Part 2 - 1 Hour + 1 Mess = 5 Slow Cooker Meals

ByJanell
72 Comments

Last Updated on July 18, 2020 by Janell

Well the first batch of these recipes was so popular, I put together 5 more recipes. This is the chicken edition! I tried a pork chop recipe but I messed it up, so it will be in the next set of recipes! I promise I will have less chicken recipes next time. I want to make enough to have 4 weeks worth of dinners.

In case you missed it check out Part 1, Part 3, Part 4,  Part 5,  Part 6 and Part 7  of my 1 Hour + 1 Mess = Slow Cooker recipes. There are 35 recipes!

 

You will be able to make Dijon Chicken, Rotisserie Slow Cooker Chicken, Italian Chicken, Chicken Tinga Tostadas, and Chicken Cacciatore. Click here for the printable version of the list and recipes.

Important Notes:

  • I use a 6 quart Slow Cooker
  • You can also place the ingredients into a Slow Cooker liner and them into the freezer bag. There will be no clean-up!

Shopping List

8  pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water & 1 Tablespoon bouillon)
dijon mustard
1 cup Italian dressing
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
1-2 chipotle peppers
chicken bouillon
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 onions
10 garlic cloves
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
8  potatoes
3-4 tomatoes
1 bag of pre-cut baby carrots
dried oregano
3 bay leaves
dried thyme
salt
paprika
onion powder
chili powder
black pepper

 

Recipes

Dijon chicken

(4-5 servings)

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water & 1 Tablespoon bouillon)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 T dijon mustard
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon thyme (depending on how much you like thyme)

Instructions
Add all the ingredients to the bag.

Write the following instructions on the bag:

  1. Dump the contents of the bag into your Slow Cooker.
  2. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
  3. Remove bay leaves when you are done

(Maybe serve with stuffing?)

Slow Cooker Rotisserie  Chicken And Potatoes

(serves 4-5)

  • 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
  • 2 teaspoon  salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 whole garlic cloves
  • 3-4 potatoes, quartered (Don't put in the freezer bag)

Instructions:

  1. Mix all the dry spices together. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, and under the skin of the breast.
  2. Add 4 whole garlic cloves  inside the bird.
  3. Put in the freezer bag.

Write the following instructions on the bag:

  1. Quarter 3-4 potatoes and loosely wrap them in a few foil balls.
  2. Place them at the bottom of the Slow Cooker and put the chicken on top of the potatoes.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
 

Italian Chicken

(serves 4-5)

  • 2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix
  • ½ Tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ cup water*
  • 1 cup Italian dressing (Don't put in the freezer bag)

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients in the freezer bag - except the Italian dressing.
  • *If you use pre-frozen chicken there is a layer of ice, so you do not need to add the water.

Write the following instructions on the bag:

  • Add 1 cup Italian dressing
  • Cook on high 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours. You can eat this as a whole chicken breast or shred and use it for tacos.
 

Chicken Tinga Tostadas

(Serves at least 6)

  • 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
  • 3-4 tomatoes
  • ½  cup water*
  • ⅛  piece small onion (just a small wedge)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • chipotle peppers (1-2 from a can - freeze the leftovers)
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
  • Salt to taste (at least a teaspoon)

Instructions

  • In a blender combine tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, onion, 1-2 chipotle peppers, chicken bouillon, and water*. (You can use less chipotle if you don’t like it to be spicy. My 7 and 3 year old boys didn’t have any problems with the spiciness.) *You do not need the water if you use pre- frozen chicken breasts.
  • Add all the ingredients to the freezer bag.

Write the following instructions on the bag:

  1. Cook on high 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
  2. When the meat is cooked it should be very easy to shred. You want to shred it as much as possible because it’s easier to eat on the tostada shells.
  3. Serve on tostada shells. You can put refried beans on the tostadas, then the meat mixture, then Mexican cream. We also like to crumble Panela cheese to put on top.

Tips:

  • Get creative and add more toppings if you like. Tostadas look different in Mexico than in the US. If you prefer, you can also add some lettuce or cheddar cheese.
  • This meal will have a lot of liquid, so it’s best to serve with a slotted spoon. You could also eat this with tortillas. It makes a lot of food, so this could also be a great meal to bring to a potluck dinner.
  • Serve it with a side of rice for a tasty Mexican meal.

