Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

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For the past few years, slow cookers have been gaining popularity in many homes. Slow cookers are perfect for almost all meals. They bring out the authentic flavor of food and leave your kitchen less messy. Moreover, they use less energy, hence reducing your power bills. Many people, however, lack enough recipes to try out on their slow cookers.

Therefore, if you just recently got one, we are going to guide you through a few easy recipes you can try with your slow cooker. So without further ado, let’s jump into these recipes so you can get cooking and share your delicious foods with your friends and family.

Slow Cooker Recipes to Try

The following are some easy recipes you can try with your slow cooker.

Honey Hoisin Garlic Chicken

The honey hoisin garlic chicken is a simple meal to prepare in the morning before you go to work and have it ready when you get back home. This recipe relies on slow cooking techniques that break down connective tissue and fat in the chicken bone to bring out incredible flavors. It makes meat super tender to melt in your mouth.

Honey sugars caramelize inside the slow cooker to produce deep flavors. You can pair this recipe with steamed broccoli and rice, which are also very easy to prepare.

Ingredients Required

  • Chicken thighs with skin on
  • Pinch of pepper and salt
  • 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • 1/3 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of hot water
  • 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon of ginger (minced)
  • ¼ cup of cilantro (garnish)
  • Sesame seeds (garnish)

Instructions

Step 1: Season the chicken thighs on both sides with pepper and salt

Step 2: Over medium-high heat, heat the skillet, add cooking oil, and spread it to coat the entire surface of the skillet. Add the chicken and saute for five to six minutes until it’s golden brown. Flip it and let it cook for two minutes more, then transfer it to the slow cooker.

Step 3: Whisk hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, water, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl, then pour it over the chicken inside the slow cooker.

Step 4: Cover the chicken and cook for three to four hours on high or low for five to six hours. Make sure the chicken is infused with the sauce by flipping it halfway through.

Step 5: Serve by spooning the chicken over rice, drizzle the sauce from the slow cooker on top, and then garnish with fresh cilantro or sesame seeds.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Pineapple teriyaki chicken is one meal that cooks by itself as you relax or do other household activities. You can use different chicken parts for this meal, but thighs are preferred as they retain more juices.

This recipe goes well with rice, stir-fried vegetables like broccoli, or you can mix them all together.

Ingredients Required

  • ¼ cup of soy sauce
  • 1 can of 20 oz. pineapple juice with chunks
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1.5 tablespoons of corn starch
  • 5 chicken thighs (skinless)
  • 2 sliced green onions

Instructions

Step 1: Start by separating pineapple chunks from the juice to get around ¾ cup of juice. This juice goes into the sauce, while the chunks will be used later. In the meantime, refrigerate the chunks until needed.

Step 2: Prepare pineapple teriyaki sauce by stirring together soy sauce, pineapple juice, minced garlic, grated ginger, and brown sugar.

Step 3: Place all chicken thighs inside your slow cooker and pour the pineapple teriyaki sauce over it. Close the cooker and cook for four hours on high or eight hours on low. ¾ way through cooking, flip the chicken to ensure that all meat is covered with the marinade.

Step 4: Remove the chicken thighs from the slow cooker. At this time, they will be fall-apart tender. Stir cornstarch with two tablespoons of water together and pour it into the liquid left in the slow cooker. Cover the lid and let it simmer until it thickens. This may take up to five minutes.

Step 5: After the sauce has thickened, place the pineapple chunks inside and stir together. Add the chicken back into your pot to coat it with the sauce. Sprinkle on top with sliced green onions and serve over rice.

whole chicken in slow cooker

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken tortilla soup is a light broth soup that can be enjoyed even in warm weather; just squeeze a lime on top and enjoy it with an ice-cold margarita. It is easy to prepare and does not require a lot of attention. Furthermore, it will not get ruined when cooked over the required time; therefore, feel free to get busy after tossing it in your slow cooker.

You can store the soup for later by dividing it into small portions and refrigerating them. It will stay fresh for four to five days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients Required

Soup

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 yellow onion
  • ½ tablespoon of chili powder
  • Skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • ½ tablespoon of ground cumin
  • ½ tablespoon of smoked paprika
  • Cracked pepper
  • ¼ tablespoon of cayenne pepper
  • 1 can of roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 6 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 cup of frozen kernel

Tortilla crisps

  • 8 6-inch corn tortillas
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Toppings

  • 1 avocado
  • 6 tablespoons of sour cream
  • 1 lime
  • ¼ bunch of fresh cilantro

Instructions

Step 1: Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Add garlic, onion, chili powder, chicken breast, cumin, smoked paprika, cracked pepper, cayenne, roasted tomatoes with juice, black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, chicken broth, and chili into your slow cooker.

Step 2: Stir everything briefly and cover the lid to cook for four hours on high and eight hours on low.

Step 3: After it’s cooked, remove and shred the chicken breast with a fork and throw it back into the soup.

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 400 F to prepare tortilla crisps. Stack tortillas and slice them into ¼-inch strips that are two or three inches long. Drizzle the strips with a pinch of salt and cooking oil, then toss them gently until they are all coated with oil.

Step 5: Spread the strips on a baking sheet in single layers, avoiding overlapping them. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes while stirring after every five minutes. The time taken to cook them will depend on the sizes of the tortilla strips and how they are placed on the baking sheet.

Step 6: Ladle the soup in a bowl to serve and top it with tortilla crisps, avocado slices, sour cream, and some chopped cilantro. Squeeze some fresh lime on top before eating.

BBQ Chicken

BBQ chicken is a very tasty meal that can be easily prepared in a slow cooker.

Ingredients Required

  • 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
  • ½ tablespoon of salt
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • Cracked pepper
  • BBQ sauce

Instructions

Step 1: Combine garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Step 2: Season the chicken breast on both sides.

Step 3: Place your chicken in the slow cooker and add BBQ sauce on top to fully cover the chicken.

Step 4: Cover the lid and cook for two and half hours on high or four to five hours on low.

Step 5: Shred the cooked chicken with a fork. If it does not separate easily, cook it for longer.

Step 6: Serve the shredded BBQ chicken on nachos, buns, potatoes, or on pizza.

Read also: Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker

Conclusion

The above recipes can all be refrigerated and stored for up to five days or even longer if kept in the freezer. Slow cookers tenderize all types of meat and infuse them with awesome flavors. They are a worthy investment for your kitchen as they save power costs and give you the freedom to work on other things as your meal cooks. So get one and try the above recipes today.