Crazy Crockpot Chicken Thighs

CRAZY CROCKPOT CHICKEN THIGHS

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This recipe was lovingly named by the elder of my two children.

He recently turned 11, and I am loving how much his quirky personality grows and changes each day... its growing and changing ALMOST as fast as he is Ha!      Any-who back to the business of food...

 

So what makes this Chicken "crazy" you ask? 

Well as I was preparing to make dinner, and getting all of my ingredients out- I pulled out our HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS SEAFOOD BLEND –the one with the little orange crab on the front, and set it on the counter by the fresh chicken thighs. He seemed a bit perplexed, looking back and forth between the spice and the chicken and with an all-too-familiar, are you loosing your mind again mom?... look and said “Mom, either you are confused or that meat came from one CRAZY looking crab. I laughed so hard Dr. Pepper almost came out of my nose, but it was worth it because that was the moment Crazy Crockpot Chicken was born!

 

In case you were wondering, I'm not TOTALLY crazy… the wonderful thing about ALL of the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Blends and Rubs is that they were created with a specific meat or dish in mind, BUT that doesn’t mean they aren’t amazing when you get a little crazy and mix it up. The seafood blend has a delicious mix of citrus and lemon and dill undertones. Which makes it delicious on seafood, chicken, baked potatoes, grilled veggies and even some cuts of pork. The possibilities are endless!

This recipe is about as easy as it gets. Its what I like to call a simple RUB>COOK>EAT situation and perfect for a crazy weekday meal…just how I like it- barely any prep, very few ingredients and the crockpot will do the rest of the work.

INGREDIENTS

4-5 Large Chicken Thighs, cleaned & trimmed (fresh or frozen will work)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2-3 Tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS SEAFOOD RUB

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

¼ cup of water

HIMALAYAN Pink Sea Salt and Pepper to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour ¼ cup of water into bottom of the crockpot, place the Chicken thighs right side up in the crockpot and brush with olive oil. Cover each Chicken Thigh well with the HS Seafood Rub and sprinkle with the lemon juice and salt and pepper if you choose. Set the Crockpot on low and cook for 5-6 hours. At around the 6 hour mark, the meat will be so tender it will fall off the bone! Outstanding!

I love serving this CRAZY chicken with a nice Rice Pilaf or even Parmesean Cous Cous. 

It also goes great with our 

Salt–Free/ Flavor-Full Baked Squash Fries 

 which I will be posting later this week, so check back soon!!

You never know what might happen if you step outside the box, and if you make something crazy at your house with our seasonings we want to hear about it, send us your recipe and a few nice pictures and we might feature you right here on our Homestead Seasoning Blog!

Dang Cute! Personal Pot Pies

DANG CUTE PERSONAL POT PIES

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This recipe came about because I fell in love with a dish... or dishes in this case. My children and I were walking through the local dollar store when we stumbled upon the cutest little casserole dishes I have ever seen! Just the right height and depth for a personal sized pot pie.... and poof ! Just like that I knew they were coming home.


< < < < < < < < < < < < Look how cute they are!!

When we got home MY cutie-pie children were just as excited as I was to put our new dishes to work. Since making pot pies are a "fun for the whole family" activity, we washed our new dishes, (and of course -our hands) and got to work!






INGREDIENTS
2-3 cups Cooked and Diced Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS CHICKEN RUB
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
2 Small cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 12oz. bag frozen Peas & Carrots
1 can of (8) Refrigerated Biscuits (I like the home-style buttermilk kind) 

< < < <  DOUBLE DUTY ALERT : If you happened to make our recipe for BAGGY BAKED CHICKEN earlier in the week-- this recipe is a great opportunity to dice the left over chicken and use it up! Just reduce the HS Chicken Rub in this recipe to 1 tablespoon instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons. Now back to the fun! > > > >

NOTE: I am going to write the instructions for individual pot pies, but if you would rather make a family sized dish, and 8x8 square baking dish or 9 inch pie pan could be used as well. 

 INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottoms and sides of the individual dishes well. Press one biscuit into the bottom of each dish, and poke with a fork to release steam. Put the individual dishes on to a large cookie sheet, and place in the oven. Bake the bottom crusts in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they begin to brown. 

 Golden Perfection!

2. In a medium sauce pan combine Flour, HS Chicken Rub, Garlic, Oregano, Cans of soup and Milk. Bring to a Boil . Boil two minutes, stirring frequenly. Once sauce beging to thicken remove from heat and stir in the Diced Chicken and Peas & Carrots.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into the individual dished, giving each equal potions. Roll out the remaining (4) biscuits into a large, but thin circle. Place one biscuit gently on the top of the chicken mixture. Put the individual dishes on to a large cookie sheet in-case they boil over, and place in the oven. 

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

4. Once the tops are golden brown, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Grab a fork and enjoy!

SO......I don't know about you, but around these parts we love individual sized things.... there is just something more exciting about eating about a meal that is made just for you! These were a HUGE hit with the kiddos! (and the fact that they can be part of a DOUBLE DUTY DINNER made it a huge hit with the Mom too!)  Want to see more of our DD DINNERS? Check out our DDD LOG page and get ready to have some extra time on your hands~

Crockpot Peppercorn Beef Brisket

CROCKPOT PEPPERCORN BEEF BRISKET

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I have never been a big fan of Brisket or Corned Beef.... until recently. I was staying at my sisters and her husband, who is an amazing cook by the way, made it for all of us. I was BLOWN away!! I had always thought it had to be dry and fatty, too peppery and rubbery... pretty much GROSS- but like so many other things in my adult life, I was way WAY wrong.
It was tender, flavorful and it melted in your mouth. I was so excited to try his method of cooking brisket, but with the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Salt-Free spices!

