Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

Stolen from The Comfort of Cooking

Ingredients:

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds) 

Salt and pepper 

1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup honey 

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water 

Cooked rice

1/2 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds

3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

Place chicken in a crock pot and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or high for 2 hours.

Remove chicken to a cutting board, leaving sauce. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces; set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve 4 teaspoons cornstarch in 1/3 cup water; add to crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Cover and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Add cooked rice to 4 plates, top with chicken and spoon sauce over top. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Bourbon Baked Beans

This is a cheater recipe that is perfect for when you decide to make baked beans at the last minute and don't have the chance to soak beans overnight :D

3 cans baked beans (I like the maple ones)
2 cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp fancy molasses

optional:
1/4 cup brown sugar (I don't find you need this if you buy the maple beans, but it might be needed if you bought the ones in tomato sauce.)

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot or dutch oven. If using a crockpot, cook on high for 6 hours and then switch to keep warm until ready to serve. If using the oven, cover and bake for 1.5 hours at 350F, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Maple Chipotle Pulled Chicken

I am posting the instructions for this recipe made in the oven but it would also be fantastic if you tossed the chicken in a crockpot for the day, pulled it apart, and then added the sauce. This recipe is also great for freezing or making ahead and reheating :D

Pulled Chicken

1 whole chicken, skinned
Spice rub (I use same combo of spices I use for my pulled pork found here)
1 bottle beer
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat your oven to 300F. Rub your skinned chicken liberally with spice rub and place the in a heavy bottomed pan with a tight fitting lid (a dutch oven is perfect.) Poor the beer and apple cider vinegar in the pot, place the lid on it, and bake for 2-3 hours, until the chicken is fall off the bone. When cooked, remove from liquid and carefully pull apart the chicken, discarding bones and any remaining skin. Be careful, some of the chicken bones are very tiny! Now make the BBQ sauce...

Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups plain tomato sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used Jim Beam pancake syrup I found at Sobeys)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 canned chiplotles (I found 1 enough for us but this recipe would also be tasty with a little more heat.)
1 tsp fancy molasass
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground dry thyme
1 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, slowly saute onions and garlic in olive oil until they soften and start to caramelize. Add remaining ingredients and simmer slowly for about 20-30 minutes or until reduced by about 1/4 the initial volume, stirring ofhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giften. When cool, puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Now all you have to combine the pulled chicken and the BBQ sauce, pop it back in the 300F oven to warm up a bit (about 30 mintutes or so) and serve!

This tastes great served on buns with Coleslaw and Bourbon Baked Beans.

Crockpot Tamale Pie

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 lb cooked ground turkey
14oz jar salsa
16oz can corn, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
Shredded cheddar
Sour cream

Mix everything except cheese and sour cream in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve topped with cheese & sour cream.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

3-4lbs pork shoulder
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 bottle beer
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 - 1 cup BBQ sauce (I like the Smokin' Stampede Beer & Chipotle from RCSS)

Mix together pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Rub all over pork shoulder and place in the crock pot. Pour in beer and apple cider vinegar. Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until the pork falls apart when pierced with a fork.

Remove pork from crock pot and discard liquid. Pull pork apart with 2 forks until shredded. Put back in the crock pot with BBQ sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.