A Squared: 1 Chicken, 2 Amazing Food Blogger Recipes

Thursday, June 13, 2013

1 Chicken, 2 Amazing Food Blogger Recipes

I don't know about you, but I find whole birds-- chicken and turkey alike-- to be a little intimidating. The thawing, the removing of the insides (ew. I just can't.), the carving, the constant checking of moisture levels, internal temperatures, and browning... it's a lot of work. This would also explain why I have had a whole chicken in my freezer (darn those Easter BOGO deals!) for several weeks now that I have been dragging my feet on thawing and preparing.

Enter one of my favorite food blogs Baked by Rachel and a life changing (okay, perhaps a bit dramatic) recipe: Garlic & Dijon Slow Cooker Chicken. Yes, that's correct. You can roast a chicken in your slow cooker. Genius! I gave it a try this week and I have to say that it was the most perfect roasted bird I have ever prepared. The chicken ends up super moist and literally falls off the bone, which makes carving super easy.  Alex even said "this is better than Thanksgiving." I think that pretty much sums it up.


You can check out Rachel's original recipe via the link above, but I made a few updates of my own as well:
  • I added 2 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme) into the butter and Dijon mixture.
  • I poured roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine into the slow cooker while the chicken cooked. I'm not sure exactly how much it was-- just enough to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Instead of cooking on high for 4 hours, I cooked my chicken on low for 8 hours. This was the perfect cook time to set up while we were at work all day.


Of course a whole chicken yields a LOT of meat-- way more than the two of us can eat in one dinner. Something else that I should mention is that I'm also terrible at using leftovers. I have thrown away more leftover chicken than I care to admit. Well, I finally planned ahead this time and was totally inspired by another one of my favorite food blogs Iowa Girl Eats. Recently, Kristen posted a recipe that was right up my alley and that I could not wait to try: Caprese Chicken Nachos. This was the perfect way to use all that leftover chicken.

And these nachos are delicious. They make for a really fun summer dinner-- and a cool spin on a caprese panini or salad. Who doesn't love nachos after all?


Kudos to these two ladies for creating two amazing recipes-- and for taking care of two dinners on my menu this week!

What is your creative strategy for using up leftovers?

2 comments:

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  2. Thank you for sharing so Delicious recipe. I like this post so much. Because chicken based recipes are my favorite. You are sharing different recipe. I maintain one blog best essay writing service, If you want improve your writing style visit my blog. Thank you!

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