Creamy Italian Crockpot Chicken... Oh Yeah.

This is one of those cool recipes that takes hardly any time to put together, and can be frozen for an awesome meal on a busy day too!

Customize this recipe as you see fit. Low carb? Ditch the pasta and have a salad with it. 

Creamy Italian Crockpot Chicken

§  3 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1 inch or larger pieces
§  1 Small Onion, Diced
§  3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
§  1 (8oz.) Pkg. Cream Cheese
§  1/3 cup Italian Seasoning
§  4 Small tomatoes, Diced

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Use fresh herbs at cooking time instead of dry Italian Seasoning. Also, 1 “Spaghetti Seasoning” Pkg. may be used in place of Italian Seasoning.

Serve over noodles or alongside garlic bread with a fresh green salad. 

The BEST way we’ve ever had this is over cooked shells with 2 cups mozzarella mixed in. Delicious!!! 

This recipe is part of my 7 Awesome Chicken Freezer Meals post. You can find a Visual Recipe printable, grocery list, and more chicken recipes HERE.

7 Awesome Chicken Freezer Recipes and printables

Okay, I am guilty.

I cannot pass up a deal on a quality brand of chicken that is on sale for super duper cheap. Price match, coupons....  come home with 15 pounds of it!

I had to develop a plan, and decided it was time to make some freezer to crockpot meals for the busy days ahead.

So I pulled this together and... TA DA!!!

I created a cool way for very VISUAL people like myself to follow a multiple-recipe-plan without messing it up or doing everything one recipe at a time!!!

Download and print out my color coded Visual Recipe Plan, and follow along to make 7 chicken meals super fast!

All of the ingredients to make these chicken meals are easy and usually cheap. All of the packaged seasoning mixes I suggest can be swapped for your favorite homemade version. In this season (no pun intended) of life I have been buying the packets.

I've also created a great Printable Grocery List that you can take to the store to make things even easier. And (for myself mostly) I added a DOUBLED quantity column to the list in case you feel like buying 30 lbs. of sale chicken one day! (It has happened before.)

It took me about two hours (the length of a quiet-time movie!) to complete the bags, and pop them in the freezer.

Here are the recipes. Find the printable version of this list HERE. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Slow Roast

§  1.5 lbs. Chicken, Cut into 1 inch or larger pieces

§  1 Small Onion, diced

§  4 Carrots, chopped

§  3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped

§  1 Pkg. Dry Onion Soup Mix

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Add quartered red potatoes at cooking time. (This recipe is written with adding potatoes in mind. Try serving over leftover mashed potatoes as another option.)

Simple Stir Fry (Skillet or Crockpot)

§  1.5 lbs. Chicken, Cut into 1 inch or larger pieces

§  1 Small Onion, cut into thin strips

§  4 Carrots, Thinly Sliced

§  ¼ Cup Soy Sauce

§  1 Pkg. Frozen Broccoli or Stir Fry Blend Vegetables

§  2 Small Squash (yellow or green),  sliced

§  1 Medium Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Thaw in refrigerator overnight and cook in a lightly oiled skillet over med-high heat until meat is cooked through.

Serve over rice or alongside fried rice or noodles.

Teriyaki Stir Fry (Skillet or Crockpot)

§  1.5 lbs. Chicken, Cut into 1 inch or larger pieces

§  1 Small Onion, cut into thin strips

§  4 Carrots, Thinly Sliced

§  ¼ Cup Soy Sauce

§  2 T. Brown Sugar

§  1 Pkg. Frozen Broccoli or Stir Fry Blend Vegetables

§  2 Small Squash (yellow or green),  sliced

§  1 Medium Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Thaw in refrigerator overnight and cook in a lightly oiled skillet over med-high heat until meat is cooked through.

Serve over rice or alongside fried rice or noodles.

