I've been working my tookus off trying to discover good slow cooker recipes that my whole family will enjoy.  It's not been that easy.  It doesn't help that my family is comprised of picky eaters that don't think they're picky. *rolling my eyes*  That's the worst kind of picky eaters.  They eat at other people's houses and praise the hostess for her cooking.  Then, THEN, when they're in the comfort of their own dinner table, tell me immediately what they think I should leave out of the meal the next time I make it.  As if I'm actually going to bother making the meal again.  What's the point?  They want me to leave out all the good stuff!

Some one, anybody, PLEASE tell me I am not alone.  I am an adventurous eater surrounded by picky eaters that would prefer to eat from a box of macaroni-n-cheese than eat a spinach salad topped with strawberries and almond slivers, drizzled with a fruity vinaigrette.  What's a spinach salad have to do with Mediterranean Chicken Thighs?  Nothing.

As for this easy slow cooker recipe, it did not go over well.  I should have left out the zucchini, olives, and bell pepper and just cooked the thighs in onions, Greek seasoning and chicken broth.  I used a bed of orzo, but it would have had a better mouthfeel with rice.  The chicken was VERY GOOD.  Seriously.  I used the leftovers for a quick chicken salad sandwich the next day.  Have you ever finished off a sandwich before realizing you had eaten it?  You remember taking that first bite and the next thing you know, you're popping the crispy, crusty corner into your mouth.  That's what happened to me.

Anyhoo.  I'm giving you the whole recipe as it was given to me and you can use it anyway it fits your taste.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 large zucchini, cut into large chunks
• 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup pitted black olives, halved
• 4 garlic cloves, left whole
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• lemon peel from half of a lemon, no pith
• 1 teaspoon dried Greek seasoning or Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup canned plum tomatoes, drained, diced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine zucchini, onion, olives and garlic.  Lay thigh meat over vegetables.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave off the lemon peel from half a lemon, being careful not to pick up any white pith.  Toss peelings into crock pot.  Sprinkle the chicken with seasonings.  Pour broth over all of it.

Cove and cook on low-heat setting for 5 hours or high-heat setting for 2 1/2 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. Discard cooking liquid.  Top chicken with tomatoes and Parmesan.

It's amazing what you can do with a little cooking smarts and a few ingredients, when you're really pressed to come up with something new for dinner.  For the past few weeks, I've been reading slow cooker recipes of every kind.  Although I've owned my Crock-Pot cooker for some 10 years now, I'm just now using it to seriously make life easier.

I keep running into crock-pot recipes that call for processed ingredients like jars of cheese dip or cream of mystery soup.  My heart skips a beat when I think of the high sodium these items contain.  To get around the excess salt, I've learned to make my own cream sauces and cheese sauces.  Homemade sauces take about 5 minutes to whip up.  They have better textures (creaminess) and it's easier to control the outcome with the spices that go into the pan.

In the original recipe that inspired this meal, it called for a 16-ounce jar of Parmesan Alfredo pasta sauce.  I didn't have that on hand, but I did have butter, flour, chicken broth, sour cream, Parmesan, garlic powder, and fresh ground pepper.  All the fixin's to make a great alfredo sauce at home without having to make a special trip to the store.  When I come to think of it, it would have taken me 20 minutes to go to the store and back, if I wore blinders and tried not to pick up anything else.

Anyhoo. If you love creamy chicken pasta recipes, add this one to your list.  My family CHOWED DOWN like there was no tomorrow.  I was glad I made enough for leftovers.  And yes, it was SO GOOD, my family ASKED me to heat up the leftovers the very next night.  That rarely happens in this house.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

Enough to feed 4, twice

• 3 large frozen chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

• 6 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white ground pepper or fresh ground black (whatever you have on hand)

• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth, warmed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1-pound dried whole-wheat linguine

In 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, lay the chicken boobs in the bottom of the crock and top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Set the cooker to low-heat.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Whisk together until smooth and continue whisking and cooking flour for 3 to 4 minutes.  Slowly pour in warm chicken broth, whisking as you pour to keep the sauce from forming lumps.  When sauce begins to thicken, within a minute, turn off heat.  Add in sour cream and whisk into sauce until smooth.  Taste for salt and pepper.  (Remember the Parmesan has a salty flavor and will help season the dish.)

Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and cheese in the crock pot.  Use a fork to lift up the chicken boobs, so the cream sauce can get under the poultry.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 1/2 hours or on high-heat for 2 1/2 hours.

About 20 minutes before you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat.  Add the dried linguine.  Stir.  Boil for 10 to 13 minutes until tender to the bite.  Drain off water.  Put the pasta in a large serving bowl.

Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the crock pot and cut into bite size chunks.  Add chicken to the pasta bowl.  Carefully remove crock from heat source, if possible, and pour sauce over chicken and pasta.  Toss until pasta is evenly coated.  Serve hot with garlic bread and a leafy green salad.

If you love baked chicken in cream sauces, you gotta try this chicken recipe.  The sauce is seasoned with onions, mushrooms, lemon, fresh oregano and basil.  OH SO GOOD!  Don't even think about substituting the mushroom sauce with that condensed stuff out of the can.  You'll ruin it for sure.  Besides, making cream sauces are super easy and they only add about 8 minutes to the whole cooking process.  You have time for fresh flavors, don't you?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

Serves 6

• 1 4-pound chicken, cut up

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups warm milk

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice

Heat oven to 250º F.

Place chicken pieces in a buttered 13-inch by 9-inch casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and cook mushrooms and onions for 5 minutes, until onions are tender.  Stir in flour, continue stirring and cooking for 3 minutes.  Add in warm milk and continue stirring until the flour and milk make a smooth sauce.  Remove from heat.

Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh herbs and salt.  Pour creamy herb sauce over chicken, making sure to get the pieces thoroughly coated.

Bake uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Twenty minutes before the chicken is done, bring to a rapid boil 4 quarts of water in a 6- to 8-quart pot.  Add in uncooked rice, continue to keep the water at a rapid boil for 15 minutes.  Drain and keep warm until chicken is completely baked.

Move chicken to serving dish, give the cream sauce a good stir before transferring to a gravy boat.  Serve chicken over a bed of rice with cream sauce on top.

To speed up the cooking process, bake oven to 325ºF and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Tried this for lunch, very nice, stuffed in a hot roll.  Bon appetit. - Laurie

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• ¼ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onions
• 4 dinner rolls, partially split and heated up in the oven

Mix together the chicken, celery, salad dressing and onions.  Stuff the dinner rolls with chicken mixture

You can substitute lobster or 1 drained can chunk crabmeat for the chicken1 heaping tablespoon of sweet red pepper for the red onion.  Add 2 green onions chopped to replace the onions (must have onions).

Hello there,

Tried this recipe last night and thought that your readers might enjoy it as well.

Have a great day.

Laurie

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used jarred)
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon hot chili-garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup peanuts or cashews, preferable untoasted and unsalted

STIR 1 tablespoon soy with 1 tablespoon sherry, ginger and sesame oil in a medium bowl. CUT chickeninto bite-sized pieces and add to soy mixture. STIR until well coated. STIR in cornstarch and set aside.COMBINE remaining soy and sherry with sugar and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl.
HEAT non-stick frying pan over medium-high. ADD oil, then marinated chicken. Stir-fry chicken untilalmost no pin remains, 5 to 10 minutes. ADD pepper and cook until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.STIR soy-sherry mixture and pour over chicken and pepper. ADD onions and peanuts. STIR untilpeanuts are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. REMOVE from heat. SERVE over steamed rice.
NOTE: I like vegetables so I added broccoli as an aside.

Made this for supper last night.  It was excellent and we have enough for 2 more meals, which we froze.

Have a great day.

Laurie

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 ½ lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
• 2 firm apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, (or 1 jarred roasted red pepper) seeded and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or only 1 if chicken is already cooked)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper (or the equivalent out of a jar) seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon crushed, out of a jar)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon crushed, out of a jar)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 can (398 mL or 14 oz) coconut milk (or 1 can - 514 mL Pride cook-in-sauce)
• Juice of ½ lime
• Salt and pepper

In a large skillet over high heat, brown the chicken (skip if chicken is already cooked), add apples, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, turmeric and garam masala. Continue cooking for about 2minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil (or Pride cook-in-sauce if using). Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. (If sauce is too thick add a bit of chicken broth)

Serve over basmati rice, curried chick peas, green peas and Naan bread.

I always figure that when I have time to roast one whole pasture-raised chicken, I can roast two.  It makes it easy to have one bird immediately for a special dinner, then the other can be striped down and put up for make-ahead meals.  And another thing, I get twice the bones and bits to make chicken stock for soups, sauces, and flavoring rice.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 to 2 whole pasture-raised chickens (about 3 1/2 to 4-pounds each)
• course salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 sprigs of fresh cut rosemary
• 6 sprigs of fresh cut thyme
• 1 large lemon, cut in half
• 1 large head of garlic, cut lengthwise
• 4 tablespoons soften butter

Heat oven to 425ºF degrees.