Chicken Cacciatore

(Serves 4-5)

  • 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • ½ red bell pepper (cut lengthwise)
  • ½ green bell pepper (cut lengthwise)
  • ½ large onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and fresh pepper to taste
  • 3-4 potatoes (Don't put in the freezer bag)
  • 1 bag of pre-cut baby carrots (Don't put in the freezer bag)

Instructions
Place all the ingredients, *except the carrots and potatoes, into the freezer bag.

Write the following instructions on the bag:

  1. Dump the ingredients into your Slow Cooker.
  2. Cut up the potatoes and add potatoes and carrots to your Slow Cooker.
  3. Cook 5-6 hours  on high or 7-8 hours on low.
  4. Remove the bay leaves.
  5. We also like to sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the dinner.

Click here for the printable version of the list and recipes.

Additional notes:

  • Check your food to make sure you have the proper cooking time. Some slow cookers cook hotter than others.
  • According to the official Crock Pot website, you can safely cook frozen meat in your Slow Cooker. If you still don’t like the idea, you can put the bag in the fridge the night before and it should be defrosted by the morning.
  • If your slow cooker has a hard to remove layer of gunk on it, try soaking it with a half a sheet of fabric softener. It will wipe right off!
  • Never put the plastic bag in the Slow Cooker. Always dump out the contents to prepare your meal.
  • When you freeze the bag, make sure the frozen lump (for lack of a better work) will easily fit into your Slow Cooker.
  • One reader suggested putting the dinners into Slow Cooker liners and then into the freezer bag.

Here is the first batch of 1 Hour + 1 Mess = 5 Crock Pot Meals.

You can also check out my Batch Cook Day!

 

More Recipes

72 Comments

  1. My family loved the first set of dinners and they are excited to try these!What happened to the Mongolian beef that you mentioned on FB?

  2. It cooked too fast and burnt. So I will try it again and cook it on low the whole time. It will (hopefully) be in the next batch.

  3. Pingback: 1 Hour + 1 Mess = 5 Crock Pot Meals! | Saving You Dinero
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  5. love it... i am just getting into using my crockpot for my daughter and myself. These are the types of foods she will eat...yay!
    My only challenge will be some of the ingredients as I live in New Zealand and will have to see if they go under a different name (chillies)
    thanks for your ideas

  7. Excited to try the new batch of recipes! Also I always use my extra rotessire chicken to make chicken and yellow rice so two meals for the price of one!

  9. A quick question - I plan to thaw my meals overnight prior to cooking them...any ideas on how much I should shorten the cook time since they will be thawed and not frozen?

  10. Im not sure but I have read that it will take about an hour less when you cook it on low. So it's probably 30 minutes less on high.

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  13. You are welcome! I told my husband the only way we could get a new camera was if he was my food photographer 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  14. I am a long-time slow cooker user and always looking for new recipes. I love your idea of making this even better by having them prepared as freezer meals. I think I love you!

  15. I made the 5 crock pot meals for a co=worker who was having surgery the gift was well received.

  16. That was very sweet of you! These are perfect for people that have just had surgery or even a new mom!

  17. Thanks for the recipes! I plan on trying all 10 this weekend for our dinners. With our kids playing sports and homeschool this will help me out. Also, I love that you use a lot of chipotle peppers! I don't mind all the chicken recipes because that is mostly what we eat.

  18. I did the Garlic Honey chicken and the Italian Chicken the other day plus single breasts in marinade. I'm on maternity leave now so I'm trying to get things ready for when I go back to work. I've been looking through my Fix It and Forget It cookbook. What about freezing things like salsa or applesauce? One of our favorite recipes is Southwestern Chicken with corn, beans and salsa. Would the salsa do ok frozen? Another recipe I've never tried but sounds good is Applesauce Chicken. It has that and bbq sauce in it. I'm leery of freezing things that I normally don't freeze. Also, if it calls for a lot of liquid, like 2 cans of chicken broth, would it be better to add those when you dump the bag in the crock or freeze it in the bag? Thanks!

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  20. I have frozen apple sauce and it was fine. I am actually going to try to freeze salsa in the next batch. You could just write on the bag to add it just before you put it in the crock pot. I have frozen ketchup and not had any problems so I would think BBQ sauce would be ok too. If it calls for a lot of liquid it may be better to add it when you cook it - only because the frozen bag of food may not fit in your crock pot 🙂 Congrats on your baby!!

