Pollo Pulquero {Slow-Cooked Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, Jalapenos, and Cilantro}

 This is a spicy little slow cooker recipe that is perfect for a busy spring day.  Onions, potatoes, chicken, cilantro, tomatillos, and pickled jalapenos get layered in a slow cooker until all their flavors meld into one succulent and spicy little dish.  The chicken is fall-off-the bone tender and the heat from the jalapenos is just the right amount of heat without being overwhelming.  In fact, all the flavors here are just spot on.   The potatoes really help to make this a very satisfying but light spring meal that fills you up without weighing you down.  I'd definitely make this one again.

Slow-Cooked Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, Jalapenos, & Cilantro

(Pollo Pulquero)

Adapted from Mexican Everyday 

by Rick Bayless

Serves 4

1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds

salt

medium (about 1 pound total) red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

8 skinless chicken thighs (bone in or out 1-1-1/2 pounds)

1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves or 1/3 cup epazote leaves

1-1/4 pounds (8-12 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup sliced canned pickled jalapenos

2 tablespoons jalapeno pickling juice

Spread the onion over the bottom of a slow-cooker.  Sprinkle with salt.  Continue with layers of the potato slices, chicken thighs, cilantro or epazote and then tomatillos, sprinkling salt evenly over each layer before moving on to the next.  (This is the only salt in the dish, so make sure to add enough.)  Scatter the jalapeno slices over everything, then drizzle on the pickling juice.  Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours (the dish can hold on the slow-cooker's "keep warm" function for 4 more hours or so).

Carefully transfer a portion of your pollo pulquero onto each dinner plate.  If there is a large amount of juice in the cooker, tip or ladle it into a saucepan, set it over high heat and boil quickly to reduce to a rich consistency.  Taste and season with more salt if it needs it, then drizzle over each serving.  If you have any cilantro in the refrigerator, chop some to sprinkle over each portion. 

A Quicker Oven Version:  Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Layer the dish as described in a medium-large heavy pot, preferably a Dutch oven.  Set the lid in place and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer to reduce the juices.  Spoon directly from the pot onto plates.

Theme: From the Earth

The Slow Cook Book Recipe # 2: Mexican Meatballs

So it's Thanksgiving week and you're busy shopping, prepping, and cooking all things Thanksgiving.  With so much focus on the Thanksgiving preparation it's really hard to fit in and focus on the meals leading up to Thanksgiving.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be eating fast food or frozen pizzas leading up to the big day.  I still want to eat a home cooked meal, but I want it to be something that doesn't burn me out on cooking before the big day arrives. 

I have two solutions to the Thanksgiving week cooking dilemma.  First, get out the slow cooker.  It's your friend, especially at times such as this. Next, pick a recipe(s) and make a big batch so that you have enough for the next night and you can skip cooking for a day or so.

Over the weekend I made these Mexican Meatballs which can easily be reheated and served over rice, pasta, in sandwiches, etc.  Tonight I'm going to be making a big batch of taco meat for tacos and a huge pan of Mexican rice and refried beans.  The idea is that I'll have dinner for tonight and tomorrow so that I can focus my energy on cleaning, Thanksgiving prep work, baking pies, etc.   

 These Mexican Meatballs were a quick fix that everyone enjoyed.  They were much like a regular meatball  in tomato sauce, but instead were flavored with cumin, jalapenos, and cilantro.  They were great served on their own with rice and they also made great meatballs subs.

Mexican Meatballs

Adapted from The Slow Cook Book 

Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Auto/Low: 6-8 hours

For the Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red chiles, deseeded if you like or with seeds if you like it hot

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs

bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sauce:

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 cinnamon stick, broken

pinch of dried chile flakes

splash of Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar

2 (14oz.) cans of whole tomatoes

2/3 cup hot veggie or beef stock

Preheat the slow cooker, if required.  Put the ground beef, garlic, chiles, and cumin into a bowl and season.  Combine with your hands, then add the egg, breadcrumbs, and fresh cilantro, and mix well again.  Shape the mixture into about 20 small balls an toss lightly in the flour.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook half the meatballs (in batch and with extra oil, if necessary) for 6-8 minutes until brown all over.  Remove with a slotted spoon and sit on paper towels to drain.  Wipe the pot out with paper towels.

To make the sauce, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot over medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.  Stir in the garlic and red bell pepper, and cook for 3 minutes.  Transfer the cooked vegetables to the slow cooker along with remaining ingredients.  Add seasoning, cover with the lid, and cook on auto/low for 6-8 hours.  Taste and add more Tabasco sauce, if needed.  Serve with rice and a green salad.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Crockpot Recipe: Trisha Yearwood's Macaroni & Cheese

This year we're having a rather quiet and peaceful Thanksgiving celebration. We're not traveling anywhere and the only one joining the four of us for dinner will be my Mom. We're planning a simple meal, revolving around a roast chicken, the only meat my son isn't allergic to. It's going to be an easy going Thanksgiving around here and I'm loving that.

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving or simply bringing a dish, don't forget about your crockpot! It is a great way to free up space on your stove and in your oven. It's also a great way to keep food warm if you're transporting a dish to a family member or friend's house.

We almost always have macaroni and cheese, especially for the kids, on Thanksgiving. This year I tested out a crockpot recipe from Trisha Yearwood's newest book and we found it to be quite good.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood
Serves 12
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked
1- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 10-ounce bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 cups)
Dash of paprika

In a large 4-quart crockpot sprayed with cooking spray, mix the macaroni, milks, eggs, butter, salt, pepper, and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Turn off the crockpot, stir the mixture, and serve hot.

