Be it any time of the year, slow-cooker comes in handy with a tempting meal waiting for you after a hectic day out. While in summer it doesn’t let the kitchen heat up, in winter it welcomes you home with its soft aroma. All it asks you is to put the ingredients in it before you leave for work. After performing its job like a silent keeper, it welcomes you with a delicious recipe at the end of the day.
Here are our five ready-to-use slow-cooker recipes to add to your weekend menu:
1- Chicken Chili with White Beans
It will make a nutrient-rich dinner for you.
- Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 3-3 ½ hours
- Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-2 inches pieces
- 1/3 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly ground
- 2.5 teaspoons of dried oregano
- Half a teaspoon of ground cumin seeds
- 30 ounces cannellini white beans, completely dried after rinsing
- 2 cups of chicken soup
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Topping: chopped avocado, sliced cherry tomatoes
Method:
Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken. Give it a good mix. Take a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat; sauté the seasoned chicken until it is golden brown. Now shift the whole thing to slow-cooker.
Heat the leftover 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pan; put the chopped onion into it and sauté it until it becomes a bit tender. Quickly add jalapeno chili, garlic cloves, oregano, and ground cumin. Let it cook for a couple of minutes. Keep stirring and add this too to the slow cooker.
Divide 30 ounces of white beans into two. Mash half of them in a bowl. Add the remaining whole beans and chicken broth into chicken mixture.
Let it cook with the lid on until the chicken is tender. It will take 3-3 ½ hours. Top with your favorite toppings and don’t forget to stir before serving.
2- Chicken Soup with Enchilada Sauce
It is a perfect soup for frosty December nights.
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Servings: 6
- Ingredients
For the soup:
- 15 ounces yellow corn, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounces black beans, drained and dried
- 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs
- 1 cup of heavy cream (optional)
Serving options: Shredded cheese, sour cream
For sauce:
- 3 tablespoons of canola cooking oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 small jalapeno chilis, seeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly minced
- 1 tablespoon ground chili
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon of granulated brown sugar
- 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
- 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high flame. Add onions and jalapenos when oil starts shimmering. Cook them both for 5 minutes until they are tender. Add sugar, ground cumin, chili, and garlic. Keep stirring until fragrant. Now add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce. Stir it for 2-3 minutes and then sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Before transferring it to a slow cooker, bring it to boil.
Add the corn, chicken, and beans. Give it a good mix until combined well. Cover and let it cook for 4 hours on High setting.
Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You may choose to dip it in heavy cream at this stage. Taste. Season it with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with your favorite toppings.
3- Chicken Pasta Soup
The recipe for chicken soup couldn’t be any simpler and delicious.
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 5 hours 50 minutes
- Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. boneless chicken breast
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 ½ carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 3 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
- 4 teaspoons of rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 9 oz. Egg pasta
- 3 cups chicken broth
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Directly add chicken, onion, garlic, thyme, celery, carrots, and rosemary in the slow cooker.
Season with salt and pepper as desired. Pour in chicken broth.
Cover and let it cook for 6 hours. Then take the chicken breast out. Shred it well and put it back in the cooker. Add egg pasta.
Cover and let it cook for 20 more minutes or until finely combined.
4- Slow-Cooker Salmon Fish
The same recipe may be used to cook any fish. You may replace lemon with any other citrus. Also, you may spread chopped onion at the base and season it with any aromatic herb such as rosemary.
- Total time: 2 ½ hours
- Prep: 10-15 minutes
- Cook: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound salmon fillet with skin
- Half teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into 4-5 rounds
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped dill
Method:
Take a butter paper and line your slow cooker, covering all its sides properly. Add one layer of lemon slices to the base and let salmon sit on slices.
Season the fish thoroughly with salt and pepper as desired. Pour vegetable soup and lemon juice into the slow cooker, making sure salmon is half-dipped in. Add the remaining lemon slices and let it cook for 2 ½ hours or until it turns opaque.
5- Cheesy Jacket Potatoes
You would love these baked cheesy potatoes after a hectic day at work.
- Total time: 5 hours
- Prep: 5 minutes
- Cook: 4 hours 55 minutes
- Servings:4
Ingredients:
- 4 potatoes
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Prick the washed and dried potatoes with a fork. Stab each potato with knife making space for cheese. Put cheese inside. Grease and season. Wrap each potato in foil and put it in the slow cooker one by one.
Cover and let them cook. Turn them over after two hours. After four hours, insert a knife to test if they are cooked.
Serve with any topping you like.
