Get your slow cooker ready for slow cooker meal prep and test five of my most loved and easy healthy chicken slow cooker recipes. These delicious and flavorful chicken meals are perfect for busy weekdays when you don’t have a lot of time to prep meals from scratch.
Slow cookers are magical, aren’t they?
Ok, magic is not really involved but crockpot meal prep is such an easy process that it really seems that all you have to do is put some ingredients in the crockpot, cast a spell, and poof… your meal is ready to enjoy.
I don’t even know how many times my slow cooker saved the day but trust me when I say it did. Plenty of times. Especially since I don’t particularly like to make dinner from scratch every single day of the week. Meal prepping helps me to stay on top of my game with healthy meals for me and my family. And slow cooker meal prep makes everything so darn easy. After all, the slow cooker does all the hard work for me.
Healthy slow cooker meal prep only requires your favorite slow cooker recipes, prepping the ingredients, adding them to the slow cooker, and transferring the meal from the slow cooker to your serving plates. No more heating the oven or tossing vegetables in the pan, no more worrying the meat or poultry is not done, and fewer dishes to wash.
Amazeballs! Am I right?
There are so many healthy crockpot recipes you can try and it is guaranteed that your meals will have amazing flavors and will be loved by all members of your family. Picky eaters included.
In this post, I’m gonna talk to you about healthy chicken slow cooker recipes. Spoiler alert – all you have to do to is add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, press on, and let the slow cooker work its magic.
If you want to make things even easier (yes, that is possible), you can prep all the ingredients ahead of time and store them in the fridge or freezer. Then, you can easily transfer the ingredients from the storage containers to the slow cooker and press on. No more prepping required. Even better!
Should we get started with the healthy crockpot chicken recipes? I think we should!
Slow cooker meal prep is my favorite way of saving time and cooking delicious food. I use my slow cooker when I don’t have time for grilling or meal prepping the old-school way and the results are always tasty and flavorful.
Here’s what healthy crockpot chicken prepping involves:
Prep the chicken: Cut; Season. Prep the veggies: Wash; Slice or dice. Prep the rest of the ingredients if required by the recipe: Grate cheese; Mix spices; Prep sauces etc.As I already mentioned, you can prep chicken and veggies ahead of time and you can use meal prep containers or Ziploc bags to store them until you crave delicious healthy chicken crockpot recipes. Then you can just transfer everything to the slow cooker and go on with your day.
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN IN A SLOW COOKER
Whether you’re using the slow cooker to make these healthy crockpot chicken recipes or you want to cook chicken ahead of time for other recipes such as stews or tacos, one thing is for sure – the slow cooker is perfect for chicken meals. Say goodbye to bland and dry chicken dishes and hello to juicy and tender chicken dishes.
YUMMY.
If you’re wondering how to cook chicken in a slow cooker or how long to cook chicken in slow cooker, I have the answers. Yes, timing and prepping are everything when it comes to slow cooker meal prep chicken because you don’t want tasteless or dry chicken so keep reading to find out how to do it right.
How to cook chicken in a slow cooker:
season the chicken; place it in the slow cooker; add a little chicken broth for extra flavor and moisture; cook the chicken.So incredibly easy, right?
How long to cook chicken in slow cooker:
cook chicken for 1-2 hours on high; or for 3-4 hours on low.Not all healthy crockpot chicken recipes require the same time, especially when chicken is not the only ingredient, but these general rules will help you along the way. I wouldn’t recommend exceeding 4 hours on high because the chicken might turn up dry. However, if the chicken is not done, you can remove the chicken from the crockpot, shred it and place it back in for another half hour.
I’m sure you know chicken is healthy and good for you but maybe you want to know the benefits of chicken. Cuz there are some amazing ones you should know about.
Chicken…
is a great source of lean protein, especially if you remove the skin; preserves a healthy metabolism; helps maintain muscle mass; is low in fat; is low in sodium; is carb-free; has a low glycemic index; is a great source of selenium and phosphorus; is a great source of vitamin B6; is super easy to incorporate in your diet since it’s versatile; is easy and quick to prep. VEGETABLES THAT GO WITH CHICKENAll of them? I mean, seriously, I cannot think of a vegetable that doesn’t go with chicken. Chicken has a mild flavor so it pairs well with all sorts of veggies.
