Mediterranean Crockpot Chicken For 2

July 21, 2015July 8, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I’m not a seasonal eater. What do I mean by that? I love soups year round. Chili? In July? Why not?! Ice cream in the winter? Of course! B, on the other hand, is very seasonal. We can’t eat soup in the summer. Crockpot? Stash that away from May-Aug (and sometimes September). BUT sometimes I can sneak in a slow cooker recipe in the summer and convince B it’s still seasonal. I didn’t quite do that with this one (there was no sneaking) BUT he did enjoy it. And would eat it again:) At last! A crock pot meal that even B enjoys in the summer.

Mediterranean Crockpot Chicken

Mediterranean Crockpot Chicken For 2 (with leftover for lunch)

Makes 2 large dinner servings, with a leftover lunch portion

Slightly modified from Family Food on the Table

Ingredients

2 large, skinless chicken breasts (mine weighed a little more than 1/2 lb)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, mostly drained and chopped a bit
1 14-oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp red curry powder
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 cup cooked quinoa

Instructions

Combine everything BUT the fresh basil and quinoa in your slow cooker (chicken breasts through dried Italian seasoning).
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Once finished, use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks.
Serve warm, with fresh basil and over quinoa. NOTE: There will be a decent amount of liquid left – I liked mine almost soupy and used much of it. If you don’t, use a slotted spoon for removing the meal from the crockpot.

Sittin in the slow cooker …

Ready to eat!

Alright, your turn. A few questions for you:

Any favorite summery slow cooker recipes? Let me know!
What’s the best slow cooker meal or snack you’ve ever had?
Are you a seasonal eater?

Beer Can Chicken

July 31, 2013July 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

We got another 5-lb chicken in our Fresh Fork delivery last week. ANOTHER chicken! Just when I thought I was done sticking my hand inside that cavity to find the giblets … nevermind, I digress.

I already made pretty much the best roast chicken ever (Thanks Mom!) … and I don’t have a deep fryer … so what was I to do with another 5-lb chicken? One of my coworkers, Gail, kept suggesting I make Beer Can Chicken. I have to admit – I was skeptical. Beer Can Chicken? Didn’t that involve sticking a beer up a chicken? That wasn’t something I was really ready to do.

The chicken and the beer can meet … it gets more awkward. (Yes, I have red/white/blue Bud cans)

But when we picked up the chicken, I still didn’t really know what to do with it. And so when I asked B, and he also suggested Beer Can Chicken, I knew it was likely a done deal. So I found a few different highly-rated recipes and decided to give it a try. The result? Awkward? Yes. I may have had a few conversations with the chicken while I was making it. They kinda went like this:

Me: (As I’m pushing the chicken on top of the beer can) Oh boy, I’m so sorry…soo sorry..so sorry Mr. chicken!

B: Who are you talking to?

Me: Uhh, the chicken?

B: Why? What are you saying?

Me: I may be apologizing. I just feel so rude … I’m literally sticking a beer can up this chicken’s … umm …

B: You realize it’s dead, right?

Me: (starting to feel sheepish) Yes …

B: And you realize you already stuck your whole hand inside of it to clean it and take out the giblets, right?

Me: I still have no idea where these giblets are! I think I got another giblet-less chicken!

Okay, that’s probably not word-for-word what happened … but you get the idea. And then when the can had to come out of the chicken? That was even worse. Anyway, if you think you can bring yourself to stick a beer can inside a chicken, then this recipe is for you. Pretty simple, pretty delicious – and the leftovers are just as good!

beer can chicken | i crashed the web

Beer Can Chicken (based on this recipe)

Here’s what you need:

1/2 c. garlic powder
1 tbs salt
2 tbs onion powder
1 tbs oregano (I used dried)
1 tbs basil (I used dried)
1 tbs parsley (I used dried)
freshly ground black pepper
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans light-flavored beer (I had Budweiser®)
1 whole chicken (mine was 5-lb)
1 yellow onion, chopped into one inch pieces
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into one inch pieces
5 stalks celery, chopped into one inch pieces

