Looking for very simple chicken crockpot recipes

[katelo]

I'm starting the whole30 on Monday. I grocery shopped today and spent $250..because I don't cook much so I needed a lot. That said, I'm looking for very simple, few ingredient crockpot ideas for chicken 

[SugarcubeOD]

Most things in a slow cooker are pretty easy... have you tried googling 'whole30 crockpot chicken recipes'?  If you look around on the recipes section here too you can probably find something.

[katelo]

13 hours ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Most things in a slow cooker are pretty easy... have you tried googling 'whole30 crockpot chicken recipes'?  If you look around on the recipes section here too you can probably find something.

Hi @SugarcubeOD I did a lot of googling but everything had a ton of ingredients and since I'm just starting, I don't have them all. I did manage to find this fairly low ingredient recipe so I will be trying this today: Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Potatoes

[Worldismyoyster]

Do you have a whole chicken or parts?

[hotwheels]

I just made some shredded salsa chicken on Saturday and it came out great! 3 chicken breasts, juice of 1 lime, a jar of (compliant) salsa and some extra seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander). 4 hours on low, remove and shred, combine. So easy-and versatile! Used it for taco salad and lettuce wraps.

[thepracticalprep]

I love cooking chicken in the crock pot! You can put chicken breast or thighs in the crock pot frozen, which helps cut back on time. You cook it on low for about 4-6 hours, depending on how much chicken you use.

I've done a salsa chicken similar to what a previous commenter said, but just put in chicken breasts and a jar of salsa- that's it! You can mix it up by doing different kinds of salsa- there's a Hatch Green Chile salsa from Costco that works really well.

You can also do shredded buffalo chicken- just chicken and compliant buffalo sauce. Or make your own buffalo sauce with ghee and hot sauce.

I've also done a whole chicken in the crock pot. You just rub the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and herbs. Cook on low for 6 hours.

[katelo]

Thank you all! I ended up just throwing the chicken breasts in the crockpot with potato, asparagus and some random garlic spices. I did not enjoy it. I don't think I will ever put asparagus in again - need to cook that separate, maybe carrots would work better.

@Worldismyoyster I only buy chicken breasts. I don't like the bones with whole chicken or legs, etc.

@hotwheels Sounds good and easy.. i'm going to try that!

@thepracticalprep I did 3-4 hours on low and that seemed to be the right timing. Is 4-6 hours on low for frozen? I like that you can cook from frozen, makes it so much easier!

[laura_juggles]

Asparagus isn't meant for low and slow cooking. It's meant for a quick blanching or roasting or sauteeing, so I would definitely use a different vegetable there. 

Practically any recipe that calls for chicken thighs or even a whole chicken can be done with chicken breasts, you'll just need to watch the timing. 

And something like this shredded BBQ chicken could be easily modified (please note, the recipe as written is *not* compliant). Swap the honey in the recipe for some apple cider (or leave it out if you like a spicier BBQ) and make it with the chicken breasts. https://nomnompaleo.com/post/61326007449/stupid-easy-paleos-kickin-bbq-shredded-chicken 

[trexmafia]

Even though this recipe isn't for a slow cooker, it's easily modified: https://laughingspatula.com/easy-roasted-lemon-chicken-with-potatoes-and-rosemary/

If I were to cook it in the slow cooker, I would put the food into the insert in layers with the bottom layer being the potatoes and onions, then the chicken, then top the chicken with the herbs and lemon slices and finally pour over the sauce. It's been a while since I've cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker, but I would check the internal temperature of the chicken after 4-5 hours of cooking on low to make sure they don't overcook and get stringy. My slow cooker tends to cook on the hotter side, even on low, so I moved to boneless skinless thighs as thigh meat is a little more robust.

I also really like salsa chicken, like what someone posted above. Same with barbecue chicken. Another easy shredded chicken in the crockpot recipe I've done before is cook chicken in a small can of tomato sauce (check the ingredients for added sugar), a tablespoon of tomato paste, a small can of diced tomatoes if you have them (again check ingredients), a few cloves of chopped garlic, 1.5-2 tsp of dried italian herbs and a dash of red chili flakes. Served on top of spaghetti squash it's a pretty nice "italian food" craving crusher.

[Worldismyoyster]

One of my favorite ways to slowcook chicken is a little Persian/ Greek: Chop chicken into about 1" or so pieces, cook with lemon juice, lemon slices, black olives, peppercorns, chopped onions, and a ton - i mean, A TON - of parsley and dill. 

Looks like this (This was after w30, so DISREGARD the chickpeas): 

 

[trexmafia]

@Worldismyoyster that looks AMAZING. That's a dish that might break my food boredom (sans chickpeas).

[Worldismyoyster]

Just now, trexmafia said:

@Worldismyoyster that looks AMAZING. That's a dish that might break my food boredom (sans chickpeas).

Thanks! It's incredibly easy to make.

[littleg]

Another vote for salsa chicken - can't get easier than that!  We don't even add extra spices  I do mine in a dutch oven but all I do is sautee up one onion in some fat.  Put raw (or frozen) chicken on top - usually skinless/boneless thighs but sometimes I use drumsticks that I take the skin off of first - then I dump in a jar of compliant salsa.  In my dutch oven I put it in the oven for 2-3 hours at 250 - in a slow cooker I guess I'd do 4-6 hours on low.  Shred the chicken once it has cooked and mix it all back up together.  Sometimes I'll get crazy and slice up a raw pepper or two and add that when we reheat it so they stay crunchy.  We eat it with some fresh cilantro and avocado usually.  I usually do ~2lbs of meat just because it is so easy and makes great leftovers.

[ChristyJ]

We'll make "rice" bowls with salsa chicken as described by others.  Cook the chicken in the crockpot with compliant salsa, roast up some cauliflower rice, and serve with toppings like diced red onion, olives, diced tomatoes and guac.

[Toralora]

Everyone's mentioned the salsa chicken, which is great. I also like making Indian butter chicken in the slow cooker - there are some tasty Whole 30 versions out there.  You cook the chicken with spices, tomatoes, and onions, and I believe you add coconut milk towards the end.