Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipes

With the temptation of fast food, processed meals, and eating out, it's difficult to spend time to prepare good, healthy, home-cooked meals. If you're like many, the last thing you want to do after coming home from work is prepare a gourmet dinner. By using your crock pot and spending 5-10 minutes each morning, you can come home to delicious home-cooked meals without hours of preparation right before dinnertime. Below are three quick and easy chicken crock pot recipes you're sure to enjoy, and each with 7 ingredients or less!

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ½ cups salsa
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp lime juice

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker, pour salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3 hours, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Stir in cumin and lime juice, cover and cook an additional 15 minutes.

Note: For an extra spicy kick, add a pinch of ground red chili powder with the cumin and lime juice.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ lemon juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp thyme

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken in crock pot. Combine juice, water, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl, pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 envelope ranch dressing mix
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing
• 2 tbsp flour

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in crock pot. In a small bowl, combine soup, ranch dressing mix, and water; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot. Stir in sour cream, ranch dressing, and flour; replace chicken. Cover and cook on high 20 minutes.

Cheese-Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced green onions with tops
• 2 Tbs. butter or margarine
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups milk
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz) chicken broth
• 1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

• In large, heavy saucepan, lightly saute green onions in the butter.
• Stir in flour, seasoned salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Remove from heat. Add milk and chicken broth. Cook, stirring, about 15 minutes until thickened.
• Blend in pumpkin. Simmer 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add cheese, Stir until melted.
• Ladle into soup bowls. Top each serving, if desired, with a slice of tomato, sprinkled with cheese and green onions.

Cocktail: Strawberry Margarita

The Strawberry Margarita is possibly the most popular of the flavored Margarita varieties. This is understandable because it is delicious frozen cocktail. Given that it is blended, many people choose to go with frozen strawberries. While they do make a fine drink, a far superior cocktail can be find by starting with fresh strawberries, especially when they are in the prime season. Plus when you go with fresh you have leftovers for a quick and tasty garnish.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz tequila
• 1 oz triple sec
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 cup ice
• fresh strawberry for garnish

Preparation:

• Pour the ingredients into a blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour the contents into a chilled margarita glass.
• Garnish with a strawberry.

Cocktail: Tequila Fuego

Traditional Mexican flavors highlight your favorite premium tequila in this spicy shot. Serves one.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz premium tequila
• 1 teaspoon hot chile sauce
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 dash onion powder
• 1 lime wedge
• kosher salt
• 1 jalapeno ring

Preparation:

Use lime wedge to moisten 1/2 the brim of the shooter glass. Dip the moistened brim in salt. In a shaker or a glass, mix the lime juice, tequila, onion powder and hot chile sauce. Blend well. Pour the mixture into the shot glass and garnish the edge with a jalapeno ring.

Follow the shot with the lime wedge.

Cocktail: Refreshing Lime Margaritas

Perfect on a hot summer day or an evening with friends. You’ll make this recipe over and over again!

Ingredients:

• 1 oz tequila
• 1/2 oz Triple Sec
• 1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• kosher Salt (optional)
• lime wedge (optional)
• crushed ice or ice cubes

Preparation:

If you’re going to salt the glass, take your lime wedge or a bit of triple sec and rub around edge of glass. Turn upside down and press rim into salt.

For the drink- Shake the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and sugar in a shaker (or stir vigorously with a spoon) and pour over ice. Or you can blend it in a blender if you prefer it. Garnish with lime wedge and enjoy!