Here’s what you do:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Clean and rinse chicken. This where you’re supposed to discard the giblets, but I honestly didn’t find them. Again. Anyway, wash the inside of the chicken and dry it completely.
Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl – garlic powder, salt, onion powder, dried oregano, basil, parsley, and ground black pepper.
Pour 1/3 of one can of beer into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the open beer can (2/3 full) in the center of the baking dish.
Place the chicken, legs down over the open beer can. With the breast of the chicken facing you, use a knife to cut a small slit on each side of the front of the chicken and insert the tip of each wing into each slit. It will look like it’s crossing its arms.
Rub the dry seasoning mixture over the entire chicken. Place chopped veggies in pan surrounding chicken. Open the remaining beer and pour 1/2 of it into the pan under the chicken and over the veggies. Save the remaining beer.
Bake the chicken for about 45 minutes and then pour remaining beer into the pan around the chicken. Continue baking for about 45 more minutes or until the juices run clear. A meat thermometer should read 165-170 degrees when inserted at the thickest part of the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the beer can. Be careful – it’s hot!
Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy with veggies!

Before …

After!

More Crock Pot Deliciousness: Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup {recipe}

July 18, 2013July 17, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Have I told you how much I LOVE my crock pot? I know I have. I’m sure I have. Well, if I haven’t – let me tell you now: I LOVE MY CROCK POT.

check out my skills. i made this.

I came across this recipe when we had a pot luck for work a few months ago. When I saw the list of stuff people had planned to bring to our crock pot luck (get it?) and saw it was buffalo chicken dip, chicken paprikash, some desserts, and so on, I knew I had to bring something healthy. So naturally I scrolled through one of my favorite blogs, Skinnytaste, and decided on this recipe. I made it and REALLY enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again and again actually – because there were tons of leftovers! Why’s that? Apparently “spicy” and “black beans” are scary at potluck. Yup, scary. A few of my coworkers shied away from it when they heard it was “spicy” (it’s not really) or it had “Black beans” in it. Which meant – more for me! (and it also meant that when half the office got sick from the potluck the next day everyone agreed it WASN’T my bean soup that got them sick … because none of the sickos tried it. It feels good to be cleared of the food poisoning charge) And more for B, who really liked it as well. So this week when I noticed my crock pot was looking kinda lonely (as tends to happen when its 80+ degrees out) I decided to make some of it again. Not only does cooking in the crock pot mean I’m not cooking on a hot day (it cooks for me while I’m at work!) but it also means that I can stay outside and enjoy the sunshine a little longer knowing that dinner is ready when I get home 🙂 Oh, and did I tell you that it’s low fat? (Yup, one large bowl that’s 1.5 c has less than 6 grams of fat and 300 something calories) crock pot chicken and black bean soup spicy Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup (modified from Skinnytaste, very slightly. but look at her recipe because her pictures are way better!) Here’s what you need:

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3.5 c low sodium chicken broth
About 20-30 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies (I found 10 oz cans and 15 oz cans and used 2 of the 10 oz this time, last time I used 2 of the 15 oz cans)
1 red bell pepper, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
4 oz can diced green chiles
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 skinless chicken breast

Here’s what you do:

Using a food processor, combine one can of beans with 1.5 cups of the chicken broth. Puree them together and add to your slow cooker.
Add the other can of beans and the remaining 2 c of chicken broth to the slow cooker.
Add canned tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapenos, diced green chiles, cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder and chicken breasts.
Set your crock pot to High for four hours, or Low for 6-8 hours (mine took 6).
Before serving, remove the chicken and shred. Place back in the slow cooker. Serve!
Original recipe suggests serving with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, etc. I just had mine plain and enjoyed it tremendously! B added more hot sauce to his.

spicy black bean and chicken soup in your crock pot

Again, Skinnytaste’s pictures are much better…look at hers.

Super Easy One-Dish Roasted Chicken

February 13, 2013February 12, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

I have decided to give up eating meat for Lent. I know it will be a challenge, but it’s one that I think I can do and one that will also broaden my cooking horizons. Will B give up meat? No. But he has said he’ll try whatever recipes I come up with, so I’ve already started looking for new vegetarian recipes to try and even taken some books out of the library.