  21. It really does make dinner so much easier! I have not made bags in a few days so I have been making dinner and it's a pain. Lots of time in the kitchen and dirty dishes and pots! Once I get to the store I will make all my bags and simplify dinner time! I hope you enjoy them 🙂

  22. I did the last batch and most turned out good. Can't wait to try a few of these. Since this batch was all chicken is there any chance the next batch will include little to no chicken? My family gets tried of having the same meat too many nights in a row.

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  24. Yes I hope to do only 2 chickens next time - maybe only 1. I had tried a few recipes for Part 2 that were beef and pork but they didn't work very well. So I am playing with the recipes to try to get them to work for the crock pot. So far for part 3 I have Carolina Pork Sandwiches, Casserole Spaghetti, and Garlic Lime Chicken. I am testing more beef recipes next week.

  25. The Rotisserie Chicken is awesome - my family loved it! Once the chicken was done, I strained the drippings into a skillet and I added some flour (2-3 T.?) dissolved in cold water. I whisked it until smooth and thick, and boy, was it good! I added just a little salt, and it was very flavorful. I now have the carcass right back in the crock pot with celery, onion powder and lots of water. Tomorrow, I'll strain the broth, add fresh celery, leftover chicken, carrots and noodles or rice to make a yummy soup. Thanks SO much! I'll be doing this again, probably every time whole chickens are on sale!

  26. I just found your 1st batch of recipes on Pinterest...checking out the 2nd set. I LOVE IT! My step-daughter is allergic to dairy, so I love that all but 1 so far will work for her! This is fabulous! Thank you so much for helping me come up with other ideas for dinner! It's been challenging for years!!

  28. Just made the rotisserie chicken today and although very good, mine didn't look as "browned" as yours and because my crockpot is smaller and vertical it was nearly impossible to remove the whole chicken without breaking it into pieces. I cooked it on high for 5 hours, maybe I'll try 4 next time, what is your preference? I thought if I cut back an hour it might not fall apart as easy. The potatoes came out even better than I expected with the flavor from the chicken!! I'll be going back out for more chickens as they are 49c/ld until tomorrow at my kroger. Now I still have leftovers for other uses. Found you thru money saving mom.

  29. I love it! I am using week ones this week and already made my list out for week two for next. This is such a hectic time of year for us and this is such a wonderful idea! I can't wait to see the next batch of recipes! Thanks so much for all your work!

  30. I noticed the first time I cooked it I cooked it too much and it kinda fell apart. All crock pots cook differently, so I would think you could try 4 hours for the chicken. Yes we love those potatoes. They have such an amazing flavor! Thanks for the comment!

  31. Great work! I would love to see more recipes that include veggies, as well as a pot roast, and maybe a veggie/chicken soup to add a little variety. 🙂 Thanks for posting!!

  32. Thanks for the comment! I have a roast in the next batch. Yes, I would love more veggies in my recipes 🙂 I have been trying to figure out what freezes well because raw potatoes and carrots don't freeze well. I love making a complete meal in the crock pot. I'm also putting together some soup recipes so hopefully they will all work.

  33. Pingback: Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings | Saving You Dinero

  34. Love love love the other set of meals! So excited to try these! If I were to make any of these dishes without freezing first, should I just subtract an hour? Thanks so much for great time saving ideas!

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  37. All I can say is WOW! These dinners have been a life saver lately and everyone (even the picky eater) has loved them all! Thank you so much for sharing!

  38. BTW, I do put in the frozen lump and have had no problems with anything not thawing and cooking fast enough, low or high times don't seem to matter either. I thawed one just to see if it made a difference and it didn't just caused me more work, cooking directly from frozen works just fine. Also, I use the suggestion of freezing it inside a crock pot bag (still inside the zip lock) and it works great.

  39. Thanks so much 🙂 I love to get positive feedback! I just tested out the last recipe for part 3 of these crock pot meals and it was a success! I should have them ready for everyone in about a week!

  40. Thanks so much for posting the specific amount of all ingredients on the shopping list! I had to type those in last time and it was great to just print it out. I also love that you told us your crock pot size! I have a 6.5 quart and I am always wondering...great stuff! Love pinning it! Can't wait for more!

  42. Pingback: Part 3 – 1 Hour + 1 Mess = 5 Crock Pot Meals | Saving You Dinero

  43. Just sent husband to the store with this list. I am so excited to do this. I think I might love you also.. hahaha

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  45. Thanks so much for posting all of these. I made all of them except the Rotisserie Chicken.

    I think they were okay. Not great, but an easy, simple meal. They were all rather dry, without much sauce to cover them. I think the dryness was probably that we just cooked for too long (must be a higher powered crockpot).

