Crock Pot Meat

Crockpot Ranch Chicken

The easiest meal you will ever make!

Course Crockpot 

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes Servings  -6

Author Stephanie Ertel

Ingredients

• Chicken tenders or breasts I used 1.76 LB chicken tenders
• 1 Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
• 1 can Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup plus 1 can of water or milk

1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and mix well.
2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Chicken Sauce

The sauce I like to make for Hawaiian Haystacks is super simple.  I think every family probably has their own version of Creamy Crock Pot Chicken.  I make it in that wonderful invention called the slow cooker. Here’s what I use:

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup— Of course you can substitute the equivalent of the homemade version (3- 4 cups).
• 1 envelope Zesty Italian dressing dry mix – I use a variation on this recipe to make my own, then use about a Tablespoon of it in the sauce.
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts— You can add more or less depending on how chicken-y you like it or how frugal you want it to be.

Stick that all in the crock pot for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low (time varies by slow cooker, so just check to be sure the meat is done). About a half hour before you’re ready to serve dinner, add your choice of “creamy” ingredient:

• a block or cream cheese OR 1-2 cups sour cream OR 1-2 cups plain yogurt

The cream cheese makes the thickest sauce of the three.  Each of them has a different flavor, but they are all yummy!  In fact, sometimes we stop here.  We just put the sauce over rice and have salad or broccoli on the side and call it a meal!

Toppings

Here are our some favorite toppings:

• cheese
• tomatoes
• green onions
• pineapple (tidbits are my favorite size to use)
• raisins (or craisins)
• chow mein noodles (We call them “crunchies.”  You’ll find them in with the Asian foods.)
• peas

Other common toppings:

• celery (finely chopped)
• olives
• mandarin oranges
• nuts

Measure your rice and water into the pot

For our family of six, I usually put 1 cup rice and 2 cups of water into the pot. Sometimes I do 1 1/2 cups rice and 3 cups water. It’s the same for brown rice.

Turn your stove up high

Place your pot with your rice and water onto the stove and crank the heat. Oh, and you don’t want a lid on for this part. On my old gas stove I would go to the max, but on the electric stove I have now I back it off a little or I get a sacrificial layer of rice even in my thicker pot. Now here’s the important part…DONT. WALK. AWAY. Don’t get distracted by the kids, don’t try to finish up a few dishes in the sink, don’t read a magazine. Just stand there and stare at your rice pot. Can you tell I’ve gotten distracted, had my rice boil over and messed the whole water to rice ratio all up? Yeah, stare at the pot. And as soon as it starts to boil just a bit…

Turn your stove way down low

Put the lid on your pot and turn the heat all the way down. Again on my old gas stove I would go to the very lowest the flame would go, but on my electric stove now I keep it right in between 1 and 2 (the max is 9). Now you can set your timer for 15 minutes for white rice (40 minutes for brown), and walk away to go clean up all the toilet paper your 3 year old unrolled while you were staring at your rice pot. Brown rice takes a lot longer, and I find that more frequently I have to check and let it go 5 more minutes and check again. I think, since it absorbs the water more slowly it is also more sensitive to the heat. The other day it still wasn’t done after 50 minutes, and I realized it was because the stove was set closer to the 1 than right in between the 1 and 2. You just have to plan dinner accordingly.

Check if it’s done

After your timer goes off you can check if your rice is done. Most likely it will be or will be very close. To check it, don’t stir it. Just open the lid, take a spoon and stick it straight into the middle of the rice and just slightly move the rice to one side.

You are looking to see if there is still water under the rice. If you still see water bubbling down under there, scootch that rice back into its place and put your lid back on for 5 more minutes. Then check again after 5 minutes. The timing is really not that crucial, so you don’t have to be too worried about overcooking it. Worst case scenario, you get a sacrificial layer of rice. If there’s no water when you check, your rice is done.

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen is fine)

1 cup salsa

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 packet taco seasoning

1/2 cup sour cream

6 tortillas

Place chicken in the bottom of your Crock Pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken. In a bowl, combine soup and salsa. Pour over chicken. Cook on high 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and stir in sour cream. Serve on tortillas or as desired.

• Pork Chops
• Hidden Valley Ranch Mix Packet
• 1 can Cream of Chicken plus 1 can water as needed {or 2 cans cream of chicken}

Combine all three ingredients in the crockpot and mix well.   Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

• 1.5 tbsp sweet paprika (3tbsp) (Edited Feb ’12 to say I’ve also used mild smoked paprika with fantastic results)
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed (2 tbsp)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp)
• S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)
• 2 lbs pork (baby) back ribs (6 lbs) – leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (3 cups)
• Vegetable oil spray.

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P.  Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.  Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and they were perfect).

Now comes the only stove/oven work involved, we need to reduce the sauce and then brown the ribs under the broiler.  These steps are what turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, so don’t you dare skip them even if your ribs already look pretty good.  Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they are tennnnderrrrr) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on (like in my photo collage), bone side up and set aside. Skim any fat that has risen to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.  Put your oven’s broiler on to preheat and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element.  Once the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice (I did only once because I forgot) to baste with more sauce. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

Hubby loved these ribs so much he said now he knows what he’ll request when he is offered the meal of his choice… he normally has a hard time making up his mind when offered, so that really means something.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients

• 4
  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1
  large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
• 1
  (10.5 ounce) can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
• 1
  (8 ounce) box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
• 1
  (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1
  cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.