Wash out the inside of the chicken(s) and dry thoroughly with a towel.  Check for pinfeathers and rub them off, if you see any.  Place the chicken(s) in a roasting pan large enough to hold two birds, if you're roasting two birds, of course.

Generously  season the inside of the bird(s) with salt and pepper.  Fill each cavity with the 1 rosemary sprig, 3 thyme sprigs, half a garlic head, and half a lemon.  Tie the legs together with twine to hold the herbs, garlic and lemon inside the bird(s).

Using your fingers, smear the soften butter all over the outside of the chicken(s).  Season with more salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken(s) for 1- to 1 1/2 hours, until the juices run clear when you cut between the thigh and leg.  Transfer chicken(s) to a serving platter or cutting board, cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.  Cut into desired pieces and serve.

One Thanksgiving, I decided to do something different and we had Mexican food for our dinner.  It really turned out great; everyone enjoyed it!  We are in a new home this year and are going to have the traditional turkey dinner.  I am sending you a recipe for squash dressing that Mom got from a friend.

Squash Dressing

• 2 cups cooked summer squash, mashed
• 2 cups cornbread, crumbled
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. chopped green bell pepper (optional)
• salt, pepper and sage to taste
• approx 1 cup cooked chicken or turkey white meat (optional - this makes it a meal in itself!)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Pour into greased casserole dish (1 1/2 quart).  Bake 40 minutes at 400ºF degree.

Kathy McDonald

I'm on a quest to learn the different flavors of Paprika, i.e. sweet, right up the middle, and hot Spanish.  Well, those are the three types I have found so far.  I've started my education with this Hungarian chicken recipe, Chicken Paprikash.  Pay no attention to those funny little things serving as the bed of carbohydrates.  Those are my ugly attempt at Hungarian dumplings called Spaetzle.  The dumpling recipe I used called for "flour".  I figured all-purpose flour but I have my all-purpose mixed with whole wheat flour right now.  Well, I don't know what happened but my dumplings didn't look anything like the picture.  I hate when that happens.  They were actually very tasty.  My son loved them and gobbled them up.  They just look funny.  Anyhoo.

The chicken recipe turned out very good.  Sweet paprika doesn't taste sweet.  It's more like a very mild smokey paprika.  Mixed with the sweet tasting onions, green peppers, and stewed tomatoes, the red sauce is mild and full of flavor.  If you're like me and you and green bell peppers don't agree, have no worries here.  The long slow cooking process removed the back-talk out of the peppers.  I used 2 pounds of leg quarters, because that's what I had on hand.  Since I wasn't working with a four-pound bird, I didn't need to cook it near as long as the recipe recommended.  It took about 35 minutes to get them done.

You'll see the recipe calls for cooking the poultry in chicken fat.  I actually keep this on hand in the freezer.  However, I only use fat rendered from chickens that were pastured raised without hormones and antibiotics.  You know, the authentic country raised chickens that run around the yard eating bugs and sunbath when their tummies are full.  Have you ever seen a chicken sunbath?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Serves 4 to 5

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup melted chicken fat
• 1 roasting chicken (4 pounds), cut into serving pieces
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• Salt
• Water
• 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup stewed tomatoes, sliced into chunks
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Saute the onions in the chicken fat until golden brown.  Be careful not to burn the onions.

Add the chicken, paprika, and one teaspoon salt.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  During the simmering, stir twice and add a little water if needed.

Add the green pepper, tomato, and tomato paste and one cup water. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for about 50 minutes, stirring and adding water as needed to prevent sticking.  Add additional salt to taste.  Serve with rice, noodles, or dumplings.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

Serves 6 to 8

• 2 medium to large cooked chicken breasts
• 2 large celery stalks
• 2 small Gala apples, cored
• 3 tablespoons natural sunflower seeds

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubed bites. Cut the celery and apple into 1/2-inch cubed bites. Toss together with the sunflower seeds into a large mixing bowl.

For the creamy dressing: In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper. Pour over chicken salad and toss until it is well coated.

You can serve it on a bed of salad greens or eat it on it's own. If you cut the chicken, celery and apple into smaller cuts, this chicken recipe makes a very good chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread. Can be made a day ahead.

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Nutritional analysis per serving: 171 calories | 9g total fat, 2g sat fat |  42mg cholesterol | 103mg sodium | 8g carbs | 1g dietary fiber | 6g sugars | 14g protein | Vitamin A 143 IU |  Vitamin K 9.7mcg | Niacin 6.1mg | Vitamin B6 0.4mg | Folate 10.3mcg | Potassium 224mg