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket

3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB

1/4 cup black peppercorns

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, peeled and quartered

INSTRUCTIONS 
Place the corned beef briskets into a large crockpot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the briskets by 1 inch. Add the HS Beef Rub, peppercorns and garlic powder and quartered onions. Cover the crockpot and set on high for 1 hour. At the end of an hour the water in the crockpot should be boiling. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cook for an additional 3-4 hours, checking hourly, and adding more water if necessary to keep the meat covered. Once the time is up-- carefully remove the meat from the pot, as it will be extremely tender. Set on a cutting board, and allow it to rest until it firms up a bit, about 10 minutes. Slice or shred to serve. I usually discard the cooking liquid, but it can be used to cook cabbage and other vegetables if needed. It will be so tender and juicy... it will literally fall apart in your hands! Serve with potatoes, cabbage or on hearty artisan rolls for a "grab and go" situation-- Pot Luck Dinners, Football Games, Office Parties the works!

 > > > > > > > > >  > > > YUMMY!!
Seriously... look how deliciously juicy it is! Even though its close to midnight... I'm starting to talk my self into a meaty midnight sandwich!

Irish Beef Stew and Mashed Potatoes

IRISH BEEF STEW                      

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INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds beef chuck pot roast cut into cubes
2 tablespoons Homestead Seasonings BEEF RUB-
1-2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
6 cups beef broth low sodium
1 pound carrot cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cups mushrooms sliced or 2 cup fresh cut green beans
1 white onion chopped
1 pound of potatoes cut into large cubes
salt and pepper to taste
Servings: 10+
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 6-8 Hours on Low

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large skillet, heat oil, add beef and saute on all sides until browned. Sprinkle beef with flour, HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB, thyme and sage and then saute and additional two minutes. In the crock-pot add the beef and drippings from saute' pan, prepared veggies and and beef broth.... Stir and cover then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Salt and pepper to taste--- Delicious!

Serve Stew all by its self.... (cause it's freaking yummy)
or at our house we really like it on top of mashed potatoes and garnished with shredded cheese.
Either way Enjoy!





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HEADS UP Ladies and Gentlemen
If you are familiar with our DOUBLE DUTY Recipes you can substitute leftover roast beef from our Homestead Seasonings Crock-pot Roast Beef Recipe for the 2 pounds of chuck roast in this recipe....
save your self time and money!!

Hearty Homestead Chicken Pot Pie

HEARTY CHICKEN POT PIE
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INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cooked chicken diced*
2 tablespoons Homestead Seasonings Chicken Rub
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup frozen corn sweet/white
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sour cream
3 cups biscuit mix
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional garnish) 

Servings 10+
Prep Time:15 (plus time to cook/dice chicken)
Cook Time: 35



Note* Good Quality canned chicken or turkey is a great substitute for this recipe. If you are in a time crunch, opening a can could end up saving you an over an hour of prep time*


INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 glass dish really well.
In a medium bowl add:
Cooked/diced chicken, HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS CHICKEN RUB, sour cream, and frozen veggies together and mix well, then spread mixture into the bottom of the 9x13 baking dish.
In a separate bowl:
mix Biscuit baking mix, milk and eggs (should be the consistency of a thin cake mix) Spread mixture evenly over chicken pot pie-- make sure you go all the way to the edges!
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Now the mixture will rise and spread so its always a good idea to protect the bottom of your oven with a second pan covered in foil. ( I have unfortunately learned the hard way..many, many, many times.) Once the Pot pie is all golden brown and delicious, let it sit for at least 5-8 minutes. This will give the mixture a chance to thicken and set. Slice and serve.... dinner in a dish-- It doesn't get much better than that!

Dreamy Beef Stroganoff

DREAMY BEEF STROGANOFF
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INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds eye of round cut into strips

>>or<<

3/4 pound lean ground beef

{this recipe is good with either}

3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Burger Blend
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup mushrooms sliced
1 medium onion diced
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth low sodium
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of egg noodles cooked
Servings 8-10
Prep Time: 10-15 min
Cook Time: 20 min

--COOK EGG NOODLES ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PACKAGE--DIFFERENT BRANDS REQUIRE DIFFERENT COOK TIMES AND DIFFERENT METHODS OF COOKING--

INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat 1 tbls of oil and 1 tbls of butter in a large skillet. Season the steak strips WELL with HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BURGER BLEND, dust with flour and add into skillet.
Brown meat on all sides, but do not overcook. Once meat is browned, set aside.
In a 2nd LARGE saute' pan heat remaining oil and butter and saute' onions and sliced mushrooms until tender.
Once tender, add browned steak strips, mushroom soup, beef broth and mix well and then cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes
Uncover mixture and stir in sour cream and cream cheese (use milk to thin if necessary)
Serve immediately over egg noodles.

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HEADS UP FOLKS *In these pictures I choose to use ground beef instead of the steak strips* Usually I like to plan my menus for the week so that I can make this as a 2nd day  DOUBLE DUTY RECIPE. I like to make the Homestead Seasonings Pan Seared Steaks Recipe earlier in the week then cut-up the left over steaks and use them for this recipe! Saves me time and money :)