Salsa Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot (Repost)

This is a repost of the most popular recipe from this blog, so far.  Please forgive the reposting, as I am still sick, not feeling well, and my blog posts are lagging.

This is another easy and yummy freezer to crock pot meal.  Salsa Chicken can be made many different ways by substituting or adjusting the ingredients.  Once finished, it has a taste that resembles chicken chili and is a great meal for cold, blustery nights. 
This recipe makes one 5 quart crock pot full.  Here's the recipe:

Salsa Chicken

3, 4, or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many work for your family)

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can of corn, drained 

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes or any brand tomatoes with green chiles

1 small jar of salsa of your choice (around 15 oz.; size varies by brand)

1 packet taco seasoning 

When ready to serve add:  Cheese, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. 

Place ingredients in a 1 gallon zippered bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock and cook on low for 8 hours or high 6 hours.  Serve in bowls with cheese and tortilla chips, or scoop into tortillas and add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

(Note:  The photo above is midway through the cooking process.  It thickens up as it cooks further.)  

Crock Pot Cooking for One - Freezer to Crock Pot

I love freezer-to-crock pot recipes because they are such a time saver.  However, most of the recipes make a ton of food.  That's difficult for one person because they either end up eating the dish for several days or have to try to freeze it to keep it for later.  

My mother is nearly 80 and lives alone in a home next to us.  We help her with meals, but if she cooks for herself she tends to eat ready-to-eat meals or a bowl of cereal or whatever is easy because it's hard cooking a bunch of food when only one person is going to eat it. 

I decided to try my hand at crock pot cooking for one.  I got Mom a 2-quart crock pot with removable crock (pictured above and link HERE).  Then I bought groceries and got to work. I made 12 meals (2 meals per recipe) with each of the recipes listed below.  

I made enough quantities that if she wanted a larger meal, it would be just enough for her, or if she wanted a smaller meal, there would be enough left over for lunch or dinner.  Depending on how much she eats and which meals she chooses, these can stretch anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.  So far, she has been thrilled, and I have peace of mind knowing that she's eating good meals. 

Here are the recipes I made, below. While these are recipes I have posted previously, I had to modify them to take into consideration the smaller amounts.  Click on the title for each recipe to see the original post for a full-size, 5 quart version of this recipe. 

Use quart size Ziploc bags for storage.  I split each recipe between two one-quart bags.

Butter Curry Chicken (Have not posted this as a large recipe yet, so no link)

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 very large chicken breast  cut in half to make 4 pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

3-4 green onions, chopped and including bottoms and green tops OR 2 tablespoons finely minced onion 

1/2 cup tart fruit juice such as pineapple, orange, or white grape OR dry cooking sherry

4 tablespoons of butter 

2 teaspoons of curry

salt and pepper 

Divide ingredients between two quart size Ziploc freezer bags.  Squish to remove air, then seal and massage to distribute ingredients.  When ready to cook thaw in refrigerator or place frozen chunk in crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken 

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 very large chicken breasts cut into 4 pieces

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers 0R 1 can diced tomatoes with 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in sauce 

1/4 cup lime juice 

2 garlic cloves minced (2 teaspoons of minced garlic if you buy the type in a jar)

1/4 cup dried cilantro

Divide all ingredients between two quart size zippered freezer bags.  Squish out air, seal, and massage bag to distribute ingredients.  Freeze.  When ready to eat, either thaw overnight and place in crock pot the next morning or put entire frozen chunk into crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with rice or steamed vegetables.  This is also great on a tortilla with pico de gallo.

Smothered Pork Chops 

4 pork tenderloins/chops 

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 package dry onion soup mix 

salt and pepper 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Ranch Crock Pot Pork Chops 

4 pork tenderloins/chops

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 package ranch dressing 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Roast Beef 

One 4 pound roast cut into 2 pieces that are 2 lbs each

1 package dry Italian dressing mix 

1 package dry onion soup 

1 package dry brown gravy mix

4 potatoes peeled and cut into very small chunks (I prefer red potatoes)

1 cup carrots

1/2 of a medium onion, cut into chunks 

Divide ingredients between 2 zippered freezer bags.  Remove air, seal, and massage bags to distribute ingredients.  Thaw the night before or put frozen chunk into crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours. Do not add water to this, as the roast will make its own juices.  A note:  Normally I do not put potatoes in the freezer, but if you use small red potatoes, they seem to work well and the recipe comes out fine. 