Another Crockpot Note: I'm also using my crockpot tomorrow to cook fresh corn on the cob for my son's preschool celebration. Fresh corn on the cob is husked, wrapped in foil and placed on high in the crockpot for 2 hours. The corn steams in it's own juices and is actually quite delicious.

I'm submitting this crockpot recipe to Reeni's Thanksgiving Side Dish Showdown over at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

I wanted to take this time to say that I am thankful for each and every one of you. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, friends, fun, laughter and memories!

Creative Thursdays: Pulled BBQ Chicken

Let me start by saying that you have to make this recipe!! In a total of 10 days, I have made this recipe twice!! I love when a recipe uses minimal ingredients, is super simple to throw together, and then yields a wonderful outcome. It really doesn't get any better! I owe a huge thank you to two wonderful food bloggers. Thank you to Lisaloo, of One Step at a Time, who first posted this recipe here. The ease of this recipe caught Monica's attention over at Lick the Bowl Good, and she posted the recipe on her blog here. I would like to give you both this award:
I chose this recipe for Creative Thursdays because it only uses two ingredients: frozen chicken breasts and barbecue sauce! Yes, I said frozen chicken!! Using the frozen chicken is great for people like me who always forget to thaw out meat for dinner the night before. I usually always have frozen chicken breasts in my freezer that I have bought in bulk and rewrapped. Barbecue sauce is another great staple around my house that I almost always have on hand. But, why stop there? I think this recipe would still work with many other sauces, both homemade and jarred. For instance, my husband and I both love chicken with buffalo sauce. Why not use buffalo sauce? I'm willing to bet there are a wide variety of sauces that would be perfect with this chicken. Why not try teriyaki, lemon pepper, honey mustard, salsa or even just plain chicken broth. Serve the chicken on a bun as a sandwich, or put it over rice or who knows what else. I think the possibilities are endless, and that's what makes this recipe so great!!

Pulled BBQ Chicken - adapted from Lisaloo at One Step at a Time & Monica of Lick the Bowl Good

4 frozen chicken breasts (I had boneless, skinless chicken breast)
1 - 18 oz bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (make sure you love the flavor, whatever you chose)

Place the frozen chicken in the crockpot and top with sauce (making sure the sauce covers the chicken). Let cool on low in crockpot for 8-12 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot and let cool slightly before shredding. After shredding, return to pot and let cook another couple hours.

Notes: I have made this recipe twice now using jarred barbecue sauce. Each time I have let the chicken cook on low for around 8 hours. The chicken is very tender at this point and will break up easily or hold it's shape if removed with a spatula. Although I enjoy shredded chicken and pork, I prefer it to be in chunks. After it cools a bit I break the chicken breasts into chunks and serve on a roll or over rice. Yesterday I made some garlic bread, topped it with hot pepper cheese and put the chicken on the roll. It was really, really good!!

I can tell you that next time I will be experimenting with buffalo sauce and I will be sure to post my results. If I am successful with the buffalo sauce, then I can definitely see a lot of experiments with this recipe. It's what I would refer to as WIDE OPEN, which is also how I refer to my two year old : )

Be sure to check out both Lisaloo and Monica's sites above to see how they enjoyed the chicken. They both have wonderful blogs that you are either already enjoying or will enjoy in the future.

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for this recipe! I'm willing to bet that there are some great ideas using this concept!!

Enjoy : )

Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese

I spent an hour or so this morning looking over recipes for chicken online. Within minutes of trying to deal with the food network website, I gave up on them. What is going on with their site? I decided to try Recipezaar and I loved it!! Why haven't I checked out this website before? They have a ton of recipes and the website is a dream. You can search by ingredient (ex. chicken), ratings, course, cuisine, diet, occasion. You can search by crockpot, casserole, I think you're getting the idea. My favorite is to search by ingredient and then search by ratings. I like to find the top rated recipes and pick from one of those.

Today, the second most popular chicken dish was this Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese. In fact 767 people have rated it a 4.5 out of 5. The best part was that the recipe uses frozen chicken breast! Yes, frozen ! No waiting to thaw. The only other ingredients that were needed was a 15oz jar of salsa, 15oz can of corn, 1 can of black beans and 8 oz. cream cheese. I was so happy that I had everything on hand. I was even happier that I didn't have to wait for my chicken to thaw.

To make the dish, you drain the corn and black beans. Then you add the frozen chicken breast, the corn, black beans, and jar of salsa. This cooks on high for 4-5 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Do not worry that the chicken will overcook. I was worried the chicken would get tough, but it doesn't. Once the chicken is cooked through (for me this was 4.5 hours), add the 8 oz. of cream cheese. I kinda cubed it up with my fingers and stirred it in. Once the cream cheese is added it cooks for another 30-40 minutes. The chicken breast will shred like a dream. It was tender and moist and absolutely delicious. Serve on top or on the side of your favorite carb.

I was completely happy with this dish. I thought it was perfect comfort food and think that everyone would enjoy this dish. This is a great pantry dish that can be thrown together in about 5 hours.

Variations and changes on this dish are endless. You could do many combinations. I was even thinking of using a can or cans of tomatoes with cilantro and chiles instead of jarred salsa. You could add peppers, onions, etc. The dish was a little on the bland side and could use some extra seasoning. I read online that one lady used some taco seasoning to spice up her dish. I'm sure you could add any seasoning you saw fit. I had a fresh jalopeno on hand that I added as a final touch, but now wish that I would've sliced it up and added it to the pot. This recipe is wide open to changes and variations!! Get creative with it! Great also for feeding a lot of people.

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Crock-Pot-Chicken-W-Black-Beans-and-Cream-Cheeseyum-89204