Crock Pot Super Garlic Chicken Legs

from Food.com

Ingredients: 
6 chicken legs (more or less as needed)
20 garlic cloves (skins left on - I actually take the skins off)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons oil

Directions: 
Place garlic cloves in crock pot.
Mix spices together in med bowl.
Pour oil into separate med bowl. - I usually skip the oil and just sprinkle the spices on the chicken in the crock pot directly. 
Dip chicken legs in oil, then roll around in spice bowl, until chicken is nicely coated in spices.
Place chicken legs in crock pot with garlic cloves surrounding it.
Pour chicken broth over all ingredients.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Chicken and Biscuit Pie

Topped with mini biscuits instead of pastry crust and amply filled with a saucy mix of chicken and your family's favorite veggies, this potpie is sure to warm you up on a wintry evening. Just don't count on leftovers.

Ingredients
FILLING:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups vegetables of your choice (left-overs or frozen ones that have been thawed)
Salt and pepper

BISCUIT TOPPING:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup milk

Instructions

1. Melt the butter on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or other oven-safe sauté pan with high sides. Stir in the onion and celery, then cover the pan and cook them for 7 to 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the flour, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes to lightly brown it. 
2. Whisk the chicken stock into the pan. When it starts to thicken, whisk in the milk. Add the sage, thyme, chicken, and vegetables, continuing to stir until the mixture is heated through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Remove the pan from the stovetop and heat the oven to 375 F. Meanwhile, make the biscuit topping by combining the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the dry ingredients. Add the milk and stir briskly, just until the dough pulls together. 
4. Flour your work surface and turn the dough onto it. Using floured hands, knead the dough two or three times, then flatten it to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a small round cutter, cut the dough into biscuits and place as many as will fit, barely touching, on top of the filling. (You can bake any extras separately, on a lightly greased pie plate, for about 15 minutes.) 
5. Bake the potpie until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 20 to 30 minutes. Then let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving it. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Nutritional Information: 
Per serving (3 biscuits and 1 cup of filling): Calories 381 Carbohydrates 38g (13% DV) Total Fat 15.5g (24% DV) Saturated Fat 9.3g (46% DV) Cholesterol 74.5mg (25% DV) Sodium 697mg (29% DV) Calcium 13% DV) Vitamin A (35% dv) Fiber 1.6 g (6% DV) Iron (13% DV) Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Slow-Cooker Chicken With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Onions

from RealSimple.com

Serves 6| Hands-On Time: 35m | Total Time: 7hr 00m

Ingredients
1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 4- to 6-pound chicken, cut up
1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1/4 cup dry vermouth plus 1/4 cup water)
1/2 pound small white mushrooms
1 cup frozen small white onions, thawed
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer it to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour off all but a light coating of fat from the skillet. Add the chicken and brown over medium-high heat; transfer to the cooker.
2. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add the skillet contents to the cooker, along with the mushrooms, onions, garlic, rosemary, and salt. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours.
3. Transfer the chicken, bacon, and vegetables to a platter; keep warm. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan. Combine the water and cornstarch; stir it into the sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour over the chicken.

Louisiana Gumbo

from Family.com

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Italian sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup onions, small dice
1 cup celery, small dice
1 cup green bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons jalapeños or Serrano peppers, minced
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen okra, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked white rice

Directions

1. In a skillet placed on stovetop set to medium heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot, brown and crumble the sausage until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain the grease, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet.
2. Add the flour and continuously stir with a whisk. Cook until flour has become a dark brown color but not burnt.
3. Add the onions, celery, peppers, paprika, chili peppers, and chicken breast. Stir to combine ingredients and sauté additional 7-8 minutes until vegetables soften.
4. Combine all of the remaining ingredients to the Crock-Pot® slow cooker except the shrimp. Cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4-6 hours, adding in the shrimp 20 minutes before serving.
5. Serve over cooked rice. Makes 6 servings.