So, during the countdown to Lent, I enjoyed some of my favorite meaty dishes, mainly pepperoni pizza and pepperoni bread. And believe it or not, I’ll also miss chicken! That’s why this weekend I decided it was time to make this recipe (pictured below – picture is not mine) that I’ve had for a little while, before my meat-free months begin.

I’m leading with the image FROM Jamie Oliver because it looks much better than mine and maybe you’ll actually make it if you think it looks like this

If you want an easy, hearty and relatively healthy dish that takes about 5 minutes prep time (but 1 hr 15 min to cook), I highly recommend this. Plus, think of all you can accomplish in the 1 hour and 15 minutes you spend waiting for this dish? You could clean your kitchen, read a book, do some exercises in your living room (I wouldn’t recommend going to the gym while this is in the oven), and more! Think of how productive you can be! At least that’s what I was thinking … B and I ended up just snacking (on pepperoni bread obviously) and catching up on our DVR. Watching episodes of The Office and Walking Dead count as being productive, right?

Anyway, the meal turned out delicious and B took the leftovers (I only had one thigh) for lunch today. I don’t usually like dark meat but with the crusty ciabatta bread, olive oil sauce and other ingredients, I managed to eat it, and enjoy it!

Super Easy One-Dish Roasted Chicken

(slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver)

The recipe below is what I made and it serves 2-3 depending on how hungry you are. The original serves 4-6.

Here’s what you need:

2 thick slices of ciabatta bread
2 full chicken legs (each leg is one thigh and drumstick)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Bunch of basil leaves
1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves
½ c of black seedless mediterranean olives
1 red chili pepper, chopped
Healthy drizzle of olive oil
4 slices of pancetta

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Get a deep roasting tray big enough to fit all the chicken in one layer.
Rip the ciabatta into medium-sized chunks and place in the tray with the chicken, tomatoes, basil, garlic cloves, olives, chopped red chili pepper.
Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the chili. Toss to mix up well, then reposition the chicken on top. Bake in the oven, turning the chicken after 30 minutes.
Cook for another 30 minutes and then add the pancetta on top of the chicken.
Return to the oven and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and falling off the bone.
Serve with a side salad and perhaps some more ciabatta bread!

One Dish Roasted Chicken With Pancetta, Olives, Tomato and Garlic

All the ingredients ready to be roasted! The recipe says to put the chicken on top before roasting but I couldn’t leave you with a photo of ugly naked chicken so I adapted it slightly.

Fresh from the oven after 1 hr 15 min

Served with a side arugula salad and some more ciabatta bread (not pictured)

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken & Beans – For Two!

July 26, 2012July 26, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Even though it’s summer, I’ve been dying to use my crock pot. After all – what’s a better feeling than coming home from work and knowing that a healthy, easy dinner is already ready? That’s why I decided to find an easy recipe, with flavors good for summer, for two. That’s right – a crock pot recipe for TWO people (or one person – with a nice-sized lunch for the next day)!

So often whatever I make in my crock pot serves 6, or even more, and I’m eating leftovers for a week. After seeking a few recipes, I decided to just come up with my own – and here it is! Enjoy. If you are cooking for more than two, I have on doubt you could double, triple or quadruple this recipe to feed more hungry bellies.

slow cooker cheesy black beans and chicken

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken & Beans for Two

Here’s what you need:

4 chicken tenderloins or 1 whole chicken breast
1 (15.5 oz) can of black beans, drained
1/2 (15.5 oz) jar of salsa (I used Tostitos Chunky Hot Salsa for a kick)
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs garlic powder
1/2 c Mexican cheese blend

Here’s what you do:

Place the chicken on the bottom of your crock pot.
Mix the can of black beans, half jar of salsa, and spices (cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder) together. Pour on top of chicken.
Pour water on top.
Set your crock pot or slow cooker to low. Cook for 8 hours.
After 8 hours, mix chicken/bean mixture and serve in two bowls. Top with Mexican cheese.
Enjoy!

