Monday, September 27, 2010

Creamy Italian Chicken (crock-pot)

Creamy Italian Chicken

(For the crock-pot.)

4 chicken breasts (frozen will require 1 extra step)*
1 Cup of Italian Dressing  (any brand will do)**
¼ Cup of chopped onions  (fresh or frozen)
1-8 oz pack of cream cheese (softened)
¼ - ½ cup of Parmesan Cheese
1 can Cream of Mushroom
Mushrooms (optional)
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Pepper
Water
Salt 


1. Gather all ingredients, open cans, chop, measure…..and get ready!  J

2. If the chicken is frozen, place in a boiler, cover chicken with water, and start boiling on high heat.  (About 5-8 minutes)  if you’re chicken is thawed, move to step 3.

3. In a saucepan, pour 2-3 tbsp of Olive Oil and chopped onion.  Add ¼ - ½ tsp salt, pepper to taste. Cook on medium-high heat, and keep stirring.

4. Once onions are caramelized and slightly brown, remove one breast at a time and sear the chicken on both sides. Repeat for the remaining breasts, laying them into the crock-pot after being seared.  Be sure to use a non-stick cooking spray. Turn the crock-pot on high for now.  (Just long enough to get the crock-pot good and hot.)

5. Using the same sauce pan you used for the onions and chicken, mix Italian Dressing, softened Cream Cheese, Cream of Mushroom Soup, ½ tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (alter these ingredients to suit your taste buds), mushrooms, ¼ - ½ cup of parmesan cheese, and 1/2 - 1 cup of water. Stir and cook on low heat until the mixture becomes creamy, thou it may still have a few small lumps.  Pour over the chicken, making sure it gets in between each piece and the bottom of the dish.  Turn crock-pot to Low heat and cook for 3-4 hours. The best way to tell when it’s ready is poking the chicken with a fork and turning it, if the chicken is almost falling apart, it’s ready! 

This dish goes best with Angel or Thin Spaghetti, but can also be served with rice or mashed potatoes, and goes great with asparagus.

*Chicken strips or deli chicken will substitute, should be about 12-14 oz of chicken (whole breasts are recommended thou)
**Dry Italian dressing mix and 1 cup water can be substituted for Italian Dressing