I was in a bind this morning. I had spent so much time earlier in the week planning out meals for dinner that by the time Thursday morning came I was stuck for a plan for dinner. I knew it had to be something in my Crock Pot because there was going to be no time at the end of the day. This morning I found comfort in knowing I was not the only one in this situation when my phone rang and a friend called asking, “do you have any good recipes for the Crock Pot? I have chicken breasts.” I laughed because I said the same thing to myself about an hour earlier. I had chicken breasts and that was about it. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Today, I “invented” a dinner recipe because people needed to eat. The recipe below is more of a guideline than a solid recipe and I’d say feel free to be creative here. All things considered, the possibilities are endless.
Slow Cooker Emergency Chicken
Ingredients:
2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or whatever you have in your freezer that will feed a family)
Water or chicken broth or a combination of both
Various veggies, if needed (see notes below)
What’s Next:
Place your chicken items in your slow cooker. Fill to about halfway with liquid. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Remove chicken and shred.
Remove cooking liquid and discard.
Place chicken back in slow cooker. Add to chicken any kind of pre-made simmer sauce or marinade or anything that comes already in a jar.
Cover and cook on low for another 1-2 hours.
Notes from my experience:
This was truly an emergency dinner. I used a Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce and marinade and just poured the whole bottle in. I made some rice and stir fried veggies and we had instant chicken teriyaki. It worked.
Williams Sonoma also has some great simmer sauces that you can add to any cooked meat.
If your kids don’t like “flavors” then you can always shred the chicken, set it aside and give to them plain. I’ve done that when sauteing chicken and then preparing a pan sauce and it works well. Plus, you are not making two dinners.
Another option is to shred the chicken, add chicken broth, carrots, celery and onions and you have instant chicken soup without all the salt and preservatives that come in the canned variety. Add some grilled cheeses and it’s soup and sandwich night!
Barbecue sauce is also a good option. Add it to the chicken and serve on kaiser rolls. It’s pulled chicken (rather than pulled pork) sandwiches!