Beef Stew

2-3 lbs stew meat, browned in batches with olive oil 

1/2 medium onion, diced 

1-2 carrots cut into chunks

1/2 clove minced  garlic 

1 stick celery cut into small chunks

3/4 to cup chicken broth  OR 3/4 to 1 cup beer (yes, chicken broth; don't substitute beef)

2 tablespoons bouillon 

1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 can RoTel diced tomatoes with chiles 

1 small can (4oz) tomato paste 

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon sugar 

2-3 red potatoes peeled and cut into thin/small chunks 

In a skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Pour just enough water in bottom of skillet and stir to deglaze the pan. About 2-3 tablespoons of water. Place meat and deglazed mixture in bottom of 2 quart freezer bags.  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT POTATOES.   Squish out air and massage to distribute ingredients.  Open then add potatoes to top.  Seal and freeze.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with cornbread, crusty bread, or fry bread. This is best when cooked low and slow. 

To make this a stove top recipe, follow instructions, except you will need to add approximately 1 to 1-1/2  cups of water to the mixture and allow it to simmer on the stove top for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Watch carefully and add water if the stew becomes too thick. 

 

Lemon Rosemary Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot

This is the time of year where it seems like heavy meals abound.  There's the office party with prime rib or steak.  There's the blustery days with chili and stew.  Sometimes you're sick of heavy meals and just want something good, filling, but not too heavy.  Lemon Rosemary chicken is a wonderfully light meal that can easily be made in the crock pot.  The citrusy flavor is the perfect compliment to the rosemary.  This tastes great served with rice or served alongside a salad and crusty bread.  

I used chicken tenders in this recipe, but you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or even a whole, cut up chicken to make this recipe.  If you use bone-in chicken, be sure to place it in the bottom of the crock pot, bone side up, so that the meat cooks through.  

Lemon Rosemary Chicken: 

1-1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders

1/2 C lemon juice 

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Lightly brown chicken in a nonstick pan or pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Place in bottom of 1 gallon zippered freezer bag.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Remove air, seal, and then massage to distribute ingredients.  To cook in crock pot, either thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours or place entire frozen contents of zippered bag into crock pot.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  If cooking from frozen, increase cooking time by 1-2 hours. 

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew - Freezer to Crock Pot

Wow, how about our weather?!  Winter here in Oklahoma has been crazy!  It went from 80 degrees one day to 20-something with a windchill in the teens the next day.  That type of cold, blustery, chilly weather makes me hungry for a warm, rich beef stew.

This recipe originally started out as Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika.  However, as I'm known to do, I have modified it to suit our tastes and lifestyle (you'll see why below).  Sometimes I'm not in the mood for beer in my stew, and sometimes I am going to share this with others who may have either dietary, religious, or other personal reasons for not consuming beer, so the recipe below reflects that.  I've also added extra tomato products because, honestly, stew just doesn't seem like stew to me without some form of chunky tomato in it, and we like our stew a little spicier than the original recipe.

Since Pioneer Woman is an Oklahoma girl herself, I'm paying tribute to our shared heritage by renaming it slightly to reflect the changes. The name is also reflective of the fact that I have modified this to be a crock pot recipe (if you wish to cook this stove top, see instructions below recipe). 

Crock Pot Okie Beef Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 whole medium onion, diced

1 cup rinsed baby carrots or 3-4 whole carrots sliced into medallions

2 cloves minced garlic

1 can of beer, 12 oz. OR 1-1/2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth (not beef, though it's tempting)

4 cubes beef bouillon or 4 tablespoons buillon granules

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can RoTel tomatoes with green chiles (or other diced tomatoes with green chiles; this is about a 14 oz can)

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 Tablespoon of my All-Purpose Seasoning, second recipe, HERE 

1-1/2 teaspoon sugar

 3-4 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks

In a skillet, brown meat in oil, in batches.  Pour just enough water in bottom of skillet and stir to deglaze the pan. About 2-3 tablespoons of water. Place meat and deglazed mixture in bottom of 1 gallon freezer bag.  Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT POTATOES.   Squish out air and massage to distribute ingredients.  Seal and freeze.  When ready to cook, place cut up potatoes in the bottom of the crock pot and put the frozen mixture on top (or thaw in the fridge the night before before adding to crock pot).  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with cornbread, crusty bread, or fry bread. This is best when cooked low and slow. 

To make this a stove top recipe, follow instructions, except you will need to add approximately 1-1/2  to 2 cups of water to the mixture and allow it to simmer on the stove top for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.  Watch carefully and add water if the stew becomes too thick. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken - Freezer to Crock Pot

Chipotle lime chicken is a zesty dish with bold flavors that compliment one another well.  Tomato sauce, cilantro, vegetables, and spices kick this up a notch beyond ordinary.  

