Tasty Tuesday!

Alright, here we go with another Tasty Tuesday... you ready? Okay wait, let me give a little explanation for what you are about to see... I did not plan ahead for this week. I meant to, but I had a birthday dinner to go to on Monday. So on Sunday afternoon, I realized that in order to post for my Tasty Tuesday, I would have to make a dinner that night. So I raided my cupboards. And cookbooks. And this is what I found. It's not pretty, but it actually was pretty delicious.

LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN  

A recipe found in a slow cooker cookbook

So I planned to make this recipe with some Au Gratin potatoes... and then realized I was out of milk. So, we switched it to rice, which is not pictured here, obviously.

Ingredients: Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Butter, Chicken Bouillon Cubes, 2 Chicken Breasts. This makes 4 servings because we cut the breasts in half... it really all depends on what size servings you want.

Step 1: Mix all your spices together and rub them into the chicken breasts. Brown chicken in skillet on high heat, and then put chicken into the slow cooker.

You don't need to cook the chicken all the way through since it will finish in the slow cooker. (I mention that, not because I think you're stupid, but because these are the sort of logical, common sense things that I dont know automatically. The Hubster actually had to tell me that.)

Step 2: Pour 2 1/2 cups of water, 3 tbsp of lemon juice, garlic and bouillon cubes into the skillet and bring to a boil, lifting the brown pieces from the chicken browning for flavor. Once it boils, pour into slow cooker over the chicken.

Alright, now listen - I know how gross this looks. I was seriously almost in tears at this point, because dinner is looking mighty nasty. And I didn't understand why on earth anyone would go through all this trouble and put chicken breasts into a slow cooker, when you can get the same result in a skillet in 20 minutes?? Plus, isn't it going to dry out? What you see in the picture above is after I added about half a can of chicken broth. **Disclaimer - that was NOT part of the recipe. That came  from The Hubster and his expertise. So I listened to him and added it... And I'm glad I did! I kept thinking, "Gross, it's going to be soggy." (I know, I literally have no cooking skills.)

Anyway - stay with me. This recipe has a happy ending. :o)

Step 3: Cook on High about 2-2 1/2 hours, or on Low for 4-5 hours.

Step 4: Cook whatever side you want to have with your chicken. We decided on rice, but I can't share the recipe because it's super top secret and been in my family for many years. ....Okay FINE! It's Rice-A-Roni. The San Francisco Treat. And you know what? It was freakin' delicious. Maybe even better than the chicken. So like I said - Dinner = Not Fancy (due to lack of planning on my part.)

Let me tell you what though. That chicken was so tender and juicy... I mean it was literally falling apart as we were cutting through it. I thought it was really, really good. The Hubster decided he didn't love the seasoning (he's not an oregano fan), but I really liked it. And the rice, one more time - delicious!

So take from this what you will... maybe today you learned planning ahead gives you more options. Or maybe you learned that Rice-A-Roni makes a delicious treat. Maybe you learned that I know frighteningly little about the kitchen... You know what I learned? I learned that Hubster doesn't care for Oregano. WHO KNEW?? Happy Cooking everybody! Until next Tuesday....