Creamy Rotel Chicken Spaghetti for the Slow Cooker

I traditionally think of spaghetti as being in a red sauce, but this creamy chicken sauce with a can of Rotel tomatoes in it was a fantastic alternative. Enjoy!

Creamy Rotel Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (10-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel (do not drain)
• 8 ounces shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby Jack, or mozzarella)
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and paprika
• 1 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Dash of black pepper
• 1 (16-ounce) box spaghetti, cooked and drained

Directions:

1. Add the chicken breasts to the crockpot. Pour in the cream of chicken soup and the undrained Rotel. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir slightly, making sure the chicken is covered by the sauce.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
3. Remove the chicken from the crockpot, shred it with two forks, then return it to the sauce.
4. Stir in the sour cream and shredded cheese until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
5. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain well.
6. Add the cooked spaghetti to the crockpot and stir until everything is evenly coated in the creamy sauce.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then serve warm and enjoy!

Marsha's Notes:

When I made this, I also had a half block of cream cheese sitting in my fridge, so I added it and have no regrets.

The spaghetti will continue to soak up the sauce as it sits in the crock pot, so I really think you can just add your cooked pasta at the very end and then don't let it cook anymore. My tightened up pretty good, so I added a splash of milk just to make it creamier.

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

We are recent lovers of birria tacos, which has lead me to try them several different ways (at a restaurant, in a pack from Costco, with a birria seasoning packet, with a "birria bomb" seasoning ball... etc.) and so now we have tried them completely from scratch! And everyone loved it! And, I thought it really wasn't very difficult to do.

Slow Cooker Birria Tacos

Ingredients:

• 8 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 1 dried arbol chile (add more for more heat – see note)
• 3 large Roma tomatoes
• 1 medium quartered white or yellow onion, peeled and trimmed of root ends
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican oregano but Italian oregano will work, too
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (use half for finely ground)
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 to 5 pound bone-in or boneless chuck roast
• yellow or white corn tortillas, street taco size
• Shredded cheese, for melting (Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese)
• Cilantro and chopped white onions, for serving, optional

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add the dried chiles, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Add water until ingredients are completely covered. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes until the chiles and onions have softened.
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully remove the tough stems from the chiles. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chiles, onions, tomatoes and garlic and transfer to a blender a high-powered blender (see note if you don't have a high-powered blender).
3. Add 1 1/2 cups of the chile broth from the pot to the blender with the veggies. Add a lid and slightly vent to release steam. Blend until very smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the insert of an 8-quart slow cooker. Add beef broth, vinegar, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and allspice. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaves.
5. Season the beef lightly on all sides with salt and pepper and rub lightly into the meat. Place the beef in the slow cooker, turning to coat in the chile mixture.
6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.
7. Remove the beef from the slow cooker to a dish. Discard the bone and bay leaves. Shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Keep the remaining sauce warm.
8. To make tacos, heat a skillet or griddle over medium to medium-high heat. Dip a corn tortilla fully in the warm consommé and lay flat in the hot skillet. Spread beef on half of the tortilla and top with cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press down gently with a spatula as it sizzles and cooks on one side. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and sizzling. Remove to a plate or platter and repeat with remaining tortillas/tacos.

Marsha's Notes:

You can make the beef and consommé ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a day or two if you want to cut down on the work the day you are cooking all the tacos.

Dried Chiles: the dried chiles called for in this recipe should be easily found in the Mexican aisle or produce section of most grocery stores. You can also find them on Amazon and other online stores. If substituting other types of dried chiles, just keep in mind that different types of chiles can vary greatly in flavor and spice-level. Of the three chiles called for in this recipe, ancho chiles are the least spicy with smoky, mild flavor (1,000 – 1,500 Scoville heat units). Guajillo chiles are medium spicy (2,500 to 5,000 Scoville heat units). Arbol chiles are the spiciest of the three; they are hotter than a jalapeno but not as hot as a cayenne pepper (15,000 to 30,000 Scoville heat units). The peppers listed in the recipe ingredients above yield a mild Birria beef with a tiny hint of spice (mild enough that no one in our house even thought it was hot). Add additional Arbol chiles for more heat. 

These are the dried chiles I got at my local store. There are enough for me to make birria a couple of times.

Here is the meat all shredded and read for tacos.

This is the reserved consommé from the crock pot.