Creamy ItalianCrockpot Chicken

§  3 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1 inch or larger pieces
§  1 Small Onion, Diced
§  3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
§  1 (8oz.) Pkg. Cream Cheese
§  1/3 cup Italian Seasoning
§  4 Small tomatoes, Diced

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Use fresh herbs at cooking time instead of dry Italian Seasoning. Also, 1 “Spaghetti Seasoning” Pkg. may be used in place of Italian Seasoning.

Serve over noodles or alongside garlic bread with a fresh green salad. The BEST way we’ve ever had this is over cooked shells with 2 cups mozzarella mixed in. Delicious!!!

Bacon Jalapeno Crockpot Chicken
§  3 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1 inch or larger pieces
§  1 Small Onion, Diced
§  3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
§  6 oz. Bacon, uncooked, chopped
§  3 Jalapenos, chopped, (may be seeded to reduce heat)

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve with cornbread.

Crockpot Mexican Chicken Bowls
§  3 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1 inch or larger pieces
§  1 Small Onion, cut into strips
§  1 Pkg. Fajita Seasoning
§  1 Small Pkg. Frozen Corn
§  3 Jalapenos, chopped, (may be seeded to reduce heat)

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Optional: Add 1 (drained, rinsed) can black beans at cooking time. “Taco” or “Mexican” seasoning may be substituted for Fajita Seasoning.

Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese for toppings.

Crockin’ Fajitas
§  3 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1 inch or larger pieces
§  1 Small Onion, cut into strips
§  1 Pkg. Fajita Seasoning
§  3 Jalapenos, sliced or chopped, (may be seeded to reduce heat)

To Freeze: Assemble all ingredients in gallon sized freezer bag. Press out remaining air and seal bag. Freeze flat.

To Cook: Thaw in refrigerator overnight or bang frozen bag hard on countertop to break into pieces that will fit into your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve in a soft tortilla with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheese for toppings. Beans and rice make excellent sides. 

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I finally tried Home Grown Spaghetti Sauce

Why did I think it was going to be harder than this? Was it years of ready-made spaghetti sauce commercials complaining about how it takes all day for grandma to cook her famous sauce?

And what about flavor? Could I really accomplish something tasty that compared to companies who’ve sold batch upon batch of sauce across the country? (I am not saying they’re good. I am saying they’re successful.)

In the past, I didn’t doubt my abilities...

 Preserve and can food… check. Grow a garden… check. Homeschool my children… got it. Maintain a house made out of a shipping container… no problem. But I didn’t think I was capable of making a good spaghetti sauce? Seriously?

Perhaps it really was the lack of a bumper crop of tomatoes until this year.

This summer, we’ve had more tomatoes than I was really prepared for. My 2013 garden tomato goals were to grow enough so that…

We wouldn’t have to buy any tomatoes for salads all summer.

We wouldn’t have to buy any salsa all summer.

We wouldn’t have to buy any canned, diced, stewed, and/or green-chili-style tomatoes all summer.

We would have PLENTY to give away all summer!

I’d say we’ve attained these goals quite well this season and really for the first time ever as a gardening family. We hit the sweet spot on the right number of tomato plants for our needs right now.

Here’s how I fearlessly made that spaghetti sauce:

I started with…

• About 25 lbs tomatoes
• 4-5 sweet or bell peppers
• 2 gigantic onions
• About 7 cloves garlic
• Oil for sautéing
• One generous handful each of fresh basil and thyme
• Salt, pepper, and/or sugar or sweetener to taste. (The sweeter AND saltier it is, the more it will resemble store sauce!)

Peel tomatoes easily by cutting a little “X” on the tops of each one and dropping in boiling water for one minute. Transfer tomatoes to a cool bath and remove to cool to the touch. Hold tomatoes firmly by the skins and squeeze so that your tomato slips out of its skin through the “X.”

After a quick bath, these guys just slip out of their skins.

Remove inner juices and seeds by further squeezing tomatoes in your hand until they are drained, or by using a spoon to scoop out the goo.