Serves: 6-8
Size: 4 1/2 - 6quarts

African Chicken Peanut Stew

From Simply Recipes

From Simply Recipes

Serves 6-8

Use chicken legs, thighs or wings for this recipe. They have more flavor and will hold up better with the flavors of the stew than breast meat.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
• A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2. Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.
5. Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

Grilled Chicken With Roasted Tomato and Oregano Salsa

Enjoy generous portions of this low-calorie dish from Red Mountain Spa's executive chef Chad S. Luethje.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

Salsa

1 pound fresh tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 small jalapeño, cored, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano


PREPARATION

Combine first 8 ingredients in a plastic bag. Add chicken; marinate at least 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from marinade; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, flip chicken and add leftover marinade to pan. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover chicken; cook 10 minutes. Divide among 4 plates; top each with 1/4 of the salsa. Serve immediately.
For Salsa

Heat oven to 400. Cover a baking tray with foil. To make salsa, spread tomatoes on tray; drizzle with oil. Add salt and pepper. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Combine tomatoes, shallots, onion, jalapeño, garlic and oregano in a bowl. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.

The skinny

312 calories per serving, 12.6 g fat (2 g saturated), 7.8 g carbs, 1.8 g fiber, 40.8 g protein

Spicy Tortilla Soup

From "Real Simple Magazine"

Among hot peppers, jalapeños fall in the medium-spicy range. If you prefer something certifiably hot, substitute Serrano peppers.

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken

2 32-ounce containers low-sodium chicken broth

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped

1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen, or fresh (from 2 ears)

A couple of handfuls of tortilla chips

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled Feta

1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation
Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Place the entire chicken and the broth in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Strain the broth into another saucepan. Shred the chicken meat and add it to the broth, along with the onion, jalapeños, and tomatoes and their juices. Place over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corn and heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Place some of the tortilla chips in each bowl. Ladle in the soup and top with the cilantro, avocado, Feta, and the remaining chips. Serve the lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition per Serving
CALORIES 583 (40% from fat); FAT 26g (sat 9g); PROTEIN 56g; CHOLESTEROL 163mg; SODIUM 822mg; FIBER 8; CARBOHYDRATE 33g

Saffron Chicken over Creamy Rice

from Monday-to-Friday Chicken
by Michèle Urvater

The consistency of the rice in this recipe is similar to that of an Italian risotto, but the way I prepare it is a lot simpler. The creamy rice acts as a sponge to absorb the saffron-laden juices from the chicken. Use dark rather than white meat because it is moister, and be sure you use a short-grain rather than a long-grain rice, so that the texture is appropriately creamy.

Makes: 4 servings
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups short-grain rice, such as the imported Italian arborio
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
2-ounce chunk of fresh Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 package (10 ounces) frozen "petite" peas, thawed
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Preparation

1. Combine the broth with salt and pepper to taste in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. In a separate 3-quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring, until the kernels are coated with oil and are beginning to turn translucent. Add 2 cups of the hot broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Give the rice a stir and continue to cook until the rice has absorbed the broth, 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, remove the skin and all fat from the chicken, and cut the meat into 1/2-inch dice. Dissolve the saffron in the white wine. Grate the cheese and chop the garlic.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring continuously, until it turns opaque around the edges, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through, 1 minute more. Add the peas and cook until they are warmed through, about 1 minute. Add the white wine and saffron and cook over medium heat until the chicken is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.

4. Add the remaining 2 cups broth to the rice, and bring back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy, and there are only a couple of spoonfuls of unabsorbed broth surrounding the grains, 3 to 4 minutes more.

5. Right before serving, stir the cheese into the rice and adjust the seasoning. Spoon some rice in the middle of shallow bowls and spoon a portion of chicken, peas, and liquid in the middle; the saffron liquid will pool around the rice in a gorgeous way.

Variations

Instead of Parmesan cheese, stir 1/4 cup crumbled soft goat's cheese into the rice just before serving.

For a more Latin version, in step 1, bring 3 cups chicken broth and 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk to a boil. Omit the cheese, and in step 3 add 1/4 cup golden raisins when you add the peas to the chicken.