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Noodles

These looked so good, I had to try them! Everyone thought they were great over mashed potatoes. The noodles soften up faster than the recipe said, I will update my notes to reflect that.

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Noodles

Ingredients:

• 3-4 small chicken breasts
• salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and any seasoning blend you like on chicken
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cans chicken broth (3 cups)
• 1 small bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 package homestyle egg noodles

Directions:

1. In your crock pot, add you chicken and season with your desired seasonings.
2. Then add your cream of chicken soup, broth and frozen veggies.
3. Stir things together the best you can and cover with the lid to cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 or until your chicken is cooked through. 
4. Remove the chicken and either chop or shred before adding back to the crock pot.
5. Add your noodles and continue to cook until noodles are tender (the original recipe said to let them cook for 90 minutes, but mine were soft and done after about 30 minutes).
6. Stir and taste-test for seasonings.

Marsha's Notes:

I found that an hour and half for the noodles to cook was way too long. They were soft after about 30 minutes and the sauce was nice and thick. However, we weren't expecting to eat for another hour, so after sitting on warm in the crock pot for the additional hour until it was dinner time meant that the noodles and soaked-up just about all of the liquid in the pot. It was still good, but not the creamy consistency I had hoped for. 

One key to this "homestyle" type recipes is to get these homestyle egg noodles instead of the regular egg noodles.

Use this kind...

... not this kind.

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Another good slow cooker recipe! We have been making a ton of slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes lately because they travel well to my mother-in-laws house.

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 26 oz bag of frozen meatballs
• 10 oz can cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Steak Sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp each of parsley flakes and onion powder (optional, see note)
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1 onion chopped (see note)
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 12 oz bag egg noodles

Directions:

1. Add one bag of frozen meatballs to a crockpot. Next, add cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Steak sauce, and Dijon mustard.
2. Season everything with salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder, and minced garlic in a slow cooker. Add a small chopped onion and stir everything together well.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. After 4-6 hours boil 12 oz of egg noddles according to the directions on the package.
4. Add sour cream and 12 oz of cooked egg noodles to the crockpot and stir well. Top with dried parsley. Enjoy!!

Marsha's Notes:

I found that using both chopped onion and onion powder made for a rather potent onion taste, so I would next time just use one or the other. It also makes a huge difference on how strong the chopped onion is that you are using and how much you like onion flavor.

Tortellini "Mac and Cheese" Slow Cooker

This is a yummy variation on your traditional mac and cheese, only it is done with tortellini in the slow cooker! Quick and easy... done in about two hours! 

Tortellini "Mac and Cheese" Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

• 24 oz cheese tortellini
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp black pepper
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 16 oz. block of Velveeta
• Sprinkling of garlic salt to taste at the end of cooking, if desired

Directions:

1. Place all your ingredients in the slower cooker and stir together as best you can.
2. Cook for about 2 hours or until the cheese sauce is completely homogenous and incorporated.
3. Stir at the one hour mark and check for how fast it is coming together. Cook times can vary depending on if you are using frozen or refrigerated tortellini. I would recommend cooking on low (for about two hours) for refrigerated and high (for about two hours) for frozen depending on how much time you have to let things sit. You could do frozen on low heat, but it will obviously take longer.
4. Add extra milk or extra cheese to get the consistency that you like. Taste test for seasoning.

Mississippi Pot Roast Slow Cooker

If you like roast, we thought this one was great. Easy prep. Lots of flavor. And optional heat for those that like it spicier. Enjoy!

I think one of the things that makes this a "Mississippi" pot roast (as opposed to just a more traditional pot roast) is the addition of the pepperoncini or banana peppers. Every Mississippi pot roast recipe I have seen calls for the addition of these, plus some of the juice from the jar they come in. They aren't too hot (unless you add a bunch) and add a nice flavor to the meat. However, the juice can be really salty, so be careful about how much you pour on, especially depending on the salt content of the other ingredients you choose to use.

That said, we aren't big on spice in our house, and after making this twice, our family really feels like we can just leave the peppers out entirely and still get a delicious roast that we all enjoy. So the choice is yours. For the sake of authenticity in calling this a "Mississippi" pot roast recipe, I am going to list the peppers, but just know that our family leaves them out.

Roast with the peppers, but no one in our house really wants to eat them, so when I shredded the roast, I picked them out.

