Super Easy Indian Chicken

[migirl]

I made this yesterday and it was *fantastic*!! YUM! DH liked it too, even though he and Indian food have not been on good terms since he got sick from eating some a couple of months ago. I'm even going to send the recipe to my brother who also loves Indian food. I'll definitely make this again!

Now you have to try the potatoes. I had the leftovers for lunch yesterday and then were even better. Yum!

[Meenah]

How was it?

[Meenah]

This is a nice article from Sparkpeople for adapting recipes for the crockpot.





Slow and Easy Crockpot Cooking
You DO Have Time for Home Cooked Meals
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietician

How often do you find yourself starving when you get home at night? And how often, as a result, do you grab anything and everything in sight? Why does it seem like we can stay true to our diets so well during the day only to derail when we get home?

A delicious and healthy ready-to-eat meal awaiting your arrival can help you stay on track (and NOT eat that box of crackers for dinner).

Cooking in the Crockpot (or the slow cooker) can be easy, fun and healthy. These handy kitchen appliances allow you to prepare food ahead of time and cook it without any attention. Instead of worrying all day about what to make for dinner, you know a hot meal will be ready when you get home. It's also perfect for batch cooking a healthy meal that will last 4-5 days.

A Crockpot can be a great help in preparing wholesome, nutritious meals that are veggie-rich, packed with complex carbs, and low in fat and calories. Long cooking on low heat tenderizes meat, so it is an excellent way to cook those cuts of meat that have less fat, are less tender, but are also less expensive.

Adapting Recipes

Brown and drain the fat from high-fat meats (like ground beef), before adding it to the Crockpot. Leaner meats such as stew beef, poultry, or pork chops do not have to be cooked beforehand.
Whole herbs and spices work better than crushed. If using crushed herbs, do not add them until closer to the end of the cooking time.
Always fill the Crockpot at least half full.
Reduce the liquid in your recipe to about one cup or less. The slow cooking method saves all the food's natural juices and the juices do not cook off.
Use canned soups, broths, wine, vegetable juice or water as the liquid in your Crockpot.
Add dairy products only during the final 30 minutes of cooking.
Vegetables take longer to cook than most meat, so put them on the bottom.
Cooking Time
Dried beans should be cooked and softened before you add them to the recipe. Cover the beans with 3 times their volume in unsalted water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer 1 � hours or until the beans are tender. Discard the water after boiling. The beans can now be added to the Crockpot recipe.
Cook pasta, rice and noodles until just tender. Add to the Crockpot toward the end of cooking.
Uncooked meat and vegetable combinations require 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
One hour of simmering on a range, or baking at 350 degrees in an oven, is equivalent to 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
Fresh vegetables should be added at the beginning of cooking. Canned and frozen vegetables (remember to thaw first) should be added during the last hour of cooking.
Do not remove the cover of the crockpot unless it's necessary for stirring, though most recipes don't need stirring. You can lose 30 minutes of cooking time each time the lid is removed.
Safety Concerns
Although your Crockpot thermometer may be at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, everything in the pot may not be at that temperature. To avoid problems, follow one or more of these tips:
If you plan to cook on the low, 200 degree setting, run the Crockpot on the high, 300 degree setting, for the first hour. Then turn it down to the low setting.
Put the removable stoneware pot and the food contents in the microwave. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes, stir and then place in the Crockpot on the low setting.
Never use frozen vegetables in the crockpot. Always thaw them in the microwave or on the stove first.
If you start with chilled meat, make sure the liquid you add is boiling.
Warm meat before adding it. Either brown the meat on the stove or use the microwave.

This is a nice article from Sparkpeople for adapting recipes for the crockpot.

WHOOO - HEEEWWW!
I just got my first crock pot!!! This article will be very helpful!
I'm making this dish tomorrow!!

I'm trying it this weekend. With four pages of applause I think Jenn should get her own best recipe thread award.

:star:

Thanks! I think it's so funny - I haven't even made this once since I posted it. The potatoes are another story --- they're amazing.

OK - I just threw everything in and have lots o questions...cuz I am freak when it comes to cooking!
This is my first time cooking with a whole chicken. I bought a whole chicken already cut up. Do you throw in EVERYTHING? Even the giblets? Spine? Gross, I know, but I had to ask. And then do you remove the bones once it's cooked?

Ginger? Can you give me a rough estimate? 1 cup chopped/shredded?
This is also my first time using a crock pot. How many hours can I cook it on high? 4 hours?
What kind of peppers do you use? I couldn't find Rotel so I just threw in an extra jalapeno with the diced tomatoes. Can I use chili powder as a replacement?
Sorry for all the questions. When I cook, I like everything to be precise.
It's cooking! It's cooking! I can't wait to eat it!!!!!!!
:cook:

In case Jenn doesn't answer tonight, I'll let you know what I did.

I'd leave the giblet and spine out. You could freeze the spine to make chicken stock some other time.

I used about...I dunno...a 1/4c ginger? The meat will fall off the bone when it is done so you pull them out if you want.

I'd skip the chili powder and let the jalepeno stand in. I think I cooked mine for about 8 hrs, can't remember if that was the high or low setting but I think it was low.

Nellie is right on all counts. Assuming you're using fresh ginger - 2T to 1/4 c is great. 1C would probably kill you.

Great! I'm on the right track!!!!

[alison]

I was putting about 1 cup in. You said "lots."

I was putting about 1 cup in. You said "lots."

Oh no!!
Did it taste ok?

Also, I used the 15 oz cans for the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, should I be using the larger cans?
It seems like I need more sauce. Or it could just be me...cuz I can never get enough of that tikka masala sauce...with the rice..with the bread... YUM!

that is the right size of can ... feel free to add more if you want, or you can add some tomato sauce and / or paste. remember that crock pot cooking always increases the sauce amount.

DEE LISH!
It came out great and I will definately make it again. I think it will be even better next time around when I cook it on low all day. I didn't use tomatoes with peppers yet the spice level was perfect for us.
DH called this morning and asked if I could do the same thing tonight but with lamb!

I'm always relieved when someone likes it after posting they were making it.

The lamb would work too, I assume. DH is from a veggie region, so the farthest I go w/improvising is chicken (not a big mutton fan, unless it's part of a gyro.)