What’s Cookin’? Chicken Delicious

When I say ‘crock pot’, you probably picture a cold, wintry day with a  stew or chili bubbling away, but I have found that crock pot cooking is just as good–if not better–for the summer months.

Who wants to spend time over a stove when it’s hot and humid? Not me. So I continue to make good use of my crock pot year-round. What I love the most about a crock pot is that you can put pretty much any meat in there with some kind of liquid and it’ll cook.

I have already admitted that I love pasta–I could eat some form of it every night. But my plain old pasta with jar sauce got old so I decided to experiment and the result was what I have modestly deemed ‘Chicken Delicious.’

It’s quick and easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Plus, my kids are like me, give them pasta and they’re happy campers!

Quick Fix

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts or tenders
• Diced tomatoes (can)
• Pasta sauce (1/2 jar)
• Red wine
• Thyme, rosemary, oregano (not really sure what these all do or if you’re supposed to put them all together but I add a pinch of each!)
• Garlic
• Frozen spinach
• Box of pasta (my sister turned me on to the whole wheat and no one has complained about the switch)

What to Do: Pour half a jar of sauce into the crock pot. Add the diced tomatoes, some red wine (make sure you save some to drink with dinner!), the spices and the garlic and give it a quick mix. You can also chop some onions if you’re up for it. Put the chicken into the sauce (I defrost enough to break the pieces apart but I’ve also thrown in the whole frozen block and it’s turned out the same). Cook on low for six to eight hours. Before I serve it, I use a couple forks to pull the chicken apart and then add some frozen spinach (gotta sneak in those veggies!). Serve over pasta!