Today would be the perfect day for a big steaming bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup or a cheesy chicken casserole.  Something comforting.  And this roast chicken would be a great to use in a dish like that.  I’m a big fan of roasting my own chicken instead of buying rotisserie at the store.  In the past, I’ve usually cooked my whole chickens in the oven.  Roasting chicken in the oven gets the skin nice and crispy, but sometimes I overcooked my chicken and it was too dry.  And you have to rub butter under the skin and stuff the chicken, which can be a pain.

But did you know that you can also roast a whole chicken in the crockpot?  This method is super easy, and yields chicken that is falling-off-the-bone tender and extra juicy.  The skin won’t get crispy this way, nor will it win any photo contests, but you’ll get some delicious chicken with the ease of your crockpot.  The recipe couldn’t be simpler….put some chopped onion in your crockpot, plop the chicken on top, sprinkle with spices.**  That’s it! No extra liquid needed.  (You’ll be amazed at how much liquid is created as the onion and chicken cook!)  No rubbing butter under the chicken skin (which I know grosses some of you out).  This recipe is virtually foolproof (assuming you remember to turn on your crockpot)!

** A note about the spices: The recipe below includes a homemade spice mixture, but this would also work with practically any seasoning mix: fajita seasoning, grill seasoning, italian seasoning or any other spice mixture you can purchase.

Ready to cook!

Crockpot Whole Chicken

adapted from food.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 large roasting chicken (Picky Apple note: mine was about 3.5 pounds)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• Other optional add ins: lemon juice, garlic, potatoes, carrots and other veggies

In a small bowl, combine the spices.  Clean the chicken and remove the giblets.  Put chopped onion in bottom of crockpot.  Add the chicken.  Sprinkle the spices on top of the chicken.  (Picky Apple note:  I don’t always use all of the spice, depending on the size of the chicken.  If you’ve got some leftover, save it for next time!) Throw in potatoes and veggies, if using.  Cook on low for 4-8 hours, depending on your crockpot.  (Mine takes 5-6 hours)

**Edited 9/16/11: Many food safety sites recommend cooking raw chicken on high for the first hour in the crockpot to bring the crockpot up to a “safe” temperature.  Then you can switch it back down to low for the remainder of the cook time.  I’ve done it both ways and my chicken has been fine (but then again my crockpot is particularly hot).  Just wanted to give you a heads up.  Safe cooking everyone!

Crockpot Asian Peanut Butter Pork

from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2lbs pork tenderloin
• 1 onion, sliced in rings
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (garnish; optional)
• 1 lime, cut in wedges (garnish; optional)

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot. Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot. Put the pork on top. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter. No need to stir–the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it. 1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanutbuttery goodness. Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges.

Cuban Roast Pork

recipe from Foodie Tots

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4-pound pork shoulder (Picky Apple note: I used pork tenderloin)
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 blood orange, cut into eighths (Picky Apple note: I used regular oranges, peeled and sectioned)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt
• pepper
• smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 ounces salsa verde
• 1 bottle Mexican beer (Picky Apple note: I used Negra Modelo)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork generously with salt, pepper and a touch of smoked paprika and set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear pork until browned, 4-5 minutes on each side. Spread onions around and under pork, and arrange orange slices around pan. Add bay leaves, salsa and the beer. Cover and cook in oven for 2 hours. Remove lid and cook 1 hour more, until pork falls apart when prodded with a fork.

Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Cut out excess fat, and slice a portion for the first night. Serve with rice, black beans, fresh cilantro and additional orange slices.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

adapted from goodLife{eats}

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 limes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on high for 3-5 hours.  Shred chicken and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

adapted from Food Network Magazine, Feb/Mar 2009

Ingredients:

• 1 poblano pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 4 pounds pork tenderloin
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Corn tortillas, warmed for serving
• Assorted taco toppings (cilantro, limes, mangos, cheddar cheese, avocado, red cabbage)

Put the poblano, garlic, chipotles, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth.

Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker.  Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce and the chicken broth.  Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours.  (Or cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes at 350 degrees F; uncover and cook 30 more minutes.)

Discard the bay leaves and the cinnamon stick.  Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper.  Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with toppings.

A few nights ago, I made Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches after reading about them on Baking Bites, one of my favorite blogs. I love French Dip Sandwiches! The Picky Apple, as it turns out, doesn’t like them as much as me. I probably could have guessed that though. He has a serious aversion to anything resulting in soggy bread. French onion soup is the biggest soggy bread offender in his book.  (Coincidentally, my all time favorite soup!)  Bread pudding is not something he’ll be requesting anytime soon.  So he ate his sandwich sans au jus, which kind of goes against the whole idea of French dip, if you ask me.  But to each his own.  We both liked the flavor of the meat.  I thought it was melt in your mouth good, especially with some fresh bread and melted smoked provolone! If you like French Dip Sandwiches, then you have got to try this…Check out the recipe here!

Slow-Cooker Taco Chili

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef, cooked and drained
• 1/2 package taco seasoning mix (I use Old El Paso Original)
• 1 10 oz. can of Rotel (the Chili flavor is best, but sometimes hard to find)
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of black beans, drained
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of corn, drained

Directions:  Throw everything into a slow-cooker, and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 2-4 hours on high.  Serve with tortilla chips or tortillas, cheese, sour cream, cornbread.