Italian Chicken Crockpot Style

The hubs has been working nights since Thanksgiving which complicates cooking dinner since we now have to eat dinner around 3:30 in the afternoon. That combined with my work schedule has been my excuse for not trying new recipes the past couple of weeks. But this week I'm making up for it with 2 new recipes!

I have Pinterest to thank for this week's inspiration. Seriously, how did we ever come up with new recipes to try and diy crafts to make before Pinterest?

Anyways if you've seen my Pinterest page you've seen the following picture with this recipe:

(Photo Credit: The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (I used 6 tenderloins)

1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing

8oz softened cream cheese

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2lb bow tie pasta

Cooking Directions:

1. Place chicken in crockpot and cover with Zesty Italian dressing.

2. Over medium heat on the stovetop, combine cream cheese and soup until well blended. Then pour over chicken in crockpot on cook on low for 4 hours.

3. Cook pasta and drain. Serve with garlic toast.

The chicken was so tender it fell apart on the plate so we ended up shredding it and mixing it in with the pasta and sauce. This was really easy to make and quite inexpensive. I think it would have been even better topped with cheese (which is kind of what it looks like in the picture she just doesn't mention it in the recipe?). Because I used chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts we had some extra sauce which is perfect by itself with left over pasta.

So there you have it. An easy, cheap supper (or mid afternoon lunch in our case.) It wasn't amazing, but it was good and we'll probably have it again.

Apple Roasted Chicken

It's only a couple of weeks until Christmas!! Trying to get our taste buds in the holiday mood (without baking cookies!) I pulled out my Lady and Sons Christmas magazine from last year and happened upon the following recipe (actually the original recipe calls for 2x what I have listed, but I was only cooking for 2 people so I reduced the portions).

Apple Roasted Chicken with Herb Vegetables


Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4-5lb)
3 red delicious apples
4 carrots
1/2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary
4 springs thyme
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Cooking Directions:
1. Take one apple and cut in half. Place chicken in cast iron dutch oven and stuff with halved apple, garlic and rosemary. Tie legs together. Rub butter over entire chicken and cover with salt and pepper. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

2. Cut carrots into bite size pieces. Core and slice remaining 2 apples. After 30 minutes take the chicken out of the oven and carefully place carrots, apple slices and thyme around the chicken. Return the dish to the oven and continue cooking 30-45 minutes.

I cannot express to you how juicy and delicious this chicken was!! It was literally melt in your mouth goodness.. The carrots were perfectly tender without being mushy. The apples (though not a favorite of the hubs and mine) were pretty yummy but a tad on the mushy side.

This recipe is perfect for the season. It took a little time (not a quick casserole to stick in the oven) but totally worth the investment. I served it alongside mashed potatoes and it made the perfect December dinner for two! I'm thinking that it might also be good to add some sliced potatoes and onion. But that will be for next time.