Here are my favorite vegetables that go with chicken and a few veggie dishes you can pair with healthy crockpot chicken:
Broccoli -> broccoli salad or roasted broccoli; Carrots -> roasted carrots; Sweet potatoes -> roasted sweet potatoes or for more recipes and tips, you can check my How To Cook Sweet Potatoes post; Spinach -> garlic sautéed spinach; Cauliflower -> cauliflower mashed potatoes or roasted cauliflower; Green beans -> garlic parmesan green beans or healthy green bean casserole;And, of course, you can try my healthy slow cooker recipes for other delicious pairings.
HOW LONG DOES CHICKEN LAST?Stored properly in airtight containers, cooked chicken lasts for:
3-4 days in the fridge; up to 4 months in the freezer, however, I’d recommend 1-3 months for maximum flavor and freshness. 5 HEALTHY SLOW COOKER CHICKEN RECIPESIt’s time! Time for my favorite healthy crockpot chicken recipes! Because it’s always good to have options and because I want to make sure you know slow cooker meal prep can make everything from soups to burrito bowls and from curry to Chinese food. Yup, peeps, the slow cooker is not only for stews. All these crockpot recipes make healthy, tasty, flavorful, and effortless dinners or lunches for busy weekdays. Tips for making slow cooker meal prep chicken are included in each post.
1. SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BURRITO BOWLSYou know what’s the healthiest way to enjoy burritos? Making Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls! Fewer calories because you don’t need to wrap everything in tortillas anymore and easy meal prep because… slow cooker. These Chicken Burrito Bowls are full of lean protein from chicken and beans, healthy fats from avocado, and fiber from cauliflower and tomato. Plus the flavors combination is to die for! Get the recipe.
Loving how easy it is to make slow cooker chicken breast recipes healthy? Great! I have another recipe for you that, traditionally, is not very healthy – enchilada turned into Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup. Rich, savory, yummy, and healthy. Not to mention fewer dishes to wash. Get the recipe.
This Slow Cooker Chicken Cauliflower Curry is such a winner recipe. It makes a gluten-free, paleo, and clean eating dinner you can also freeze for later. You get the perfect mix of protein – 36 grams – and fiber from the cauliflower plus a flavorful curry that will keep you filled for hours. Get the recipe.
Chicken noodle soup is one of the most comforting and flavorful foods, isn’t it? And it brings back so many childhood memories. You know how to make a low-carb, gluten-free, healthy, and delicious Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup? Use the slow cooker to get amazing flavors and zoodles aka zucchini noodles instead of regular noodles. Get the recipe.
Were you intrigued when I mentioned you can make Chinese food in the slow cooker? Well, your wait is over. Here’s my Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken recipe. It makes a better than takeout, healthier, and kid approved Cashew Chicken that tastes amazing. And it’s easy to make. And high in protein. Get the recipe.
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The post Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Meal Prep appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.
I’m sneaking in one more holiday-worthy treat while I can! These candied pecans are one of my favorite recipes (well, they’re all my favorite) in my cookbook. I vividly recall making batch after batch after batch one night until I got this candied pecan recipe just right.
Unlike most candied pecans, which are made with refined sugar, these candied pecans are made with a reasonable amount of real maple syrup. The maple syrup condenses in the oven. After several stirs, the maple syrup forms a beautifully shiny and crisp, sweet but not sticky exterior.
Delicious maple syrup is the perfect complement to toasty pecans. For classic candied pecans, I add some vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat (optional). I’ve come up with a few more fun variations, which you’ll find below.
These candied pecans pack beautifully if you would like to make them for friends or bring them to a holiday party. They’ll help break up all the cookies on the table. They would also be a great addition to your salads and snack mixes.
Fair warning, these nuts are irresistible. When I shared these candied pecans with my boyfriend, he declared them “the only candied pecans you’ll ever want to eat.” And then I had to take the bag back from him. How about that?
The post Naturally Sweetened Candied Pecans appeared first on Cookie and Kate.
