Chicken and Leek Stew – Cooking with kids and using my favorite kitchen appliance – the Slow Cooker! Great for cooking with kids!

Share

I  know I am like a broken record – but slow cookers are SOOOOO easy! Especially when cooking with kids – you can throw everything in  – turn it on and go play with the children until its done and not worry about checking the cooker until you feel like it!

I have had a couple emails from folks asking what a slow cooker is. Here is a definition – and a reminder – it is NOT a pressure cooker. I use the terms Slow Cooker and Crock Pot interchangeably.

A basic slow cooker consists of a lidded round or oval cooking pot made of glazed ceramic or porcelain, surrounded by a housing, usually metal, containing an electric heating element. The lid is often of glass seated in a groove in the pot edge; condensed vapour collects in the groove and provides a low-pressure seal to the atmosphere. The contents of a crock pot are effectively at atmospheric pressure, despite the water vapor generated inside the pot. A crock pot is quite different from a pressure cooker and presents no danger of an abrupt pressure release.

So – to the easy recipe of Chicken and Leek Stew ( or as my grandkids call it – chickyleeky)! Leeks are quite easy to grow – here some are looking pretty tasty! Remember to clean them well – often dirt will gather between the layers – so you need to be rather careful! The smell of leeks cooking is somethingi that makes me think of comfort food!

We do eat a lot of chicken – I know that many folks have cut down on the amount of meat they eat – we still eat a lot of meat – so I am including lots of chicken recipes for all those young moms who are eating less meat than us. This is one of my favorites – since it is sooooo easy and leaves me time to have fun with the little ones.

Ingredients:

  • I Tbsp of Olive oil
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs ( or four thighs and four breasts cut into small pieces0
  • 2 cups of reconstituted chicken broth ( I use Better than Bouillon but you could use any chicken soup)
  •  1/2 lb white sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup leek, outer skins peeled and cleaned well, white and pale green parts only, sliced thin
  • 1 cup  cleaned and peeled carrot sliced thin
  • 1 cup  celery peeled cleaned and sliced thin
  • 3/4 cup uncooked medium-grain brown rice
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Coat a large nonstick frying pan with olive oil; warm over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and breasts and brown, turning once, then set aside.
  2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker; put the chicken in the mixture.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
Share

About Grandma

I have reinvented myself many times during my life -teacher, lawyer, business woman, CEO, Entrepreneur, Board member, Professor, Mom, Wife, Farmer, Chef, Musician, Author and now my best role of all - Grandma to multiple grandchildren, grandnephews and nieces worldwide.
This entry was posted in Blog, Poultry, Recipes, Recipes to Make with Children, Rice and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Chicken and Leek Stew – Cooking with kids and using my favorite kitchen appliance – the Slow Cooker! Great for cooking with kids!

  1. Grandma says:

    From Donna Orender, Jacksonville Beach FLA on Jan 22 2013

    You motivated me to pull out the crockpot… it’s been gathering dust for years and NO MORE.. your recipe and inspiration was a huge hit and the family has requested more wonderful food… thanks grandma larraine

    And RockinGrandmaMusic’s comment back to Donna:
    Thanks – when one cooks with LOVE as you clearly do – and are surrounded by family who adores you – the crockpot is merely a tool in your impressive skills and talents!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.