(I actually cut my “X” pretty deep on each tomato and was able to stick my fingers inside and slide out the goo that way!)

Chop up and start cooking-down tomatoes on a low heat while preparing other ingredients.

Peel and finely chop garlic, dice onion and peppers and sauté in oil until slightly translucent.

Add sautéed vegetables to tomatoes and add salt pepper and/or sugar at this time.

Cook on low, uncovered, for about an hour or maybe even two until tomatoes break down and the liquid reduces just a bit.

Add chopped basil and thyme just before turning off heat. Serve over pasta, chicken, or in a lasagna (this was especially delicious!)

Don’t faint if you are a recipe-follower and not an improvising type of cook. You can find hundreds of grandma-tested sauce recipes (with EXACT measurements) on the internet!!!  This is merely a guideline of how I made mine.

And oh how tasty and truly easy it was. I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Made homemade spaghetti sauce… check.

Expecting a finished sauce pic? It got eaten. Here's my son doing his favorite thing... rummaging through the cabinets.

Homemade Garden Salsa

There is nothing like a home grown tomato. For summer suppers, we usually eat them sliced as a side dish with a little salt and pepper. They come in from our garden, fresh-picked by a preschooler, still hot from the summer sun and slice up juicy, thick, dripping with tomato seed goo.

And yet as delicious as they are, this year has been bountiful (Thank you Lord!) and it is time to make salsa or they will all ROT! It is difficult to find a recipe that knows that the tomatoes are booming and the peppers are still slow, and we have run out of all but the egg-sized garden onions. I had to adjust a few recipes I came across in order to make garden-grown salsa based on what we had.

A few batches later and I had learned a whole lot about salsa. I also found out that it is sometimes difficult to get a really hot, firey (oh yeah) salsa, because peppers can be unpredictable.

But here’s what the processing of most of our batches looked like, with a few tweaks along the way.

Garden Salsa

Base Recipe:

4 quarts tomatoes, peeled, diced or blended, (drained in colander if too juicy)

1 cup chilies or any variety sweet peppers, diced

3 cups onions, diced

1-1/2 cups jalapenos, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tightly-packed cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all but last two ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes before adding cilantro and cumin. Stir and simmer 5 minutes more. If very watery after cooking and a thicker consistency is needed, add 1-2 6oz. cans tomato paste. Process using a recommended canning timetable, freeze, or eat fresh.

(Makes about 12 pints)

First, I took our bucket of tomatoes and gave each one a boiling water bath for about a minute.

From there they were dunked in a cool water bath and stacked on the drain board to await their scalping. 

This loosens the skins and they then peel off very easily.

My girls did the peeling. They love gory kitchen activities like this.

We had a little fun too… as usual.

Next those were popped in the fridge. As it turns out, that is where they would remain until I got my hands on another good stretch of time. I could have done an efficient finishing of this salsa project later that evening, but I promised the girls they would be able to help me make it, so it waited.

Then I chopped the jalapenos and chilies, and had to pack them into a container for safe keeping in the fridge until the next day. (I can highly recommend doing this step days in advance of a predicted tomato crop. If you can have everything ready for the pot, your salsa can be thrown together in a quick afternoon of tomato processing.)

Chop the tomatoes for a chunky salsa or send them through the blender or food processor if you like a smooth restaurant style batch.

Put everything in the stock pot and simmer 5-10 minutes before adding fresh chopped cilantro and cumin.

For fresh eating, stop here.

For canning, check your acidity, warm up your jars, lids, and water bath, and see an official canning times chart for times. (I won’t go into a canning tutorial or a big food safety speech, but use your brain and don’t poison your family!)

Try THIS LINK for more safety tips and recipes.

I canned each batch using our pressure canner for the water bath job. We ate what didn’t seal and stored (and shared) the rest. It’s not going to last us long…

Note to self: Next year more salsa!