Slow-Cooker Chicken=2 Great Meals

Slow cookers have been around forever for a reason:  You can buy inexpensive ingredients, throw them into the cooker, turn the dial and come home to a savory meal.

What's more, the leftovers are so deeply flavored and versatile.

My most recent slow cooker experiment:  Spain-Meets-Italy Chicken.  The chicken is seasoned with smoked paprika, coriander, oregano and chili flakes, seared in olive oil with onions and wine and slowly simmered in garlic-basil broth and sun-dried tomatoes.  Delicious.


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut up, skin removed
2 tablespoons Williams-Sonoma Potlatch Seasoning
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or Beringer White Zinfandel (to add a little sweetness)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup slivered sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with Potlatch Seasoning on all sides, rubbing it in well.  Add it to the skillet and brown it well.  Using tongs, remove the chicken from the skillet and add it to the slow cooker.

Add the onion to the drippings, reducing the heat if necessary, and cook until the onions are golden.  Add the garlic.  Cook for 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan with the wine.  Season with salt, pepper and basil.  Stir in the broth.  Pour over the chicken.  Scatter the tomatoes over the top.  Cover with the lid and cook the chicken on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

Excellent accompaniment:  Marcela Valladolid's Foolproof Mexican Rice.  Marcela used frozen peas as a final flourish to her rice.  I used frozen corn instead.  Also, her recipe calls for a medium-grain rice.  My store didn't have it, so I substituted regular long-grain rice.  It worked just fine.

Next day's delight:  Chicken Tortilla Soup.

The leftover chicken and Mexican rice form the base of one amazing (and easy!) soup.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
Kosher salt, to taste
2 cups cubed leftover Spain-Meets-Italy Chicken (and any remaining onions and tomatoes from the pot)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can (14.5 oz.) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained. (Canned tomatoes with green chiles may be substituted.  Add oregano and cumin to taste.)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups leftover Foolproof Mexican rice
1 quart chicken stock or broth (Stock is better!)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 can (15.5 oz.) Goya Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips and shredded cheese, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onions and bell pepper.  Cook for five minutes.  Add the salt and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes longer.  Stir in the chicken, corn and tomatoes.  Heat through.  Deglaze with the wine.  Add the rice, stock, water, seasoning, herbs and beans.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Garnish and serve.  Thick, hearty and flavorful!

Easter Leftovers Recipe 2: Ham Salad on Biscuits

Plain ham sandwiches are boring. This ham salad has a nice kick and it's versatile. Stuff it into one of my biscuits or use a good-quality frozen roll (like Sister Schubert's). Top endive leaves or phyllo cups with the mixture for great appetizers. Rachael Ray's recipe inspired me, but I made a few changes to suit my taste.

1 pound leftover baked ham

3 stalks celery

4 green onions, root ends trimmed off

1/2 cup Italian flat leaf parsley

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded

3 kosher baby dill pickles

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chunk up the ham and drop it into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it's finely chopped, but not pasty. Scrape the ham into a large bowl. Add celery, green onions, parsley, jalapeno, pickles and eggs to the work bowl. Pulse until it's finely chopped as well. Add to the ham. Stir in enough mayo to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the Dijon and black pepper. Taste for seasoning. I don't add salt because the ham and pickles are salty enough for me.

Easter Leftovers Recipe 1: B.E.G. With Cheese

Guilty pleasure time: I like to make this indulgent breakfast sandwich when I have leftover hard-boiled eggs. (The acronym stands for Bacon, Egg and Green Onion.) It's cholesterol overload for sure. This is a once-in-a-great-while treat for me.

2 slices Wonder Whole Grain White bread

1 tablespoon Kraft Sandwich Shop Garlic & Herb Mayo (If you don't like mayo, substitute 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese, any flavor.)

2 slices American cheese

2 slices crisp bacon

1 hard-cooked egg, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon minced green onion, whites and greens

Butter, for slathering the bread

Place the bread on your work surface. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Smear mayo or Laughing Cow on one side of each bread slice. Place the American cheese on top of the mayo (one cheese slice on each slice of bread). Crisscross the bacon on top of one of the cheese slices. Top the bacon with the egg and green onion. Cover with the other slice of bread, cheese side down, to make the sandwich. Slather the butter on the top and carefully flip it over into the hot skillet. Butter the top slice of bread. Fry, turning frequently, until the cheese has melted and the sandwich is golden brown and delicious.