Fix-It and Forget-It Holiday Main Dishes and Sides (4 page)

Dad’s Spicy Chicken Curry

Tom & Sue Ruth

Lancaster, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 6-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6- to 7-qt.

4 lbs. chicken pieces, with bones in

water

2 onions, diced

10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup plain yogurt

2-3 diced red potatoes

3 tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 tsp. turmeric

1. Place chicken in large slow cooker. Cover with water.
   
2. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours, or until tender.
   
3. Drain chicken. Remove from slow cooker. Cool briefly and cut/shred into small pieces.
   
4. Return chicken to slow cooker.
   
5. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
   
6. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until potatoes are tender.
   

Serve on
rice
. Accompany with
fresh mango slices
or
mango chutney
.

Variation:

Substitute 5 tsp. curry powder for the garlic powder, ginger, cumin, coriander, and pepper.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Loretta Krahn

Mountain Lake, MN

Makes 5 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

5 skinless chicken breast halves

½ cup soy sauce

¼-⅓ cup lime juice, according to your taste preference

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced,
or
1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. ground pepper

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
   
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour over chicken.
   
3. Cover. Cook on High 4-6 hours or on Low 6-8 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
   

Pineapple-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Katrina Eberly

Wernersville, PA

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 25-30 minutes

Cooking Time: 3½-4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1” chunks

⅔ cup, plus 3 Tbsp., flour,
divided

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. pepper

4 5-oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves

¼ stick (2 Tbsp.) butter

10¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup

¾ cup pineapple juice

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1. Layer sweet potatoes into slow cooker.
   
2. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine ⅔ cup flour and seasonings. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
   
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in butter for 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. (Don’t crowd the skillet or the chicken will steam rather than brown.) Arrange browned chicken over sweet potatoes.
   
4. Place remaining flour in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in soup, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and orange peel until blended. Pour over chicken.
   
5. Cover. Cook on Low 3½-4 hours, or until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through but not dry.
   

Serve over
rice
if you wish.

Szechwan-Style Chicken and Broccoli

Jane Meiser
, Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes • Cooking Time: 1-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts

oil

½ cup picante sauce

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

½ tsp. sugar

½ Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. ground ginger

2 cups broccoli florets

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into pieces

1. Cut chicken into 1” cubes. Brown lightly in oil in skillet. Place meat in slow cooker.
   
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
   
3. Cover. Cook on High 1-1½ hours or on Low 2-3 hours.
   

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

Naomi Ressler

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

⅓ cup chopped onions

⅓ cup water

¼ cup creamy,
or
chunky, peanut butter

3 Tbsp. chili sauce

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

cooked rice,
or
soba noodles

6 Tbsp. chopped peanuts

6 Tbsp. chopped sweet red peppers

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
   
2. In a small bowl, combine onions, water, peanut butter, chili sauce, salt, and peppers. Pour over chicken.
   
3. Cover. Cook on Low 4 hours, or until chicken is tender.
   
4. Serve over rice or soba noodles. Sprinkle with peanuts and red peppers.
   

Chicken Azteca

Katrine Rose

Woodbridge, VA

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½-6½ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6- to 7-qt.

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained

4 cups frozen corn kernels

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ tsp. ground cumin

2 cups chunky salsa,
divided

10 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, cubed

1. Combine beans, corn, garlic, cumin, and half of salsa in slow cooker.
   
2. Arrange chicken breasts over top. Pour remaining salsa over top.
   
3. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours or on Low 4-6 hours, or until chicken is tender but not dry.
   
4. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Return to cooker.
   
5. Stir in cream cheese. Cook on High until cream cheese melts.
   

Spoon chicken and sauce over cooked
rice
. Top with
shredded cheese
.