Slow Cooker General Tsao's Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 T hoisen sauce
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 T ketchup
• 1/4 tsp dry ginger
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (more or less to liking)
• 1 T cornstarch

1.  In a mixing bowl, mix together water, hoisen sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, ginger, and crushed red pepper.

2. If you aren't using a liner for your crockpot, spray crockpot with cooking spray and add chicken.  Add sauce on top.

3.  Cook for 4-6 hours on low.  Remove chicken and cut into chunks.

4.  Whisk cornstarch in the sauce to thicken it up.  If it isn't quite to desired thickness, slowly add more cornstarch teaspoon by teaspoon.  But be careful because it can thicken up fast.  

5.  Add chicken back to the crockpot and allow to heat through for another 15 minutes.

6.  Serve over hot rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 package dry italian dressing/seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Prepare your chicken by rinsing it and trimming the fat.  Since the chicken breasts that I buy are always huge, I cut them in half making them more like tenders.

2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour and pepper.  Coat the chicken in the flour.

3.  Melt the butter in a saucepan on your stovetop over medium heat.  Once melted, brown each side of the chicken, but not cooking it throughout because you will be putting them in the crockpot.  You just want them to have a nice golden brown breading on each side.

4.  Spray crockpot with cooking spray and place the chicken into the crockpot.  Sprinkle the italian seasoning package top of the chicken.  

5.  Mix together the lemon juice and chicken broth.  Pour over the chicken and seasonings.

6.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Enjoy!

SLOW COOKER BAKED BEANS

1 pound dry navy beans (or other white beans)
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 TBS dijon mustard
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped bacon or ham
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1. Soak your dried beans overnight, for 8 to 12 hours!2. Combine molasses, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, cloves and hot water in a small bowl. Stir to combine fully.
3. Drain your soaked beans and layer them in your crockpot with the onion and ham.
4. Pour your water mixture over the top of your beans, onion and ham.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours.
6. Stir in your barbecue sauce.

Slow Cooker "Roasted" Herb Chicken with Gravy

Ingredients:

FOR THE SLOW COOKER CHICKEN - 

2 very large bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts (mine totaled 2 1/2 pounds together)
Watkins Garlic Peppercorn Blend (see paragraph above)
1 teaspoon (approx.) Herbs de Provence (a mixture of several dried herbs)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth (or the same amount of water with the addition of 1 - 2 bouillon cubes)

FOR THE GRAVY - 

Chicken cooking juices
2 tablespoons flour
Water
Kosher salt (as needed)
Black pepper

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.

Sprinkle the tops with seasoning and herbs to coat.  Pour in the broth or stock.  (If substituting water, toss in 1 - 2 chicken bouillon cubes.)

Lid and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.