Note: I also made some Uncle Ben’s 90 second whole grain rice and topped with the chicken and beans. I also cut up some avocado, and B added hot sauce. For cilantro lovers, the recipe would also be delicious with some fresh herb sprinkled on top.

If you liked this recipe, or want more slow cooker recipes, check out the ones I’ve tried and shared, here.

Healthy and Easy Moroccan Chicken

April 4, 2012April 15, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Did I get your attention with “healthy and easy”? Because honestly, this recipe is SO easy, and SO healthy – I don’t make it enough!

A few years ago, my friend Ali shard this recipe with me from Men’s Health and I’ve been making it ever since, with a few modifications. It’d been a while since I last made it so I decided to make it for dinner Monday night. It was perfect – B loved it AND there was enough for leftovers for lunch!

Steamy chicken and veggies cooking

Healthy & Easy Moroccan Chicken

Here’s what you need (serves 2):

4 chicken tenderloins or 2 chicken thighs
1 zucchini, cut into cubes
1 can (16 oz) chickpeas
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (or two large fresh tomatoes, diced)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper*
2-3 tsp ground cumin
2-3 tsp paprika
box of couscous (I use Near East Parmesan)

Here’s what you do:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Season the chicken with 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin, and salt and pepper. *If you like your chicken particularly spicy, feel free to sprinkle with some of the cayenne pepper as well at this point. (UPDATE: Thanks Estivator for asking for further clarification on the cayenne pepper)
Place chicken in the pan and brown each side- probably like 3 minutes on each side. Doesn’t need to be fully cooked at this point.
Add the chopped zucchini and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
When the zucchini has lightly browned, add chickpeas, canned or fresh tomatoes, cayenne pepper and some more cumin and paprika. I like to also add about half of the juice from the canned chickpeas.
Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
While chicken and veggies are simmering, prepare the couscous according to the box’s directions.

Serve chicken and veggies over couscous. Enjoy!

Chicken Marinara with Spinach and Mozzarella

March 29, 2012March 26, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I call my mom pretty much every day on my walk home from work. We talk about how our days went, what’s new with family, and of course, what we’re having for dinner. I love hearing what my mom is making – she’s usually just finished cooking when I’m walking home – and it often inspires me to cook up something similar.

Last week my mom mentioned she was cooking a dish I have always loved – chicken marinara with spinach and mozzarella. She makes a huge portion of it for her and my dad and they eat it as leftovers the next day. I happened to have a whole bag of spinach on hand and had planned to make a spring spinach salad, but when the weather turned cold again (brr!) I was yearning for something comforting. And this was perfect! Even B – the vegetable hater – ended up eating his with the spinach.

Chicken Marinara with Spinach and Mozzarella

Here’s what you need (serves 4):

1 bag of spinach (serves 3)
1/4 c flour + salt and pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts (or 8 chicken tenderloins)
3-5 tbs butter (hey i said it was comfort food!)
1 c tomato sauce (I just make my own)
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Here’s what you do:

First, cook the spinach. Spray a pan with Pam and cook spinach. As the spinach starts to wilt, add 1 tbs of butter and salt/pepper to flavor and soften the spinach. After wilted, remove from heat and set aside.
While the spinach is cooking, pound chicken breasts until they are 1/2 – 1 inch thickness (if you’re using tenderloins, you can skip this step)
Coat chicken in the flour / salt / pepper combo thoroughly.
In a large pan that will hold all the chicken breasts, plus some extra space, melt the rest of the butter. Cook the chicken until they are brown on each side. You can add additional butter (or oil) to the pan if needed.
After the chicken is browned, top with the spinach. Then, top each chicken/spinach with a slice of mozzarella.
Pour the tomato sauce onto the pan, around each piece of chicken (not on TOP of the chicken). Cook on medium heat and then reduce to a simmer while the cheese melts.

Enjoy the cheesy/saucy goodness. If that isn’t comfort food for a chilly spring night, I don’t know what is!

I made mine with extra spinach and served with spinach and zucchini fries. B got pasta as well.