Mississippi Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. chuck roast
• 1/2-1 pkg ranch dressing/seasoning mix
• 1 pkg. Au Jus gravy mix
• 1/2 stick of butter
• pepperoncini banana peppers, sliced or whole, drained
• optional juice from the pepper jar

Directions:

1. Place your pot roast into the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle over with your ranch mix and au jus mix.
3. Top with your half stick of butter and any desired amount of pepperoncini peppers. You can also add some of the juice from the jar of pepperoncini if you want more flavor and heat, but be careful because it can be salty.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the roast easily shreds.

Marsha's Notes:

There are a few additional, OPTIONAL steps you can do, if you want.

1. Use the drippings in the crock pot to make a gravy. You can do this anyway that you prefer to make gravy. I made some pretty easy gravy by pouring the drippings into a pan on the stove and then I took a brown gravy mix and whisked-in enough mix to the drippings that it thickened the way I wanted once everything came to a boil. It might have been 1-2 pkgs of gravy mix (a couple Tbl of mix), but I am not sure because I bought my gravy mix in bulk and just sprinkled some in, adding more as it came to a boil until I liked the consistency. You can serve the gravy on the side to pour over potatoes or the roast itself, but I have also just added the gravy straight to the shredded meat in the crock pot and served it that way. Then you can make a bed of potatoes on your plate and place the meat/gravy mixture right over the top.
• If your drippings are extra salty and your gravy mix is also salty, then you might want to instead make your gravy by melting some butter in your sauce pan first, then add equal parts flour to your melted butter and cook for just a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste (so if you use 1/4 cup butter, then do a 1/4 cup flour). Then slowly whisk-in enough drippings to your butter and flour roux mixture to get the gravy that you want, keeping in mind that as the drippings come to a boil, they will continue to thicken. With this method, you aren't adding any extra salt. 
2. Some people also like to sear the roast before putting in the crock pot. They might also season their roast with things like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder before searing.
3. Additionally, once your meat is seared, place it in the slower cooker and then use the drippings in the pan from the searing to sauté some onions. Once the onions are tender, add some minced garlic to your pan and cook for just a minute so as not to burn your garlic. Then deglaze the pan with some beef stock. Add your ranch and au jus packets to the skillet and heat until thickened. Pour everything over the roast in the slow cooker, then add your butter and pepperoncini peppers.

Easy Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes and Sausage

Tried this recipe and it was easy, tasty, and a nice change for our slow cooker rotation. Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Cheesy Potatoes and Sausage

Ingredients:

• 28 oz bag frozen diced potatoes
• 12 oz package large link sausage of your choice, sliced or diced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (or two, if potatoes seem dry)
• 1 ranch seasoning packet
• shredded cheese of choice

Directions:

1. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray.
2. Add your potatoes, cut up sausage, cream of chicken soup and ranch packet. Stir.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until everything is heated through and soft.
4. 10 minutes or so before serving, top with your desired shredded cheese of choice.

Marsha's Notes:

I used a package of chicken sausage and diced them into smaller pieces, but you can cut them into rounds if you like and use any kind of sausage you want. You can also use the frozen diced potatoes that have peppers and onions in them. I try not to stir the potatoes too much after they have been cooking because they will be soft and can start to turn into more of a mashed potato.

Brazilian Feijoada (Slow Cooker)

One of the things that Scott remembers and loves from his mission to Paraguay was meaty beans, otherwise known as Feijoada. He found this recipe from Taste of Home and has been tweaking it over the years to make it perfect. I am not sure how it's never made it on the recipe blog before now, but here it is!

For the original recipe (which really isn't much like our recipe now), go here: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/my-brazilian-feijoada/?srsltid=AfmBOoroKYPhyHjl0UJQjZXi9ojNtrUtxghPJZY-YQR5ACL4DNgVdbE1

Brazilian Feijoada

Ingredients:

• 1.5 – 2 lbs pork chunks (chili verde meats)
• 6 strips precooked bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1.5 cups)
• 2 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ½ c. water (additional water may be needed)
• 3 cans black beans, drained
• 14 oz. Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage rope (precooked), cut into ¼-inch slices
• Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Sear and cook pork chunks, bacon, and onion in the oil. When everything is nearly cooked, add the garlic as well. Dump the contents of the pan into a 6-qt slow cooker. Use a small amount of chicken broth to pick up the residue left in the pan; dump this into the slow cooker as well. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, remaining chicken broth, and water. 
2. Cook on high, covered, for 2 hours. 
3. Stir in beans and sausage. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 5-6 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice.

