Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

I love slow cooker sandwiches on busy days.  They take no time whatsoever and taste great!  I've made these no less than 4 times this month, and believe me, that's a new record at our house.  My kiddos usually complain if we have the same thing twice in a month.

I also made this to take to a friend who recently had twin boys.  She said, and I quote, "Those sandwiches were to DIE for!"  I'm assuming that means they were good.  ;)  It also means that that you need to pull out your slow cooker and try these babies!

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Serves about 4-6
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (if you don't have fresh use around 2 teaspoons of dried parsley)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns
Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.

Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. I really make sure that I discard any fat pieces so by the time I was done I only used about 1/2 cup of dressing but you make need more if you have more chicken. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.

Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve. 

Source:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

French Bread Chicken Sandwich

This has quickly become one of my favorite sandwiches!  It's easy and unbelievably delicious.  I first tried it about a year ago when my daughter, Brinlee, was baptized.  We had the family over for lunch afterward and I needed something that would be easy, could be mostly prepared ahead of time, and tasted great.  I can't tell you how many times I've made this since that day. When I have a busy week, I almost always put this on the menu.

The best part about it is the chicken.  Slow cooked in chicken broth and Montreal Steak Seasoning, it is fall apart tender but has just a bit of spice.  Anytime I need cooked shredded chicken for a recipe I cook it this way.  It also freezes well.  I just drain the broth and pack it in a freezer bag so it's ready when I need it.

Like so many of the dishes here at Mommy's Menu, this can be customized to fit your tastes.  Don't like avocado?  Leave it off.  Love fresh mushrooms?  Slap some on top.  You can add just about anything you want and it will be delicious.

French Bread Chicken Sandwich
Serves about 8

3-4 chicken breasts
1 cans chicken broth
2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Loaf of French Bread
Ranch Dressing
4 slices of bacon
1 Avocado sliced
1 Tomato sliced
1 cup shredded cheese

Combine the chicken, broth and Montreal Steak Seasoning in a slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4 hours or until the chicken is easy to shred.  Shred in the slow cooker to let it soak up the marinade.

Cut French bread loaf in half long way.   Spread Ranch dressing on both sides of the loaf, then add layers of chicken, bacon, tomato, avocado and cheese.
Bake at 375° for 10 minutes to melt the cheese, then broil it for another 2 minutes. Slice and serve.


Source:  Our Family Treat

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

With how hectic our lives have been the last few weeks, I've been relying on my crock pot for just about everything.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love and appreciate my crock pot.  I would love to kiss the person who invented it!  There is nothing like being able to put dinner together in the morning (or at lunch) and have it ready to eat when I get home in the evening.

This was a really great recipe. It was something I'd never considered making in the crock pot before.  And it turned out great.  I'll be honest though, I had to steal the picture from the original blog because my family started digging in before I could even think of taking a picture.  It smelled great and  it tasted great. 

Teriyaki Chicken in the Crock Pot
Serves 8-10

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C soy sauce
6 Tbsp cider vinegar
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
4 1/2 tsp cornstarch
4 1/2 tsp cold water

Place chicken in a 6 qt. crock pot. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid or put it through a mesh strainer. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened. Serve with chicken and rice.

Source: Photo and recipe Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Kahlua Pork

Why is something so simple, so outrageously delicious?  This pork is so good that you don't need to add anything to it!  I have eaten this by the finger full  fork full.  I've put it on sandwiches, in burritos and in anything  else I can think of.  My favorite thing about it is that it is cooked in the slow cooker.  It doesn't heat up my house on a hot summer day, and I can fix it and forget it.  I usually cook mine overnight since it has a long cooking time.

Kahlua Pork
Serves 10-12 (or more!)


5-6 pound pork roast
1/2 bottle liquid smoke
1 Tbs. sea salt
3/4 cup water

Trim the roast of any visible fat and combine with the other ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 14 hours or until the roast is tender enough to be shredded.  Shred with 2 forks and serve.

Source:  Patrick S.

Chicken Stew

I love slow cooker recipes!  They are simple, delicious and easy!  I always try to plan a few slow cooker recipes into my bi-weekly menu.  It makes busy days a lot less hectic.  I also know that I can keep food warm without sacrificing quality on those days when we are coming and going at different times throughout the evening.  As a general rule, meal times are family times, but when we all can't get together, its nice to know everyone is getting a hot, healthy meal.  The slow cooker is also really versatile.  I've done breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert in mine.  This recipe is delicious served over rice or biscuits or with spaetzle.

Chicken Stew
Serves 6-8

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite sized pieces  (breasts or thighs work well)
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 lb. baby carrots
1 onion, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can water
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a large skillet, brown the chicken in a small amount of olive oil.  Stir often until chicken is cooked through.  Place the cooked chicken in a greased slow cooker.  Add all the remaining ingredients except the peas and mix well.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.  Half an hour before serving, add the peas and cook another 30 minutes or until the peas are heated through, about 30 minutes.  Serve over biscuits, rice or spaetzle.

Source:  A family recipe I've been making forever

Creamy Italian Chicken

I know everyone and their mother's dog has a recipe for this chicken.  But honestly, I've never tried it until now.  I was always turned off by the block of cream cheese the recipe calls for.  I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese in savory dishes.  Put it in brownies or cheesecake and I'm there, but with chicken....not so much.  But last night, I finally bit the bullet and tried it.  And today, I'm wondering why I waited so long.  This is really good despite the fact that it calls for cream soup, which I generally try to avoid.  Even my hubby (my pickiest eater) went back for seconds.  That's a glowing recommendation.

One of the best things about this dish is that it uses the slow cooker.  My poor crock pot has spent the last year really lonely.  My dutch ovens were getting all the attention.  I could tell it was happy to get off the shelf and get some use.  This is a great busy weeknight meal!

Creamy Italian Chicken
Serves 4-6

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (0.6 oz.) package dry Italian dressing mix
4 oz. cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

Place the chicken, onion and dressing mix in a greased slow cooker.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until the chicken is tender.  Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks.  Return the chicken to the slow cooker.  In a sauce pan, combine the cream cheese and cream soup until it is smooth and hot.  Add to the chicken and stir to combine.  Cover and cook 1 hour more.  Serve over rice.

Source:  Adapted from Amy S.

No Fuss Chicken

Tuesday nights are crazy around here!  My kids have soccer games and boy scouts and any of a dozen different things going on.  I can almost be guaranteed that I'm not going to be home to cook on Tuesday nights.  Enter slow cooker.  Normally, I complain about slow things--traffic jams, Internet connections--but not my slow cooker.  It can take its own sweet time making my meals delicious!  This chicken recipe is one of my family's favorites.  The herbs give it perfect flavor and the chicken comes out moist, tender and delicious!

No Fuss Chicken

Serves 4

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp. rubbed sage

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. season salt

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup butter

2 cups chicken broth

In a bowl, combine flour, sage,basil and seasoned salt; coat chicken. Reserve remaining flour mixture. In a skillet, melt the butter and brown the chicken on all sides.  When chicken is browned, transfer to a lightly greased slow cooker.  Add 1/4 cup of reserved flour mixture to the skillet and stir until smooth. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2-2 1/2 hours. 

Source:  A family recipe