If you are like me then you love to have home cooked meals but you are also very busy and often don't have time to make the meals - esp if you are out all day. You have a slow cooker - love the slow cooker - but don't use it as often as you would like. Often with thoughts "I really need to use that more". Most of my slow cooker recipes call for prep before setting it going and prep after - yes the bulk of the work is done but not all of it. If I'm rushing out in the morning, then I don't always have time to cut vegetables, cook this or that first. Yesterday, I experimented by combining a couple of recipes together and I'm going to share the results with you.
What you need...
Uncooked chicken breasts - 4 breasts halved (you can put in more or less as desired).
2 (10.75oz) cans of cream of chicken soup* (I make my own)
Butter - 2 tbsp
Frozen peas and carrots (can do fresh too)
1 onion finely diced (you can leave this out if you don't like onions)
2 (10oz) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces* (I make my own)
chicken broth*
water*
First...
Cut the chicken breasts in half and then place each half in the slow cooker. Place the butter on top of each chicken piece. Add your cream of chicken soup. Add onions (if using), peas and carrots and any other vegetable you want. Add chicken broth and/or water to make sure it is fully covered and then cook on low for 6 1/2hrs. Take the biscuit dough and put it in the slow cooker and then cook for another 1hr on high.
You are done!
Now...
I don't like the can soups - too much "other" ingredients. So, my cream of chicken soup...
2 cups of milk
4 tbsp of corn starch
2 tsp of chicken boullion
3 tbsp butter (1.5oz)
salt and pepper to taste
In a small sauce pan place the milk and corn starch and whisk until mixed. Add the butter, chicken and salt and pepper. Heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer on low for one minute more to thicken. This recipe is for the 2 cans needed for the cass. You can half this recipe and use it instead of any cream of.... recipe.
It adds a small sauce pan and measuring jug to clean up - and about 5 mins.
Biscuits....
This is really easy. I mean REALLY easy!!!
2 cups of flour - recipe calls for all purpose and I have only used unbleached all purpose but I plan to experiment with "better for you" flours.
1/4 tsp baking soda
1tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter - very cold - (3oz)
1 cup of buttermilk or whole milk
Place all the dry ingredients into a mixer. Cut the butter into small pieces and throw into the mixer. Mix until it is the consistency of course meal. Add the milk/buttermilk until just mixed. Take portions of the dough and make it into a round ball and then just drop into the slow cooker. Done!
Adds about 5 minutes with clean up of the mixer and measuring cups etc.
You will want to place a knife into one of the "biscuits" to make sure it is done after about an hr cooked on high - it may not "look" done but it is because it is so soft.
So, using store brand, pre packaged ingredients - this has a prep time of 5 mins before and 5 mins to add the biscuits. Making your own soup and biscuits - adds about 5 mins to the before - total of 10 mins. Adds about 3 mins to the biscuits - 8 mins.
Think chicken pot pie meets chicken and dumplings in a slow cooker!
I got a thumbs up from my 4 yr old who ate it all (including the peas and carrots) without a fuss!
ENJOY..
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