Marsha's Notes:

I made this recipe using our largest slow cooker, which has a small hole in the lid to insert a temperature probe. I don't know if it was because of this or something else, but by the end of the cooking time almost all of the water had either evaporated or been absorbed by the meat and beans. We serve this over rice, so if you want your feijoada to be more of a stew with some liquid to then absorb into your rice, you will need to add more liquid to your pot, as needed. Next time I make this, I am going to use 1 cup of water instead of just a 1/2 cup, and maybe an hour or two before dinner I will check the pot and see if I need to add any more liquid.

Done in the slow cooker.

We like to serve it over rice.

Meatball Subs (Crock Pot and Oven)

Our family picked up a super yummy meatball sub from Costco and I thought, "I can make that!" So here is my version. Enjoy!

Meatball Subs (Crock Pot and Oven)

Ingredients:

• small loaf of French bread or desired buns
• garlic butter
• 1 pkg frozen meatballs
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce
• 1 pkg. provolone cheese slices
• Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions: 

1. Spray your Crock Pot with non-stick spray and add your meatballs and ONE jar of the spaghetti sauce. Cook until meatballs are heated all the way through (a couple hours on high, or a little longer on low... probably doesn't really need to cook all day, as the meatballs are precooked).
2. Near the time you want to eat, pour your second jar of spaghetti sauce in a sauce pan to heat through. Serve each person a portion of the sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
3. Split your French bread loaf or other desired buns and spread the cut-side with garlic butter. Place on a foil/non-stick mat lined baking sheet and place under the broiler in your oven to toast. 
4. Once toasted, remove from the oven. 
5. Change the oven from broil to bake at 350. 
6. Assemble your sandwich by putting first a layer of provolone, then your meatballs with some of the sauce they cooked in, then a sprinkling of Parmesan, then a final layer of provolone. Top with the top portion of the bread. 
7. Cover the tray tightly with foil and place back in the oven until the cheese is melted, just a couple of minutes.

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

A super simple, yet yummy spaghetti with some chicken for added protein to feel satisfied. Enjoy!

I found this recipe on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@cookinginthemidwest/video/7433439317583777066?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7439121840796157486

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder and Italian seasoning
• 1/4 red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 24 oz jar Marinara Sauce
• 15 oz jar Alfredo Sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 oz spaghetti, cooked
• Parmesan cheese
• Dried parsley

Directions:

1. Spray a crockpot with cooking spray. 
2. Add one pound of chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. 
3. Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, marinara sauce, and Alfredo sauce. 
4. Cook on low for 4 hours. 
5. Once chicken is cooked, either pull it out of the pot and dice it up then put it back in, or just a hand mixer or a couple of forks to shred it up right in the pot. 
6. Add your mozzarella cheese and cooked spaghetti to the pot and stir everything up. 
7. Put the lid back on and leave it for a bit to let the mozzarella cheese melt, otherwise it is ready to serve.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Sandwiches

This recipe was such a hit that Scott said he might even request it for his birthday! So that's just about all you need to know. The original recipe is from here: https://cookinginthemidwest.com/blog/crockpot-shredded-beef-sandwiches/#recipe

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb Chuck Roast
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 onion sliced
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 TBSP of steak sauce
• 12 oz of beer
• 1 heaping tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• Onion buns
• Mayo
• Pepper Jack cheese
• Crispy onions
• Chipotle aioli

Directions:

1. Slice your onion and have all of your ingredients out and ready to go because you want to be able to add everything to your hot pan immediately after your are done searing your meat to deglaze.
2. Season the chuck roast on all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic.
3. Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat and sear chuck roast on all sides.
4. Put the seared chuck roast in a crock pot.
5. Add sliced onions, minced garlic, steak sauce, beer, beef broth, and the steak seasoning to the hot skillet stirring and letting it simmer for a minute or two.
6. Pour the onion/broth mixture over chuck roast in the crock pot and let cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the meat and discard any extra fat.
7. Spread mayo on the buns and toast them in a skillet over medium low heat until they are golden brown.
8. Build sandwiches with the meat and Pepper Jack cheese. Top sandwiches with crispy onions and Chipotle aioli (I used store bought Kraft brand aioli). Enjoy!

