Crock Pot: Day 1 ~ Creamy Chicken over Pasta

Okay, I decided to start the year with the crock pot cooking challenge for a couple of reasons. First, I'm on fire and excited to start my challenges so why wait? Second, I think cooking for 30 days straight in my crock pot may be a bit difficult, so I thought I would do it while I was on fire about my challenges.

My first recipe inspiration comes from an amazing blog A Year of Slow Cooking. This woman cooked in her crock pot every day for an entire year! I am not that dedicated. She does say on her blog that is was expensive to do that type of cooking for an entire year, but that the average person would not do it this way. She gives great money saving tips. She actually does 365 different recipes and it includes everything from dinner to dessert and appetizers or side dishes. I think she even does something with old crayon...not for eating (at least I hope not). If you love your crock pot or want to learn to love your crock pot, her blog is definitely one to check out.

So I said my first inspiration came from the blog above. Let me just start this cooking challenge off by saying a few things. First, I am not a food blogger. I am a cook. This is what I mean by that. If you are stopping by looking for the perfect step by step and measurements of each ingredient, I may just frustrate you. I cook. I throw in this and that to taste. Second, I have done a lot of cooking for my family and I know their palates. I don't know your family, how they eat, what they like or how you cook...but if you want some jumping off places, I have those. I will try to link to the food blogs I follow for those who need the step by step. For the cooks out there, I think I put in just enough to follow along and you can make what I make to your tastes.

This is a new recipe for me and I certainly don't follow the blog but used it more for inspiration.

Creamy Chicken over Pasta (from the blog Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe)

The basics:

Everything BUT the pasta goes in the slow cooker. The pasta I will cook just before I serve up dinner. What's 10 minutes of pasta cooking when you know you'll have fresh pasta?

Ingredients:
-Chicken (I would usually use fresh or frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. Today I only have canned so that's what I'm using-I'm using 3 cans.)
-Cream of something soup (Canned is fine but I'm making cream of mushroom in the slow cooker. It adds the flavor that will be lacking by using canned chicken).
-Salt
-Pepper
-Garlic (I use fresh cloves pressed through my garlic press but powder is fine)
-Onion (I also use fresh minced but powder is fine as well)
-Ranch Seasoning (I use Cherry Checkerboard (link to purchase this) Cool Ranch. She makes every fresh and is the best ranch seasoning out there in my opinion).
-Cream Cheese (2 packages)

To make the Cream of Mushroom soup from scratch:
-Mushrooms (All I had were stems leftover from making stuffed mushrooms)
-Cream (I use heavy whipping cream. I used almost a whole quart, all that I had then I fill the carton about half way with water, swish around and dump that in. Gets the extra cream and adds a little water to the mix.)
-Milk (We only whole milk about a cup or so)
-Butter (unsalted, 1/2 a stick)
-8 oz of sour cream
-Salt (I coat the top of the crock pot in a thin layer)
-Pepper (I coat the top of the crock pot in a thin layer with this as well)

For the Cream of Mushroom soup:
I throw everything in the slow cooker on high for about a half an hour or so. Then I turn it to low. I know a lot of people do their cream of mushroom soup a totally different way but this has always worked for me (when I'm going to add other things to it...not for freezing as soup for another day) and I love the flavor.

*This may look a little oily or separate in the pot. That's okay, it will all even out by the time you finish the recipe with the cream cheese.

Gotta start with a crock pot. I think this one is 6 quarts.

Mushrooms...yep just the stems. Only because I used the tops for stuffed mushrooms.

Butter & mushrooms in the pot.

Chop them up!

8 oz of sour cream

I make sure I fill my crock pot around 1/2 way. 

Coat the top of the soup with pepper & salt.

I only use coarse Kosher salt. If you use regular table salt...use less.

After the mushroom soup has cooked for about an hour (total), I add everything else (except the cream cheese) and cook it for 4-5 hour (if using raw chicken). I only need to cook it for a couple hours because I'm using canned chicken.

Then the last 30 minutes or so, I threw in the cream cheese.

Make the pasta (tonight we used penne, but whatever you have on hand) and serve the chicken over the pasta. Voilà. Dinner is served. I served it with crusty bread and Roasted Garlic Infused Oil (link to purchase this...only available till 3.11.12) and Tuscany Bread Dipping Mix (link to purchase this...only available till 3.11.12) Seasoning from Tastefully Simple.

Dinner...it was a hit & we have leftovers. Girls took it for lunch & I think I still have enough for another meal.

**A couple of side notes, my family always critique new recipes and suggest things that would be good in it. We thought artichokes would be great and a little parmesan cheese on top.

I'm sure everything can be substituted for low fat choices but we don't eat that way around here. I'm of the belief that whole and as close to natural is best. I know not everyone can eat that way but it sure is yummy!