Saturday, August 28, 2010

Vegetable & chicken one-pot or slow cooker


This is yummy and can be cooked quickly on stove top or slowly in crockpot. It tastes similar to a chicken soup I had a Carrabas. If you don't like the heat add less of the red pepper flakes.



makes 6 servings. Prep 15 minutes cook: 20 minutes or 4 hours on high in slow cooker. I found this in an old Family Circle 05 , for stove top. I used a crockpot. Note: THIS can be served as soup, or on top of rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients

1/2 lb baby carrots, whole or cut
1/2 lb green beans whole or cut
2 tab vegetable oil (I use just sqirts of olive oil)

1&1/2 lb bonelss, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1/2 inch pieces (If cooking in slow cooker don't need to cut it up---after it has cooked you can use a big spoon to break it up)

1 tsp salt (I didn't need it)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound Italian eggplant, ends trimmed, cut int 1/2 inch pieces. (I just took a medium one and chopped it up after removing the skin.)
1 tsp rounded minced garlic

2 cups chicken broth (if using as a soup you can add extra broth--like 2 extra cups)
2 tab cornstarch
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (I may have used a little less to reduce heat--gets hot cooking in crockpot)

2 medium size ripe tomatoes, cored, seeds squeezed out OR can of quartered tomatoes without the juice in the can.

1/2 cup fresh basil, slice to add just before serving---HOWEVER I put mine in the crockpot and it made it very nice in flavor

1/2 teaspoon or so of dijon mustard or stone ground mustard (I like inglehoffer) This is added at the end of cooking when you thicken with the cornstarch

Note: instead of mustard you can use 1 tab balsamic vinegar if desired

For slow-cooker:

1.Place broth, tomatoes, carrots, stringbeans in crockpot.
2. In skillet cook onions, eggplant for 5-7 minutes until tender adding garlic during last few minutes. Add to crockpot.
3. Add Italian seasoning, basil and chicken
4. Cook on high 4 hours. When done, break up chicken with large spoon. Mix cornstarch and mustard with 1/4 cup water. Add to the crockpot and stir while doing this. Cook on high for 10 minutes until thickened. Serve as a soup, or on rice or noodles or potatoes. You can thicken further if desired.

For stove top:

1. In medium pot bring some water to boil. Add carots and beans and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp tender.

2. Meanwhile with 1 tab of oil in a skillet cook cut up chicken with salt and pepper, until chicken is cooked through--about 6-7 minutes since you have cut it in 1/2 inch pieces. REMOVE from pan.

3. In same skillet add 1 tab oil and cook onion, eggplant, and(adding garlic near end of cook time); cook for 7 minutes, until eggplant is tender. Add a bit of water if needed.

4. Stir together, broth, cornstarch, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt if desired (usually chicken broth is salty enough!). Add to skillet. Stir in cooked carrots, beans and chicken. Bring to a simmer and add tomatoes. Cook until thickened and ingredients are heated through.

5. Stir in the basil and vinegar OR use mustard in place of vinegar.

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