Marsha's Notes:

I tried using my Salad Shooter to cut up my onion really nice and thin, and it worked really well. I just peeled and quartered the onion so it would fit in the shooter tube, and then ran it through. It felt quicker and caused less tears, while also getting the onion thinner than I normally could. Everyone onion is different, so I don't know if this will work every time or not, but I would hope so.

This day, because the roasts were small, I was searing two of them at a time. The stove was set between 7 and 8 (on a scale of 1-10).

Simmering the onions after deglazing the pan.

Here is everything in the crock pot before cooking.

Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

I have really liked a lot of the recipes from Cooking in the Midwest, and this was another good one. The one difference we did was probably use more chicken, plus we added an extra jar of sauce because it was just not saucy enough for us. Otherwise, we followed the directions as listed. Here is a link to the original recipe, and here is our "two jar" version. Enjoy!

https://cookinginthemidwest.com/blog/crockpot-chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta/

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder
• 1 TBSP ranch seasoning
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 2-15 oz jars Alfredo Sauce, divided
• Cooked/chopped bacon 6 pieces
• 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 16 oz box of pasta

Directions:

1. Add chicken breasts to a crockpot.
2. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and ranch seasoning.
3. Add 1 TBSP of minced garlic and 1 jar of Alfredo sauce.
4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
5. Shred or cube up the chicken and add it back to the crockpot.
6. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box.
7. While the pasta is cooking on the stove, add about a cup of shredded cheese and the chopped bacon to the crockpot. Stir well.
8. Add cooked pasta to the crockpot and stir everything together. If needed, add most or all of the other jar of Alfredo sauce.

Faux Rotisserie Chicken Crock Pot

If you need some rotisserie chicken but you don't actually have a rotisserie chicken, you can do this instead! It's yummy and easy. I will include a list of recipes that this is great for below.

Put as much chicken in the crock pot that you want to make, or go for a nice even layer in the bottom of the pot. Season to your liking with either a seasoning blend OR salt, pepper, ranch seasoning mix, garlic and paprika (I just go for a nice even coating on the top of all pieces of chicken). Cover and cook until easy to shred with a hand-mixer or forks (original recipe said 4 hours on low, but it just depends on how much chicken you are using and if it is fresh or frozen). No need to add extra liquid.

This chicken is great for lots of recipes, making the prep work just a bit shorter because the meat is cooked and ready to go. I marked some recipes with an * because you can use this chicken but it may require you to adjust the cook times/seasonings because you are using ready-to-go meat. If it is a Crockpot recipe, you may not even need the slow cooker. You can use this for:

• Taco Chicken- thaw as much meat as you would like to use, eyeball equal parts taco seasoning and ranch seasoning until you meat looks/tastes as taco-y as you would like.
• Chicken Salad Sandwiches- I always eyeball my chicken salad, which I make by using the amount of cooked chicken that I think I will need, then adding a pinch of salt, dash of pepper, squirt of mustard, and lots of mayo until the chicken salad is the desired consistency for sandwiches. You can also add some garlic salt/powder, onion powder, or any other seasonings you like. I just add things slowly and taste-test until you are happy.
• Merry Me Chicken and Gnocchi Soup -or- Sundried Tomato Gnocchi Soup with Chicken
• *Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
• *Crockpot Creamy Chicken Spaghetti
• *Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
• *Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Chicken Cobbler
• *Crockpot Pineapple Chicken
• *Slow Cooker Creamy Fiesta Chicken
• Chicken Dorito Casserole
• Chicken Taco Casserole
• Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken
• Marsha's Easy Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Tuscan Pasta
• Chicken Enchiladas
• *Creamy Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Keto Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
• *Crockpot Crack Chicken
• *Easy Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
• Cheesy Tater-Topped Chicken Casserole
• *Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Bake
• *Grandma Pack's Chicken Curry Casserole
• *Stuffing-Crusted Creamy Chicken Casserole
• Shredded Mexican Chicken
• Quick Chicken and Dumplings
• Creamed Chicken and Biscuits
• Marsha's Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Marsha's Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
• Marsha's Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake
• Stove Top and Swiss Chicken Casserole
• Marsha's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Marsha's Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder
• Six Sister's Stuff 7-Can Tortilla Soup
• *Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• *Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice
• Marsha's Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup
• Marsha's Version of Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
• Marsha's Chicken Tetrazzini
• Chicken and Broccoli Skillet
• *Kraft's Bruschetta Chicken Bake
• *Marsha's Cream Cheese Chicken Crockpot

Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Everyone really liked this recipe, but I do have to go out of town to Walmart to get the Buffalo Wild Wing's garlic parmesan sauce, so that was just a tiny bit tricky to find... if you don't live near a store that carries it. Otherwise, I plan on making this again and again! Plus, it doesn't use the whole bottle, so I don't even have to go back to Walmart for awhile.

Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp each of paprika, onion powder, and Italian seasoning
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan sauce
• 1 jar of Alfredo sauce
• 1 16 oz box of pasta
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning to a slow cooker.
2. Add minced garlic and enough of the garlic parm sauce to fully cover the chicken (couple of TBL or so per chicken breast, spread over the chicken with a spoon until covered).
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Shred or chop up chicken.
5. Boil pasta.
6. Add Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese to the chicken in the slow cooker.
7. Stir everything together well.
8. Add cooked pasta to the slow cooker and mix everything together.

Marsha's Notes:

For my family, I did more chicken to make sure I had plenty, so I needed to adjust my seasonings for the added chicken.

French Dip/Shredded Beef Sandwiches- Crock Pot

Usually, when I do a French Dip in the Crock Pot, I just whisk up a packet of Au Jus gravy mix with water, dump it over a roast in the crock pot and cook it all day. However, my sister found this recipe to make your own sauce to put over a roast, and it turned out really yummy and could be a good replacement when you don't have any Au Jus but still want French Dip. Enjoy!

French Dip/Shredded Beef Sandwiches- Crock Pot

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs beef roast (tri-tip suggested)
• 2 Tbl Montreal steak seasoning
• 2 Tbl oil
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 Tbl Worcestershire
• 2 tsp onion pwd
• 1 tsp garlic pwd
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Season beef all over with Montreal steak seasoning.
2. Heat a large pan on the stover to medium heat, add oil, and sear all sides of the roast until golden brown (2-3 minutes per side).
3. Place seared meat in slow cooker.
4. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low for 7-8 hours until meat shreds easily. Remove any excess fat from meat as you shred it. 
5. Serve warm on buns with Swiss cheese and extra juices (or Au Jus) to dip.

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken

The chicken in this recipe turned out so tender and flavorful, I could just eat it by itself, but it is also tasty over rice with steamed veggies, fresh pineapple, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Flavor with extra teriyaki sauce if you need it for the veggies and rice. Enjoy!

See the original recipe here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/crock-pot-pineapple-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-96752

Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup teriyaki sauce
• 20 ounces pineapple chunks (drain half of the juice out) OR 1 small can pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken breasts.
2. In a bowl combine the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks (with half of the juice) and pour over the chicken.
3. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes on top as desired.
4. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
5. Shred chicken with two forks in the crock pot.
6. Serve over rice.

Marsha's Notes:

We decided that none of us were that thrilled with the pineapples chunks that had been cooked in the crock pot (Lucas said they just tasted like chicken...) and preferred to add non-cooked pineapple chunks to our plates instead, so we opt to use pineapple juice to cook the chicken in (one small can) or else just leave the pineapple chunks in the crockpot when serving the meat. It feels like a waste to not eat the chunks, so my preference is to use a can of juice when possible.

Slow Cooker Creamy Fiesta Chicken

Another great recipe from Six Sister's Stuff. This creamy fiesta chicken has a very similar flavor profile to the taco soup recipe on this blog, only it is cheesier and thicker (because it's not a soup... go figure) so it works better for putting on top of nachos, dipping with chips, or putting in burritos or tacos. One change I made, I felt like with both the salsa AND the chopped onions, it was a bit heavy on the onion side, which is not my thing. But feel free to add the "1 diced onion" back into the recipe if you like.

See the original recipe here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-creamy-fiesta-chicken-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-133580

Slow Cooker Creamy Fiesta Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 15 ounces canned corn drained, (1 can)
• 15 ounces canned black beans rinsed and drained, (1 can)
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• optional toppings (salsa, olives, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, etc.)

Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Top with corn, black beans, salsa, lime juice, taco seasoning, and dry ranch dressing mix. Add the cream cheese on top.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6-7 hours on low heat (or high heat for 3-4 hours, but I prefer the "low and slow" method).
5. Shred the chicken using 2 forks (it should fall apart fairly easily; you can do this right in the slow cooker or remove the chicken and shred it on a cutting board if that is easier).
6. Stir the shredded chicken and the shredded pepper jack cheese in with all the ingredients until the cheese is fully melted and smooth.
7. Use this chicken for tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Slow Cooker Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I was looking for another good recipe for cooking pork tenderloin and came across this one for the slow cooker. We all really liked how the meat turned out. To see the original recipe, go here: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-maple-and-brown-sugar-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-98472

Slow Cooker Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup maple syrup  (cut in half if using pure maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme crumbled
• For Gravy:
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon cold water

Directions:

1. Sprinkle tenderloins lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Place pork in a slow cooker sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Combine syrup, garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, and thyme. Pour over the pork.
4. Turn pork to coat thoroughly.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

For Gravy:

1. Remove pork to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
2. Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Combine the cornstarch and cold water; whisk into the reduced juices and cook for 1 minute longer.
5. Slice the pork and serve with the thickened juices.
   

Marsha's Notes:

It made some pretty yummy meat, but for some reason our juices were a bit heavy on the mustard/vinegar side so we didn't use the drippings to make the gravy as recommended in the original recipe. I was also expecting it to be sweeter with a name like "Maple and Brown Sugar" so I don't know if I needed to up those ingredients to get the results I was expecting. That said, no matter what happened when we tried this, we all liked the meat. So...

Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

We had this chicken over mashed potatoes with some corn on the side (or, in my case, I mixed the corn right in with the chicken and potatoes with a sprinkling of cheese and it was super yummy!) and everyone loved it.

To see the original recipe, go here:https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-ritz-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-91033

Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

Ingredients:

• 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups sour cream
• about 2 cups crushed Ritz Crackers (two sleeves)
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tablespoon parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the soup and sour cream in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl mix together cracker crumbs and melted butter.
• Do this step later if you need to remove your chicken to shred or use a hand-mixer to shred.
3. Place chicken in slow cooker that has been sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray. Leave the breasts whole if you want to shred it later before serving, or cut your chicken into bite-sized chunks before adding to the pot. Season with salt and pepper (or seasoning blend of choice) if you want.
4. Spoon the soup mixture over the chicken.
5. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top if your chicken is already cut up. Otherwise, wait and add the topping about an hour or so before serving.
6. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
7. Garnish with parsley before serving.

Marsha's Notes:

• I used one package/tray of chicken tenders from the meat department at our grocery store. They were frozen at the time, but I could thaw them enough under some running water to break the stuck-together tray of tenders in half so they would fit into my crock pot. 
• I sprinkled the meat with some salt and pepper. Then I put the sauce ingredients on top and left everything to cook on high for a couple of hours until I could stir the entire thing and get it in an even layer in the pot. At that point (maybe around noon) I added the Ritz mixture to the top and left it to cook for the rest of the day. Seems like once I noticed the edges of the pot bubbling, I turned things down to low until dinner time. 
• For the topping, I used two sleeves, or half of a 13-14 oz. box of crackers. They breakup easy enough that I didn't have to pound them with a rolling pin. I could just crush them up with my hands through the bag.

Before adding the topping.

After adding the topping.

Classic Minestrone Soup Crock Pot

We had this for dinner tonight and everyone ate their entire bowls. I did leave out the green beans, but that is just a personal preference. Chris will eat it, even with the white beans. (Chris doesn't typically like to eat beans.) You can also up the protein in this recipe by adding some cooked ground beef. To see the original recipe, go here:

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/classic-minestrone-soup/

Classic Minestrone Soup Crock Pot

Calories per serving: 224 (makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
• 3/4 cup chopped celery, about 2-3 ribs celery 
• 3/4 to 1 cup chopped carrots, about 2-3 medium carrots 
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (48 oz. boxed broth)
• 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained (Great Northern white beans are about the same size as pinto beans, FYI)
• 1 cup small pasta, like shells, ditalini or elbow
• Sprinkling garlic salt to taste 
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything starts to soften and get a touch of color. Add garlic the last couple of minutes. 
2. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to your Crock Pot. Stir in basil, salt, oregano and black pepper. When ready, add your onions, carrots, celery and garlic from the frying pan into the Crock Pot. 
3. Stir in the beans and cook on low all day. 
4. About 20 minutes before you want to eat, boil the pasta and add to the soup. Season to taste with garlic salt. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe makes 8 servings:

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 197kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1091mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 7g