Put this in the crock pot in the morning, and come home to a flavorful and satisfying meal without a lot of effort. 

Chipotle Lime Chicken

**This recipe makes two meals.  Cut ingredients in half to make just one recipe.**

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
Canadian/Montreal steak seasoning
2 cups diced onion

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

2  14 oz. cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

4 garlic cloves

3 Tablespoons dried cilantro

Divide chicken breasts into two 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.  Season both sides of each chicken breast liberally with steak seasoning.  Add remaining ingredients, squeeze air from bags, and seal.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock pot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-9 hours.  Serve over rice or noodles.   

Freezer to Crock Pot Cooking Tips

• Link to post with above photographed recipes is HERE.
•  I use 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.  They are more durable than regular zippered bags.  The 1 gallon size is usually equivalent to a 5 quart slow cooker.
•  When you’re ready to cook your items, always start with a cold crock pot.  Do not preheat the crock.  If you put cold items into a crock that’s already heated, the crockery insert could shatter or crack. This is also true for items that have just been in the refrigerator.  Cold+hot=Shatter. 
•  I cook items straight from the freezer.  It takes longer to cook, but I’ve never had a problem.  Some people prefer the recipes are thawed first.  If so, thaw the entire bag of ingredients unopened for 24 hours in the refrigerator, and then add to the crock.  Adjust cooking times as necessary. 
•  Write what’s in the zippered freezer bag on the outside before adding ingredients.  Include cooking times, directions such as to add potatoes, serve over rice or noodles, etc.  You may think you’ll remember what’s in that bag, but two weeks from now you might not. 
•  Crock pot cooking temperatures vary.  When in doubt, allow more time to cook rather than less. 
• When using meat, you will need to precook meats with a high fat content such as hamburger meat or certain cuts of stew meat.  If in doubt, precook.  I also recommend rinsing these meats before adding them to the freezer bag.  Since you will be cooking them again in the crock, there might be more fat that comes out during the cooking process. 
•  Place meats in the bottom of zippered bags and place ingredients on top.  Once everything is added, squeeze out air, seal the bag, and massage slightly to distribute ingredients well.  This ensures meats are surrounded by ingredients.  This is important when you’re ready to cook because sometimes the meat can stick together as it is cooking, increasing time needed for everything to cook evenly.
•  Less liquid is better than more.  The funny thing about cooking in a crock pot or slow cooker is that it generates liquids from the items that are cooking, since condensation is trapped.  You can always add more liquid later if the recipe seems dry or thick.
•  If at the end of cooking your recipe seems to have more liquid than intended, turn the crock pot on high, remove the lid, and allow some of the liquids to simmer/boil off until it’s the desired thickness. 
•  You can make almost any crock pot recipe a freezer-to-crock recipe.  Just remember that potatoes and pasta do not freeze well.  I’ve seen recipes that say you can use both of these items, but my experience is that the potatoes and pasta come out mushy, with the exception of lasagna.  I add potatoes at the time I put ingredients in the crock.  I cook pasta separately and add it just prior to serving, as we tend to like our pasta al dente.
•  Almost any casserole can be adapted for cooking in a crock pot. 
•  Almost any soup can also be adapted for the crock pot.  Just decrease the liquid significantly (by at least 1/2 if not 2/3).  When I make soup in the crock, I start with as little amount of liquid as possible then add liquid toward the end, if needed. 

I will be posting more freezer-to-crock pot meals in the coming days and weeks.  I just need photos.  Photographing food is a lot harder than it looks! 

Freezer to Crockpot - Salsa Chicken

This is another easy and yummy freezer to crock pot meal.  Salsa Chicken can be made many different ways by substituting or adjusting the ingredients.  Once finished, it has a taste that resembles chicken chili and is a great meal for cold, blustery nights. 

This recipe makes one 5 quart crock pot full.  Here's the recipe:

Salsa Chicken

3, 4, or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many work for your family)

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can of corn, drained 

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes or any brand tomatoes with green chiles

1 small jar of salsa of your choice (around 15 oz.; size varies by brand)

1 packet taco seasoning 

When ready to serve add:  Cheese, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. 

Place ingredients in a 1 gallon zippered bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, place frozen chunk in crock and cook on low for 8 hours or high 6 hours.  Serve in bowls with cheese and tortilla chips, or scoop into tortillas and add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

(Note:  The photo above is midway through the cooking process.  It thickens up as it cooks further.)