Crockpot Marsala Chicken

Please excuse the heinous photo

This is one of our family's favorite crockpot chicken recipes. A friend gave me this one. She's also a mother of 4 and I think this is a "6 for 6" dinner for both of our families (everyone loves it). This recipe is flexible enough to throw together in the morning for a busy day or put together in the afternoon. The most important thing is that the chicken gets cooked through. Even with frozen chicken breasts, it can be finished in 2-3 hours in the crockpot.

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can start frozen or not)
1 tsp each of oregano, basil and garlic salt
1 c. water
1/2 stick butter (NOT MARGARINE!)
3/4 to 1 c. marsala wine (to taste)
4-8 oz mushrooms (white or portabello) sliced (depends on how much your family likes mushrooms
2 cans Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup (not cream of mushroom)
4 oz cream cheese

Directions:
Combine water, spices, chicken and butter in crockpot.
Mix one can of the soup with marsala wine and pour over chicken.

The setting on your crockpot depends on whether your chicken is frozen or not and how long you'll be gone. I can start this in the afternoon with either frozen or fresh chicken and put it on high for an hour and reduce the heat to low for an hour or 2. If I prepare it in the morning, I start it on low and remove the chicken when it's cooked through if I can, cut it up and set it aside in the refigerator and return it to the crockpot before serving. (I don't know about you but I think chicken gets a pulverized, dusty consistency if you cook it in the crockpot too long).

About 30 minutes before your ready to serve, put in as many mushrooms as you want. In a saucepan or microwave, heat the other can of mushroom soup with the 1/2 block of cream cheese until the c. cheese is melted and smooth. Pour over chicken and mushroom mix and stir until smooth. This can stay on warm or low in the crockpot until ready to serve.

My friend dumps all the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning with her chicken already cut up and cooks it on low all day and her family loves it, too. She also uses the whole 8 oz. block of cream cheese. I find when I do this, the cream cheese curdles a little. I don't mind that but the rest of my family does so I use my method. Mark's not a huge cream cheese fan so I cut it in half and it's still a hit.

I serve it over rice or noodles. Add a salad and/or a vegetable and you're set.

Do you have any crockpot chicken recipes that are family favorites?

I'm linking up to Frugal Fridays at the Shabby Nest

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Source: foodwishes.blogspot.com via Melodie on Pinterest

                                                                   

I have no idea why the photo above was removed. I gave credit and the link and everything. Next time I make this, I'll take my own photo then pin that, so there! In the meantime, this link should work to get you to a pretty photo and the original site.

I spared you my heinous step-by-step photos, your welcome. I finally tried this tonight after spotting it on Pinterest! The photo looked appetizing and when I clicked through, the recipe looked easy. Please click through for all the ingredients and steps. Too lazy here. 

I used leftover homemade sauce, 3 chicken breasts (halved long-way to make 6), croutons from Aldi, mozzarella and grated parmesan. I cooked spaghetti for the side. This was a cheap, easy and kid-friendly dinner. I love chicken parmesan the traditional way but dread the prep so I rarely make it. This was a very close substitute for the taste and texture. 

The recipe calls for sprinkling red pepper flakes on the bottom of the baking dish along with the olive oil and minced garlic. I couldn't resist and it did give the dish a kick. I was worried that it would be too spicy for the kids but most of them seemed to like the taste. Just to be safe, I'd skip this step if you're not sure you're family is tolerant of spice. 

I'm linking up at "Amongst Lovely Things" for "Pinning it Down" Tuesdays. When I figure out how to grab Sarah's button, I'll do that. In the meantime, I'm stuck with the boring link.

Biscuit Pot Pie

I have lots of work to do to make this blog blogworthy. (So, so sorry to anyone who tried the link last week from the Shabby Nest-totally forgot that this was still marked private-oops).

I've been wanting a depository for the things I make in the kitchen. So, I figured I should start with a "6 for 6". That is, everyone loved it. Making pot pie in this form works for a family our size. The 9" traditional round pot pie just isn't enough when everyone wants seconds-which everyone did with this dinner-and making 2 pot pies isn't practical.

A few other things I like about this recipe:

1. It worked and I kind of made it up. Go me!

2. I used leftover chicken, homemade biscuit dough, homemade chicken broth. For the most part, this was economical.

3. It was easy to put together (in spite of the homemade biscuit dough) and baked quickly.

All of the above make it a winner all around. A perfect dinner on a cold winter night.

Biscuit Dough*:

4 c. all-purpose flour

5 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 c. shortening (or some combination of shortening and butter)

1 1/2 c. milk (or some combo of buttermilk and any kind of milk adding up to 1 1/2 c.)

extra butter to grease the pan and some melted to drizzle on the top biscuit dough.

mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is well-blended and shortening is evenly distributed in small beads.

mix in milk. dough should be evenly wet. add more if it's too dry. (Too much liquid will make a heavy biscuit, too little will make them dry).

Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Press half of the dough (probably need well -floured hands) into the bottom of the dish and a little up the sides to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. 

For filling:

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken (more or less if you like)

2 c. (or eyeball it) frozen (or fresh chopped) mixed vegetables (I used the organic mixed from Costco)

2 cans cream chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

Mix these ingredients and microwave for 30 seconds at a time to get lumps out of cr. chicken soup, stirring in between. Sometimes, 30 seconds is enough.

pour mixture into prepared baking dish

With the remaining biscuit dough, tear off pieces and shape into flat biscuits of any shape and place on top of mixture. It's fine if some of the mixture is still showing.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Halfway through baking, brush or drizzle melted butter over top biscuits.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes covered.

*I'm sure this would be just as good with refrigerated biscuit dough or crescent roll dough and of course, refrigerated pie crust. I tried this version because the 9 x 13 feeds our family better.

I have to give my friend, Alicia, credit for the pot pie filling. She told me about it years ago. Again, it's a slightly easier version than making your own filling with flour, butter and chicken broth. You can go that route if you want to avoid the cream soup.

Trying to link up to Frugal Fridays at the Shabby Nest with a button: