Last vacation my hubbies'
mother came by to visit the children as well as with them they brought a gift
for me. Getting a present for no reason feels great in itself, but it's
even better when it's something you've wanted for over 2 years. It was a slow
cooker.
There's nothing I
could have wanted more. Seriously! I had actually asked my husband
for one last Valentine's Day and he just laughed and obviously I didn't get
one. And there's nothing I could have needed more (hello...being at home
with twins all day who no longer nap).
They could have
given me a car and I honestly wouldn't have been as excited. Funny story
though, right before my twins were born they did actually bring over a car for
me. Unfortunately it was stolen off my driveway one night. Anyway,
my point is that you can get from point A to point B with or without a car, but
you can't get pulled boneless
skinless chicken breast without a slow cooker.
You may be wondering
why I never purchased one myself if I wanted one so badly. It's because I
kind of have a secret fear of kitchen appliances. I always have problems
using them. Things never seem to work out and there's always so many
pieces to clean. I have cupboards full of fancy kitchen appliances from
when I got married that I never use.
Everything I do is
done by hand. But here was this slow cooker sitting on my counter (because I
have nowhere to put due to all the other non-used kitchen appliances taking up
all the space in my cupboards) so I figured I would give it a try.
Guess what?
Easiest thing to use and I have no clue how I lived without one all these
years. Not to mention it can take boring chicken breasts (something we
eat often in my house) and turn them into something amazingly delicious.
I couldn't decide
what to make first, but I ended up going with honey sesame pulled chicken,
which was so good I couldn't stop eating it. My husband and kids had it over
rice and I had it over a mix of sautéed bean sprouts, coleslaw mix and
broccoli. Because the slow cooker they gave me is so big, I had tons of
leftovers, which has been great for lunches as salad toppers and for lettuce
wraps.
If you don't have a
slow cooker, you should get one immediately. If you're intimidated by it
like I was, don't be. If I can use it, anyone can. Did I mention
this dinner only took 5 minutes of my time? That alone should seal the
deal!
Ingredients:
3 lbs. boneless
skinless chicken breasts
1 small yellow
onion, chopped
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tsp. sesame oil
4 tsp. minced
garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp.
crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
Garnishes (optional)
Sesame seeds
Green onion, chopped
Directions:
1. Spray slow cooker
insert with cooking spray and place chicken breasts inside. Season with
salt.
2. In bowl, mix
together chopped onion, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, minced garlic
and red pepper flakes.
3. In separate bowl,
mix together cornstarch and water. Set aside for later.
4. Pour honey
mixture over chicken and toss to combine.
5. Place lid on slow
cooker, plus in and cook on low for 3 hours and 30 minutes.
6. Remove chicken
and place on plate. Add water and cornstarch mixture to honey mixture in
slow cooker, whisk, cover slow cooker and cook for another 30 minutes.
7. While sauce
is thickening, shred chicken. After 30 minutes place pulled chicken back
into slow cooker and let cook in sauce for another 10 minutes.
Nutritional
Information:
Servings: 8
Calories 205, total
fat 2g, (sat. fat 0g), total carbs 22g, fiber 0.3, sugar 20g, protein 22g
This article is contributed by, Anna Hazlett
This article is contributed by, Anna Hazlett