Christmas, but prior to that, I had a large square pan. Regardless, you should be fine with a 12+ inch skillet if your chicken breasts are on the small side. If not, you may need a 14" skillet. The electric skillet shown in pictures below is 16 inches, and I used medium-large chicken breasts.

You will need:




Chicken Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 tsp cracked peppercorns (grinder) *optional, to taste*

Sauce
2 cups chardonnay (obviously I went cheap here, pic above)
2 cups whipping cream
4 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp stone ground mustard

Other Ingredients
Cooked linguine (according to package)
4 chicken breasts
2 medium zucchini, sliced (half moons)
1 large onion (sweet yellow) sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 tbsp butter/margarine

Instructions

Trim fat off chicken and place in pyrex dish (or similar). Pour olive oil over chicken and juice of one lemon; make sure to get out any seeds. Sprinkle pepper evenly over each breast on both sides. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat skillet to 400, or high on stove burner, and pan sear chicken in butter. Cooke evenly on each side until cooked through. Wash out your pyrex that was used to marinate and place chicken in it and set aside (in a warm oven preferably).

Reduce heat on same skillet (I reduced to 350, medium-high on burner) and pour in white wine; simmer for 5 minutes. Add in whipping cream, dijon and stone ground mustard, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. Cook until onions and zucchini are translucent, about 15 minutes or so.



Start your linguine.

Add chicken back to sauce/vegetables, reduce heat to 250 on the electric skillet and let simmer while linguine is cooking. This gives the sauce time to thicken and the chicken soaks up some of the flavor.


Once linguine is done, drain & plate. Spoon desired amount of sauce on linguine then top with chicken and veggies.

Apparently Josh had never had dijon chicken, so I was worried about his reaction. He said, very sarcastically: "this is terrible i never want you to make it ever again," which is Josh speak for "I love it." The leftovers are all packed up for him to take to work & I'm sure it will be on the list of recipes I make pretty often. Hopefully you enjoy it too!

<3 Allie