The Great American Slow Cooker Book (57 page)

1
Stir the chicken, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in the slow cooker until the meat is coated in the spices.

2
Whisk the all-fruit spread, jalapeño, soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice in a large bowl; pour over the tenders.

3
Cover and cook on low, stirring once halfway through cooking, for 2½ hours in a small slow cooker, 3 hours in a medium model, or 3½ hours in a large one, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the sauce is bubbling.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Apricots and jalapeños are a match made in heaven! Here’s a mash-up based on a sweet-and-sour Asian sauce that’s a new twist on comfort food.

•
Use an all-fruit spread, not a jar of sugary jam or preserves. all-fruit spreads are always placed in the grocery store near the jams and jellies.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
White-meat chicken can dry out in the cooker, mostly because it’s so low in fat. The trick is to cook the meat beyond the first stage of dryness, until there’s some collagen melt between the fibers. In our tests, the chicken tenders were officially “done” about an hour before our stated times, then turned dry 30 minutes later, and finally became moist again at the stated times because of collagen melt.

1
Mix the fennel, pears, and thyme sprigs in the slow cooker.

2
Stir the pepper, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl; rub into the chicken breasts. Nestle them into the fennel mixture.

3
Whisk the wine and honey in a bowl; pour around (not over) the meat.

4
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours in a small slow cooker, 4½ hours in a medium one, or
5 hours in a large model, or until the chicken is tender and the fennel is in a sweet, herbaceous sauce. Discard the thyme sprigs. Serve the chicken, fennel, and sauce in bowls.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Here’s a light dinner, sweet but with complex flavors, and a great way to prepare chicken breasts.

•
If you pour the liquids directly onto the chicken, you’ll knock off the spice coating.

•
For a nonalcoholic version, substitute unsweetened pear nectar for the wine.

Serve It Up!
Pair these chicken breasts with cooked wild rice, seasoned with butter, ground cinnamon, and salt.

1
Combine the carrots, vinegar, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce in the slow cooker; make an even bed of the mixture across the bottom of the cooker.

2
Put a piece of prosciutto on your work surface. Top with 2 sage leaves; then lay the chicken breasts on top so that their lengths run the same direction as the pieces of prosciutto. Fold the prosciutto over the chicken and set it seam side down on top of the carrot mixture. Continue making more, squeezing them to fit in one layer as much as possible.

3
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours in a small slow cooker, 4½ hours in a medium cooker, or 5 hours in a large one, or until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots have softened considerably. Serve in bowls with the broth around the chicken.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
Shred the carrots through the large holes of a box grater—or with the shredding blade of a large food processor.

•
If possible, fit these chicken breasts in one layer, even if you have to force them a bit, so that one side of the prosciutto stays out of the liquid, thereby improving its texture as it cooks.

•
There’s no need for aged balsamic vinegar here—a less expensive, full-flavored bottling will do.

•
For a sweeter dish, substitute finely chopped onion for half the shredded carrots.

SHORTCUTS
Shredded carrots are sometimes available in the refrigerator case of your supermarket’s produce section.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Prosciutto (
proh-SHOO-toe
), more properly
prosciutto crudo,
is cured bone-in ham,
hung to age in barns or climate-controlled facilities until it’s a salty, porky wonder. The best prosciutto is shaved right off the bone at the deli counter rather than sold sliced in packages. Keep the slices tightly sealed and in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. The salty but subtle flavors hold up very well in a slow cooker.

1
Mix the chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste, garam masala, ginger, and garlic in the slow cooker until the tomato paste dissolves and the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated.

2
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours in a small slow cooker, 3½ hours in a medium cooker, or 4 hours in a large one, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce is bubbling.

3
Meanwhile, mix the cucumbers, cilantro, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a large bowl.

4
Stir the yogurt into the ingredients in the slow cooker until the sauce is creamy. Dish up the stew and serve the cool-but-spicy cucumber salad on top.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
A slow cooker makes perfect
tikka masala
, a tomato-rich stew for chicken.

•
You may find many blends of garam masala in the international aisle of your supermarket. You’ll find even more at East Indian markets or their online outlets.

•
There’s no need to seed those cucumbers; the extra juice around those seeds will add to the stewiness of the final dish.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
In many of these recipes for boneless skinless chicken breasts, the meat is cut into specific sizes or chunks. Follow that measurement closely: it determines the cooking time, the amount of liquid used, and the overall effect of the dish.

Serve It Up!
Toss cooked, still-hot white basmati rice with toasted sliced almonds, chopped golden raisins, and a smidgen of unsalted butter to make a bed in the bowls for the stew.

1
Mix the chicken, mushrooms, broth, celery, rice, onion, cranberries, almonds, sage, and salt in the slow cooker.

2
Cover and cook on low for 5½ hours in a small slow cooker, 6 hours in a medium one, or 7 hours in a large one, or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Let stand for 10 minutes, covered but unplugged, before serving.

TESTERS’ NOTES

•
We pumped up the flavors of the weeknight chicken casserole, adding cranberries and almonds, as well as lots of sage.

•
Brown rice adds good texture—and whole-grain health—to this simple but hearty fare. Make sure the individual grains are submerged in the liquid before cooking.

•
For more flavor, toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until aromatic and lightly browned, about 4 minutes, tossing often.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Because of concerns associated with
Bacillius cereus
and rice, never let cooked rice stand at room temperature for more than 20 minutes—and never let it sit on the “keep warm” cycle of a slow cooker for more than 1 hour. Refrigerate any leftovers promptly.