Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Cacciatore

Anyone who knows my husband (his name is Richard) knows that he LOVES spicy food. And when I say LOVES (in all caps), I'm not exaggerating. At any given time in our house, you can look in the fridge or pantry and find at least one supremely spicy snack that Rich regularly devours when he returns home from work each day. Ghost pepper peanuts and Ass Kickin' Original salsa are among his favorites, I believe, but he'll pretty much take anything that totes an "insanely hot!" warning on its label. When I tell him something is (or should be) spicy, it's a bit of a double-edged sword; he's both excited to try it and doubtful that he'll actually agree. 

I'm telling you this as a bit of a warning; when I made this recipe, Rich said "this actually has some heat to it." So yes, it's a bit spicy. But it's also unbelievably good. Don't like spice? Reduce the crushed red pepper, or leave it out all together. I'm pretty sure you'll still love it. 

Cooking Light gets all the credit for this one, and I've linked the original recipe for you below; as you'll see, I really only made slight changes.  

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Original recipe by Phillip Rhodes, Cooking Light (March 2014) - click here for original recipe

All-purpose flour

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 large red bell peppers, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup tomato puree

2 tbs capers

2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 can unsalted petite diced tomatoes

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Add flour to shallow bowl and dredge chicken thighs in flour. Shake off excess.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil, swirling to coat. Add chicken thighs and cook for 4 minutes on each side. 

Add chicken to slow cooker and reduce heat under skillet to medium. 

Add onion, bell pepper and garlic to skillet and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add wine and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add to slow cooker.

Add tomato puree, capers, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, black pepper, kosher salt and diced tomatoes (with juice) to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta as desired and sprinkle with parsley. 

Until next time...

Cheers!

Slow Cooker Special: Pizza Pasta

Remember Jack? That little kid who lives inside me and begs for junk food every chance he gets (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can read about him here)? Well, Jack loves me right about now, because last night I kicked my normal "Cooking Light" approach to dinner out the window and made a meal that most any kid will love.

Yes, it's important to eat healthy, but sometimes...well, come on. You just want to cheat. And if you ask me, cheating every now and then is absolutely acceptable. In fact, I encourage it (clearly, since I'm giving you this recipe!).

If you like pizza (and who doesn't?), you're going to LOVE this meal. It's so easy and delicious that you'll probably want to make it every night. Ok, not every night - but more often than you probably should.

True to form, I've included a spicy component in the dish; however, before you get scared, I do want to point out that the crushed red pepper you see in the ingredient list actually serves as more of a flavor infuser than an added blast of heat. If you really don't like spicy, you can leave it out - but if you're not afraid to try it, go ahead and make the recipe as is.

 1 lb uncooked macaroni (or any small pasta)

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (2 cups and 1 cup)

2 10 oz jars pizza sauce 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp italian seasoning

pepperoni (use your own discretion)

Add uncooked pasta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, soup, water, crushed red pepper, italian seasoning and pepperoni to slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.

Add 2 cups mozzarella cheese to cover the top of the pasta (do not stir) and top with additional pepperoni. Cook for another 30 minutes on low until cheese is melted.

Just like pizza, this pasta is also versatile when it comes to the flavors that you like. This is essentially a base recipe for the pasta, so feel free to add any of your favorite pizza ingredients - black olives, onions, green peppers, sausage, etc. Don't worry about cooking the pasta before you put it in the Crockpot - it will cook on it's own with the sauce, soup and water. 

Until next time...

Cheers!

Weeknight Bites: Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

If there's one thing I've learned about living in the South, it's that people down here love BBQ! Several of my friends make family recipes that have been passed down for generations (of course they refuse to share), and many of us reserve whole days on the weekend for a homemade BBQ grill-out. And hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

But what if you have a hankerin' (yep, I've been in the South WAY too long now...) for an awesome pulled pork sandwich in the middle of the week? All is not lost, friends. Today, I've got a recipe for tender, juicy, flavorful pork BBQ that will satisfy that craving with a lot less work! How? By employing my best friend, the slow cooker (of course!).

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

 3 lb pork butt roast, bone-in

1/2 cup root beer

3/4 cup BBQ sauce (use your favorite!)

1 large onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

Buns

Place pork butt in slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Add onion on top of the pork, then pour root beer and BBQ over pork and onions. Set slow cooker to low and cook for approximately 10 1/2 hours. At 10 1/2 hours, shred the pork, removing the bone and discarding it. Cook shredded pork at low setting for an additional 30 minutes. Serve with buns and your favorite sides (as you can see, I chose mac and cheese!), and hot sauce and/or extra BBQ sauce as desired.

So there you have it! Next time you get that BBQ craving mid-week, give this recipe a try. It may not beat your momma's BBQ - but it's pretty darn good, I'd say!

Cheers!