Back in my bachelorette pad days, my kitchen was so tiny that I could barely turn around, let alone put together an elaborate meal. When dining out got old, there was many a night that I relied on my trusty crockpot for a tasty homecooked meal. Space was so tight that I had to sit the appliance on the drop-leaf table in my living room (there simply wasn’t enough space on my kitchen counter). Fast forward a few years, I now have a grown-up sized kitchen (well, at least by NYC-standards), but I still love a great slow cooker recipe… especially when I’m short on time. I love that I can just drop the ingredients in before work and come home to something spectacular. The following recipe is one that I adapted from Real Simple Magazine.
Ingredients
- 8oz package of baby portabello mushrooms, trimmed and halved
- 4 large carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup flour
- A few of sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (you can substitute thighs, if you prefer dark meat)
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas
- 1 cup frozen string beans
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper
Preparation:
- Combine mushrooms, carrots, onion, flour, thyme, bay leaves, and 1/2 cup water in 4-6 quart slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on top.
- Cover and cook 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
- 30 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut puff pastry sheet into four 4.5 circles and place on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- 10 minutes before serving, add frozen vegetables, cream and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and heat through.
- Using two forks, shred chicken into bite size pieces. Spoon chicken mixture into bowls and top with pastry rounds to serve.
Slow cooker recipes are pretty fool-proof, but the one thing I can’t recommend enough is springing for an appliance that has a built-in timer. It makes life so much easier when you don’t have to worry about the food overcooking!