    Some of the recipes from part 1 turned out moister and tastier.

    I think in the future, I might just freeze the chicken and the garlic in a ziploc. Those were the things I was thankful to have done each morning - mincing garlic is WAY easier to do in one big batch, and no having to touch/sanitize/wash hands for raw chicken... just dump in straight from the ziploc.

    Then, I would add the other easy-to-measure ingredients that morning. Just an idea if anyone else has the same issue? I think it might make everything a bit more flavorful, perhaps.

    In any case, thanks again for these recipes and the idea!

  46. I think the key is to figure out how long it takes in your crock pot. I have a crock pot that cooks really fast and the meals get dry. I just bought a new one and it doesnt seem to get as hot and it takes longer to cook. Thanks for your comment.

  47. This is wonderful The kids helped bag the meals and they are in charge of each putting one in the pot. The younger kids feel soo empowered to be cooking. They are always jealous of their older sister cooking. Also they will eat anything that they help prepair. Makes dinners fun and easy. Thank you soo much.

  49. I fell upon your site through Pinterest, I have been doing some from each set. But I have a question..tonight I did the rotisserie chicken and mine looks nothing like your picture. I did the dry rub and put it in the crock pot, just curious if there was something you could tell me to help the next time I make it. It smells wonderful and I'm in love with all your receipes as a working single mom it makes dinner time so easy, especially after a long day at work. I'm just concerned about this chicken..it's still cooking so have not tasted it yet..any ideas though would be appreciated and thank you for all these great receipes!

  50. Sorry for the delay - I was away from my computer. Im not sure about why it wasnt the same color. Were you able to but it in the crock pot breast side up? Did you have the potatoes under the chicken. I know if you have a smaller crock pot and have to put the chicken in with the breasts towards the sides it may not brown as well. I hope it still tasted good 🙂

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  53. I made the tinga recipe and used 4 vine tomatoes and there is a lot of sauce! Do you usually use roma tomatoes?

  54. Hi - Im sorry I should have been more clear. I use either tomatoes but I do use 3 vine tomatoes and 4 roma tomatoes. I hope you enjoyed them.

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  56. Thank you so much!!! I appreciate the time you spent putting all these recipes together. I will try these. Also maybe pack for a quick and easy vacation meal! I am sure it will save money instead of eating out!! Thanks again!!!!!

  58. Hi! I need to start cooking more and your recipies sound great! Cant wait to start easy cooking since its not my thing. My only quesion is I have to work 9 hrs a day and not sure how long to cook things in crock pot if I'm going to be gone that long. Only way I can cut down time is if my hubby dumps it in befoee he goes to work, but cooking time would still be 9 hrs before I get home!

  59. In my experience the fuller the crock pot the longer it takes to cook. You could try some of the recipes that really fill up the crock pot and leave it on low all day. Let me know if it works for you!

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  63. Hi - I'm wondering why you don't put the potatoes and carrots in with the ingredients when you freeze them? You can buy frozen potatoes and carrots - so what am I missing here? Thanks!

  64. Well I guess you could freeze the carrots but I haven't seen cut potatoes that were frozen. Other than hash browns, french fries, etc. The potatoes are kinda weird when I froze them. Maybe because the frozen potatoes are already cooked? It's a good question 🙂

  65. Pingback: I Love Potatoes!!! « Cooking with Pizzazz

  66. Hi, I am just finding your post & I'm very excited. I looked through a few & picked out 25 recipes. Went shopping & I'm sitting down after putting it all together & in the freezer, I bagged the meat yesterday after shopping & today I added the ingredients & finished labeling the bags. I did all but two of the recipes I choose, so 23 meals. I need round steak for the pepper beef & I whooped & forgot to bag for the southwest chicken.
    I am so excited & feel so accomplished. Thank you so much!

  68. Thank you so much for these, i am a busy wife and mom of 3 children my son plays football....with our crazy schedule these recipes will save my life!!! 🙂

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  71. I'm really excited to try these recipes I think this will help tremendously as I have chronic pain and they're days that it's everything I can do to put a healthy dinner on the table. Plus I send meals to both my mom and my husband's parents that cannot cook every day. This will be such a big help. My question is on serving size.for the average meal. These way I can double to split between families. Thanks so much has

  72. Thanks for stopping by. Most of them made enough food for our family of 5 (my kids are 10,7, and 4) and we had some leftovers.

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